John Lewis Christmas advert song review – Lola Young, Together in Electric Dreams: Minimalist cover takes it back to basics

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. This year’s track then – a cover of Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder’s 1984 hit “Together in Electric Dreams” by newcomer Lola Young – is an interesting choice. The lyrics – sadder than you remember – are ripe pickings for a soppy slowdown, and Young is no doubt compelling as she croons: “I only knew you for a while, I never saw you smile / Till it was time to go, time to go away.” But where the original derived much of its power from that discrepancy, this cover doesn’t capture that same off-kilter appeal. The John Lewis Christmas ad launched the career of Gabrielle Aplin; with any luck it will likewise open the door for Young, who deserves a big break beyond singing Eighties covers. But considering the success of Celeste’s “A Little Love” last year – the first original track used in the commercial’s history – the safety of this year’s track feels slightly regrettable.