SIR Elton John is the star of this year's John Lewis Christmas advert with his performance of Your Song the soundtrack to a festive-tinged retrospective of his life and career.
The ad, called The Boy and the Piano, opens with a dressing-gown clad Sir Elton gently tapping out the opening notes to Your Song - his first major hit - before viewers are taken back through key moments in his life with scenes of him on stadium tours, travelling on a private jet, recording Your Song, playing the piano in a local pub and performing in a school recital.
With the exception of the present-day opening scene featuring Sir Elton himself, actors take on the role of him at various stages of his life, while the images of the stadium based on a concert in Portland in the US were entirely recreated with computer-generated imagery.
It is the second of the retailer's Christmas ads to feature Your Song after singer Ellie Goulding recorded a cover for the 2010 campaign.
Sir Elton said: "The John Lewis Christmas campaign has so many warm memories for me and my family.
"It's been a lovely opportunity for me to reflect on my life in music and the incredible journey I have been on, and how first playing my grandmother's piano marks the moment when music came into my life.
"The ad is absolutely fantastic and I've truly loved every minute of being a part of it."
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