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John Lewis advert prompts iTunes release of Billy Joel cover


Billy Joel’s hit She’s Always A Woman could return to the charts after 33 years following its appearance in a television advert for British Retailer, John Lewis.

A version of the song by Fyfe Dangerfield, lead singer of cult band The Guillemots, is to be made available from iTunes after it was used in the £6m campaign to promote the store’s Never Knowingly Undersold customer service promise.
The commercial was viewed 130,000 times in six days on YouTube, taking both the 29-year-old singer and the retail giant by surprise.
 A spokeswoman for Birmingham-born Mr Dangerfield said the number of requests for the track had been “phenomenal” and that managers had taken the decision to make it available for download through iTunes from Tuesday, May 4.
She added: “It is being rush released on iTunes because of the demand and is being picked up on a daily basis by radio stations round the UK.”
The 90-second advert, created by agency Adam & Eve, shows a woman going through stages of her life with John Lewis products.
Craig Inglis, director of marketing at John Lewis, said: “Whilst we expected the ad to have impact, we've been overwhelmed by the volume of responses and how deeply it has affected people. We have received numerous letters and emails.”
The song featured on Billy Joel's 1977 album, The Stranger.
The advert also includes two John Lewis staff, delivery drivers Brian Rees and Noel Breen, who are seen delivering a sofa to the main female character when she moves into her first home.