Morrissey allows John Lewis to use Smiths track for Christmas ad campaign

Update 11/12/11, 10:00 PM PT:

Link posted at Morrissey Reddit:

Morrissey, how could you? Fans of The Smiths horrified as 'anti-establishment' band allows John Lewis to use song in Christmas TV ad - Daily Mail
£6m promo already being dubbed the greatest ever

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Update 11/11/11, 7:10 AM PT:

Ad is now on YouTube:



Also:
Please please please don't sell our music to advertisers - by Adam Boult, The Guardian

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Morrissey allows John Lewis to use Smiths track for Christmas ad campaign - The Telegraph

His lyrics are not usually associated with festive cheer, but Morrissey has permitted department store John Lewis to use a song by The Smiths for its Christmas advert.

Excerpt:

The famously curmudgeonly singer has given his blessing for a cover version of Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want to feature on the chain’s £6 million television advertising campaign.

The track will be performed by Slow Moving Millie, a relatively unknown musician and actor whose real name is Amelia Warner and was once briefly married to the Hollywood actor Colin Farrell.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Article: Morrissey allows John Lewis to use Smiths track for Christmas ad campaig

Calm down dear and have some tea, they can't steal your love of the music, not on the telly! I do agree John Lewis is atrocious, but on the plus side they have a fabulous returns policy and they are very easy to lift from. x

Aye, and with the money he will collect from it will be needed unfortuately, i have a feeling that court case isn't going to go in his favour. He will need every penny he owns if he loses.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Article: Morrissey allows John Lewis to use Smiths track for Christmas ad campaig

Calm down dear and have some tea, they can't steal your love of the music, not on the telly! I do agree John Lewis is atrocious, but on the plus side they have a fabulous returns policy and they are very easy to lift from. x

Ohhh, a right hard man. Would love to see your blubbing pleading face when you get caught stealing, you tramp.

 

[Anonymous]

Someone needs a bit of extra cash

 

[Anonymous]

This is badly worded. Morrissey always lets anyone cover his material. He has said quite often that he finds it flattering.

 

[Anonymous]

This is NOT The Smiths anymore. Why can't some people just drop and cut out the old, worn-out 80's rhetoric. It's just a piece of music now, a piece of recorded history, like any other song from the past. Why shouldn't it be allowed for use on a TV ad? Do you think there are still legions of followers from the 80's still sat there on their beds in bedsitland that have never moved on? Of course not, we all move on, including the band themselves. To be honest, I don't even feel the same about the Smiths and their music anymore, it doesn't really matter what their ethics were, does it? And as for the general viewing public, they probably won't even notice, just as they don't when This Charming Man is playing in the Queen Vic!

 

[FatGayVegan]

http://www.youtube.com/johnlewisretail Here is the new 2011 ad.

 

[Dave2006]

Re: Article: Morrissey allows John Lewis to use Smiths track for Christmas ad campaig

Thanks FGV - here it is embedded



It's a lovely film - as the dad of a 6 year old it rings true (not that I expect her her to give great gifts) - and the cover sounds lovely. I'm not sure how many more people will go to John Lewis as a result though...

Dave

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Article: Morrissey allows John Lewis to use Smiths track for Christmas ad campaig

This is NOT The Smiths anymore. Why can't some people just drop and cut out the old, worn-out 80's rhetoric. It's just a piece of music now, a piece of recorded history, like any other song from the past. Why shouldn't it be allowed for use on a TV ad? Do you think there are still legions of followers from the 80's still sat there on their beds in bedsitland that have never moved on? Of course not, we all move on, including the band themselves. To be honest, I don't even feel the same about the Smiths and their music anymore, it doesn't really matter what their ethics were, does it? And as for the general viewing public, they probably won't even notice, just as they don't when This Charming Man is playing in the Queen Vic!

The Smiths....and their songs, still mean a lot to a lot of people. They still matter. They were that good. A very precious band. 'Ethics' still matter, of course they do. If you've 'outgrown them' then good for you, fair enough. Me, I still love them as much as I ever did and I am in my forties. Still the best freakin band in the world in my mind. I may not live in a bedsit anymore and yes, everyone moves on, etc, but please don't criticise people for still caring about a very special band who made very special songs.....one of which, alarmingly, has been allowed to advertise material objects for a department store. To many people this tarnishes and cheapens this sacred song. It's not about material possessions....the song is much deeper than that.

Merry Christmas.

 

[Marco]

Great campaign and I can see why they wanted this music and I can see why Morrissey gave his ok! Simply LOVELY! It's NOT a peanut butter AD. Fans sometimes sucks a lot! Sooooo demanding! So easy to say... I would buy at John Lewis as a result... but Im not in the UK..

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Article: Morrissey allows John Lewis to use Smiths track for Christmas ad campaig

Great campaign and I can see why they wanted this music and I can see why Morrissey gave his ok! Simply LOVELY! It's NOT a peanut butter AD. Fans sometimes sucks a lot! Sooooo demanding! So easy to say... I would buy at John Lewis as a result... but Im not in the UK..

Sometimes in this site I can read something kind and clever! Ciao.

 

[Anonymous]

Just played it on radio 4 sounds absolutely hideous, shame though as such a beautiful, wintery song.

 

[Anonymous]

What a fantastic ad. Made up this was allowed as the imagery of the song fits wonderfully with this lovely little film. Ive always loved the spirit of giving at Christmas, and now I have two little kids its great to see them love giving presents to me and their mum. Great great ad.

 

[CrystalGeezer]

This commercial made me cry.

 

[Anonymous]

It's quite well done - and there's a nice twist at the end. Let's face it - it could have been a LOT worse (gets visions of Suggs singing 'Our House' and selling fish fingers).

However - despite all the subterfuge of it being about giving presents - ultimately the message of the advert is to get people to buy things. 'Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want' has been co-opted as a hymn to consummerism. Buying things cannot - and never will - heal the void in your soul.

The original song is a love song. So - in context - Morrissey's recent live lyric change to 'let me have who I want' is actually much more appropriate.

Hmm. Mixed feelings on this.

 

[Johnson]

I denounce Morrissey and Marr 100%.11/11/11.

 

[Anonymous]

The main problem seems to be that the company just read the title of the song and went 'yes, perfect' without actually trying to listen to its message. It's quite disturbing to associate it with children - were this a short film, I would have expected the family getting murdered or something on Christmas eve.

 

[klaus]

beautiful ad.

 

[Anonymous]

Bloody hell. Some of you lot really are insufferable snobs.

 

[CrystalGeezer]

Re: Article: Morrissey allows John Lewis to use Smiths track for Christmas ad campaig

Bloody hell. Some of you lot really are insufferable snobs.

This. And it's not just a solow thing.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Article: Morrissey allows John Lewis to use Smiths track for Christmas ad campaig

The main problem seems to be that the company just read the title of the song and went 'yes, perfect' without actually trying to listen to its message. It's quite disturbing to associate it with children - were this a short film, I would have expected the family getting murdered or something on Christmas eve.

Um, no. It's actually a fairly clever interpretation of the lyrics. "Lord knows it would be the first time..." IE, the child's first gift to his parents.

It's a cute ad, and a good cover. Some people here are so miserable. Anyone who was around for the Smiths is now at least in their late 30s... and you're still going on about "selling out"? Give me a break.