John Lewis’ Greatest Hits revealed!

10/12/2012

By Lauren Kreisler

 

To celebrate their first ever Number 1 single, we look back at retail chain John Lewis’ biggest tracks singles as featured in their TV adverts.

 

So, would you believe it, department store John Lewis scooped their first ever Official Singles Chart Number 1 yesterday, courtesy of 20 year old newcomer Gabrielle Aplin’s cover of Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s 1984 hit, The Power Of Love.

 

The single provides the soundtrack to the current festive TV ad campaign for the retailer, centering around a snowman who embarks on an epic journey to find the perfect gift for his snowwoman. The Christmas ad is the latest execution in the series of much talked about ads created by John Lewis’ advertising agency Adam And Eve, carrying as their signature a new version of a classic song as the soundtrack.

 

These tracks which have gone on to become chart hits in their own right after starring in the ads, so much so that since 2009 they have collectively sold 1.5 million singles in the UK, and been responsible for no less than three Top 10 hits on the Official Singles Chart. The power of advertising, eh?

 

Seeing as Gabrielle Aplin delivered the retailer its first coveted Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart this weekend, we decided to compile a special chart to celebrate… The Official John Lewis Chart – the biggest selling hits as featured in the retailer’s TV ad campaigns, based on Official Charts Company sales data.

 

The biggest selling featured recording to date is Ellie Goulding’s 2010 cover of Elton John’s Your Song, which peaked at Number 2, selling 729,000 copies. However, it is Wiltshire singer/songwriter Gabrielle Aplin who brings home the highest charting release thus far with The Power Of Love. Her rendition of the track has already sold over 220,000 copies in just five weeks on sale.

 

The Official John Lewis Chart is as follows:

 

Year Single Title Artist Peak Position Sales To Date

1 2010 Your Song Ellie Goulding 2 729,000

2 2010 She's Always A Woman Fyfe Dangerfield 7 224,000

3 2012 The Power Of Love Gabrielle Aplin 1 220,000

4 2012 Never Tear Us Apart Paloma Faith 16 115,000

5 2011 Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want Slow Moving Millie 31 86,000

6 2009 Sweet Child O' Mine Taken By Trees 23 71,000

Edited December 10, 201212 yr by liamk97

5 2011 Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want Slow Moving Millie 31 86,000

 

Coincidentally, she's done a cover of The Power of Love aswell. :lol:

Taken By Trees....my God what an awful cover that was. Souless.

By far the best John Lewis ad song is 'She's Always A Woman'. 'Sweet Child o' Mine' would be second although I prefer the original.

Slow Moving Millie's entire career has been advert related, didn't she have an advert promoting "Beasts" in 2009?

Slow Moving Millie's entire career has been advert related, didn't she have an advert promoting "Beasts" in 2009?

Quite similar to Birdy actually - I'm sure People Help the People was used on an advert too?

How apt that the best track is the smallest seller.

 

How apt that the best track is the smallest seller.

 

It looks like the biggest, to me. ;)

What other songs have been on the John Lewis adverts? Wasn't Templecloud's One Big Family used? Then there was a piano version of The One That I Want, was that John Lewis?

What other songs have been on the John Lewis adverts? Wasn't Templecloud's One Big Family used? Then there was a piano version of The One That I Want, was that John Lewis?

 

KFC and Sky respectively. The six in the first post are the only six from John Lewis ads AFAIA.

Alright, cheers! :D Not only John Lewis adverts who use the piano versions of classic songs!