John Lewis has shared its annual Christmas advert for 2025, soundtracked by a ’90s dance classic. Watch below.
The UK department store released this year’s festive promo today (Tuesday November 4). Titled Where Love Lives, the two-minute video features the 1990 club hit of the same name by Alison Limerick.
The upbeat tune eventually segues into a new, slower piano-led rendition of the track by singer and producer Labrinth.
At the start of the advert, a mother tells her children to clear away some presents from the kitchen table, before their father finds a gift with his name on it under the Christmas tree. He unwraps a vinyl copy of ‘Where Love Lives’ and places it on his turntable.
He presses play, and we hear the opening house piano chords as he imagines being on the dancefloor in a busy nightclub. When the music fades out, the dad spots his teenage son among the crowd across the venue. The pair then find themselves alone, as the father remembers his child as a toddler and a baby.
Back in the present day, the father and son share a hug, and bond over the nostalgic gift. The former later breaks into a dance in their home. Watch here:
The promo was created by the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, highlighting the power of family relationships. An official description reads: “If you can’t find the words, find the gift.
“We don’t always know how to say how we feel. Not out loud. Not properly. But then comes Christmas and something in us wants to try.”
It adds: “This is the story of a dad and his son, and the gift that helps them find their way back to one another. Because, sometimes, a gift can say the things we can’t.”
Additionally, a classic black 12″ vinyl version of Alison Limerick’s ‘Where Love Lives’ is available exclusively at John Lewis, featuring brand-new, club-inspired artwork.
“Side A of the vinyl treats music fans to Alison’s early ‘90s original version of the track, still pounding with cultural resonance and a longtime favourite of DJs worldwide,” a listing reads. “Side B presents globally acclaimed UK artist and producer Labrinth’s reimagination of ‘Where Love Lives,’ a genuinely unguarded take on the iconic hit – both featuring in this year’s ad.”
Profits from each record sold will be donated to the Building Happier Futures fund, which is part of the John Lewis Partnership Foundation. Find more information here.
Last year’s John Lewis Christmas ad was soundtracked by Richard Ashcroft’s solo rendition of The Verve’s ‘Sonnet’, while 2023’s clip featured a song by Andrea Bocelli. In 2022, the promo included a cover of Blink-182‘s ‘All The Small Things’.
The 2021 edition contained a cover of Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder‘s 1984 hit ‘Together In Electric Dreams’ by Lola Young. In 2020, John Lewis used Celeste‘s single ‘A Little Love’ for its ‘Give A Little Love’ campaign.
Other artists to have contributed music to the yearly promo include Lily Allen, Aurora, Gabrielle Aplin and Tom Odell. It has featured covers of acts such as John Lennon, Oasis, The Smiths and Keane.
The annual advert has become a staple of the festive period in the UK. Back in 2018, Elton John revealed that he was paid £5million to star in the promo. The previous year, some viewers were left unimpressed with Elbow’s cover of The Beatles’ ‘Golden Slumbers’, and complained that they hadn’t been brought to tears by the ad, as had become customary with past instalments.
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