Sam Fender has shared an evocative new cover of the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want," recorded for the 20th edition of the John Lewis Christmas advert.
The new version was self-produced by Fender alongside bandmates Joe Atkinson and Dean Thompson in Tyneside, England. It adds a distinctly local character to the classic song, featuring the choir from John Spence Community High School in North Shields, where Fender was formerly a pupil, alongside brass from the Easington Colliery Band.
Fender said it was a privilege to reinterpret a song with such an enduring place in popular music. "It was a privilege to rework such an iconic song by such a legendary band," he said. "In the spirit of Christmas, we re-recorded the children's choir with the kids from my old school, John Spence Community High School, and we arranged a brass section with the Easington Colliery Band."
Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger also praised the recording. "I'm a fan of Sam's work, so I was pleased to hear he was covering one of my songs," Jagger said. "I think he's done a great job with it."
The release arrives as demand for Fender's Proper Massive Stadium Tour '27 continues at a high. Tickets for the original nine UK and European dates sold out within a day, with additional shows added in Cardiff, Edinburgh and London. The run includes Fender's biggest headline concerts to date, with Wembley Stadium dates scheduled for June 18, June 20 and September 2.
Fender's third album, People Watching, was released via Capitol Records in 2025 and topped the charts. The record went on to win the 2025 Mercury Prize, while Fender collected a BRIT Award in 2025, two further BRIT Awards in 2026 and the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year.
His duet with Olivia Dean, "Rein Me In," has also continued its remarkable run. After debuting the song to more than 80,000 people at London Stadium in June 2025, Fender and Dean released it as a duet later that month. In 2026, it spent a record-breaking 23 non-consecutive weeks at number one, becoming the longest-running number one single in British chart history. The track won the BRIT Award for Song of the Year, has received RIAA Platinum certification and has surpassed 817 million streams worldwide.
Sam Fender Live
- June 3, St. James' Park, Newcastle*
- June 5, St. James' Park, Newcastle*
- June 10, Principality Stadium, Cardiff*
- June 12, Principality Stadium, Cardiff*
- June 18, Wembley Stadium, London*
- June 20, Wembley Stadium, London*
- July 1, Marlay Park, Dublin
- July 3, Rock Werchter, Belgium, festival headline
- July 8, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh*
- July 10, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh*
- July 15, Etihad Stadium, Manchester*
- July 17, Etihad Stadium, Manchester*
- September 2, Wembley Stadium, London
* Support from Wunderhorse
