Morrissey, how could you? Fans of The Smiths horrified as 'anti-establishment' band allows John Lewis to use song in Christmas TV ad

£6m promo already being dubbed the greatest ever

Blessing: Morrissey has allowed John Lewis to use a Smiths song

Morrissey has given his blessing to department store John Lewis by allowing it to use a cover version of Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want in a new Christmas advert.

The lead singer of The Smiths is said to be 'very happy' with the finished product.

It features a small boy getting increasingly impatient in the run-up to Christmas before it turns out he was only desperate to give a present to his parents.

The move has divided fans of the 1980s' anti-establishment band with many saying they can't believe the singer has allowed the song to be used so the department store can sell 'middle-class tat'.

One fan added: 'Please, Please is our hymn about longing and unrequited love.



'No way on Earth should it be used to sell household goods or clothes.



'Shame on you Moz and Marr! Unforgivable. You've made an old fan very sad.'

Users on the social networking group Mumsnet also waded into the discussion with many saying they were disappointed in Morrissey.

Redlac wrote: 'He is the best songwriter since Lennon & McCartney - pity he has given the rights to one of his best songs to be sung by a f***ing awful singer.'

Another added that they would have preferred the original version instead of the cover.



Morrissey, a staunch vegetarian known for being difficult, also appears to have overlooked the fact the department store sells meat at its cafes to customers.

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Tearjerker: The £6m advert has been dubbed 'one of the greatest' ever

Anxious: The little boy can't wait for Christmas so he can give his mother and father a present

He famously once said: 'If you love animals, obviously it doesn't make sense to hurt them.'



Over the years, he has also refused to perform at venues unless they ban the selling of meat products and remove it all from the vicinity.

The animal rights activist also walked off stage at the Coachella festival in California in 2009 after he could smell 'burning flesh' and announced to the crowd the smell of animals cooking made him sick.

He has been a vegetarian since the age of 11.

Happy ending? The advert has divided die-hard Smiths' fans but the majority of viewers have praised it

The rights to the original Smiths track are jointly owned by Morrissey and his bandmate Johnny Marr.

It was chosen by John Lewis because they felt it best suited the story being sold. The song is covered by a singer called Slow Moving Millie.

The £6million advert has been dubbed 'one of the greatest ever' and is largely successful with viewers.



It is currently doing the rounds on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook and will be aired during X Factor tonight.





