Elton John (And His Piano) Sit At The Center Of A New Holiday Commercial That Will Bring You To Tears

You may think it’s a little too early in the holiday season for sentimental tears, but you’d be wrong — especially if you’ve seen the amazing new commercial from British high-end retailer John Lewis that features Elton John through various stages of his life, always accompanied by his piano.

This year’s holiday commercial — or advert as it’s called in the UK — is described by Adweek as follows: “[It] spins a long-form tale of Elton John’s career told in reverse, beginning with a reflective 71-year-old John lightly tapping at a piano in a room dressed for the holidays. As ‘Your Song’ begins to play in earnest, we begin moving back through his career, seeing phases both famous and formative… While most holiday ads manufacture a piece of fiction to hook your emotions, John Lewis made the bold narrative choice to feature a real person and find a believable thread that ties it all back to both the holidays and shopping. That’s a tall order, but [ad agency] adam&eveDDB delivers.” Check out the touching commercial below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNbSgMEZ_Tw

Five relatively unknown actors were hired to play Elton at different stages of his life, and they pull it off remarkably well. No doubt the part of the commercial that will tug at your heartstrings the most is when we see Elton as a child, being given a piano as a gift and he takes his first tentative stabs at the keys. Cut to a contemplative Elton today, doing pretty much the same thing, his face filled with memories as he wistfully considers how it all began.

At the moment, Elton is in the middle of a world tour (his final one, supposedly, though we’re not entirely convinced). He is also the subject of a biopic called Rocketman, which features Kingsman‘s Taron Egerton playing Sir Elton during his formative years. The recently released trailer looks extremely promising, and the film will be out May 24, 2019, in the United Kingdom and May 31, 2019, in the United States.