One afternoon in, I dunno 1977?, Pat and I were very drunk and very giddy on a Christmas week afternoon in Manchester, England, when Pat decided she wanted to visit the Santa Claus at Lewis’ , barged to the head of the line, and demanded to sit on Santa’s lap. We got very upset when he turned down her request and caused such a ruckus we ended up getting tossed from the department store.
Fast forward to 2010 and rock nyc began covering the department store, now rebranded John Lewis, annual Christmas commercial. It was a dreadful version of the Smiths “Please Please PleaseLet Me Get What I Want” that I first noticed and ever since then I have had a good snigger.
Till 2013!
I am a huge Lily Allen fan plus, unlike Amy Winehouse, she had the sense to walk away from the Fame Monster and get married and have a kid before the Fame Monster had its way with her. I saw her at T5 in 2008 and thought she was really cool and Sandie Shaw of herself and if the cover of Keane’s innocuous “Somewhere Only We Know” is her second step back (she did the Pink duet last year), it isn’t a bad one at all.
The commercial follows a bear and hare, the former has never been around for Christmas because it is hibernating and the hare is left lonesome. Essentially, it is a retelling of “A Yogi Bear Christmas”. And Lily, more known for cockney knockabouts like her terrific “Alfie”, gives it a quietly pristine quality. Plus, we can’t be mean to Joe Strummer’s God daughter. A lovely song made lovelier.
Grade: B