Songfacts®:

• This is a track from Bright Lights, the re-released version of singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding's debut album. It was released on November 12, 2010 as a single and became a hit in the UK after appearing in a Christmas advert for the department store John Lewis.
• The song was written by Elton John and his song writing partner Bernie Taupin and appeared on John's self-titled second album in 1970. Released as a single, it peaked at #7 in the UK, becoming Elton's first ever hit single.
• Goulding was asked by Digital Spy if it bothered her that a cover song did better on the charts than any of the singles released from her debut album. She replied: "Not really, because I don't think it sounds much like the original. Ben Mumford and I wanted to create something that was a bit more simple and that people would only recognise when it got to the hooky bit. Ben and I have a great musical bond, and I think the song is quite a good representation of how we work, so I'm happy it's out there."
• Goulding told Digital Spy how the link up with John Lewis came about: "They approached a few artists saying they were looking for someone to really capture the whole Christmas thing. I was planning on releasing 'Lights' as the final single from the album, but we recorded 'Your Song' and everyone got excited about it. John Lewis said they wanted to use it on their ad and so we released it instead. It's much more Christmassy than 'Lights' anyway so I think it was the right decision. The video is getting more hits online than the ad, so it seems people are discovering it virally, which is great too."