Though the Piano Man has licensed his tunes to TV shows and what not over the years, he’s apparently never stepped into the advertising arena until just recently–and it looks like his approval is paying off. Sure, it’s not Billy Joel himself crooning, but Guillemots lead singer Fyfe Dangerfield’s interpretation of Joel’s “She’s Always a Woman” (from 1977’s The Stranger) in a spot for UK retailer John Lewis racked up 130,000 YouTube views in just six days (and is up to 300,000 now).
The music aligns with the theme of the $9 million ad campaign, which was created by London shop Adam & Eve and shows a woman going through important stages of life with John Lewis products. Now, the Fyfe cover is available on iTunes in the UK and has won the female vote according to The Guardian, which notes that “the ad has hit home precisely because it harks back to a time when women weren’t tyrannized by choice and the anxieties brought on by overaccomplishment.” Not bad for your first time out, Billy.
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