Because it’s nice

The video above is a TV ad for British department store John Lewis. I think it’s a nice ad, in the sense it’s nice. So many Christmas ads for retailers are crass, so it’s nice to have a break.

I’d never heard of John Lewis, though my quick read on the Internet told me that they have a reputation for doing emotive ads during the holidays. I also learned from Wikipedia that they’re “upmarket”. Yes, well, I wouldn’t have thought that a “downmarket” store would have the cash for such a commercial.

The YouTube description says:

“The commercial uses a unique animation style that combines traditional 2D hand-drawn animation, stop frame, and 3D model made sets.”

All of which is why I like it—well, that and the music.

The song used in the background was originally by English band Keane, and is one of their biggest hits, 2004’s “Somewhere Only We Know” (WATCH). It’s one of my favourites by them.

The version of the song in the commercial is performed by Lily Allen, and I like many of her songs, too, including this cover. The original Keane song reached #3 in the UK, but only #50 in the USA. Lily’s cover of the song was released on iTunes at midnight, November 9—but not in New Zealand.

And all that detail is what the Internet does to you: You want to know one thing and before you know it, bam!, Internet Death Spiral. But this time, at least, it was for a nice video.