Alison Limerick was ‘last to know’ about John Lewis Christmas advert with her song

Alison Limerick is widely hailed as a 90s music legend, with her song Where Love Lives regarded as one of the best club anthems of all time.

However, fans might be surprised to know that when the song was used in last year’s heartfelt John Lewis Christmas advert, which showed a father reconnecting with his son, the singer originally had no idea it was going to be featured.

‘I was the last one to know!’ the 66-year-old tells Metro. ‘The advert might even have already been made by the time I found out because I don’t own the song.’

Thankfully, an idea was sparked for the musician to do a launch party for the advert, and so she became an ‘integral part of the run-up’ to its release. Now, months later, Alison’s releasing her first solo album in 30 years and performing at Pride On The Park at Brighton Pride this weekend.

It might be 36 years since Where Love Lives was released, but Alison emphasises she hasn’t gone anywhere, stressing how much she dislikes when people ask ‘where she’s been’ for the past three decades.

‘I have been here! People say that and I want to punch them in the face,’ she says, laughing. 

‘I’ve been here all the time. I’ve been doing what I have always done. I’ve been doing music. I’ve been releasing songs. I’ve been working with people. I’ve been having a fairly busy life.’

And so, we reach the present day, with Alison celebrating the release of her new solo album, So You Think You.

‘I’ve had a lot of singles out, which is the reason for the anthology. We’re going to do some new songs but we’re also going to collate some of the old ones,’ she explains.

‘People don’t do albums anymore. Except, I think Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, who have the marketing power behind them to let everybody know what they’re doing. I am an Ariana Grande fangirl, by the way. Love her!’

When John Lewis released its 2025 Christmas advert, some were brought to tears, saying that the retailer had created yet another beautifully moving short film.

Alison also found it moving, saying that she was a ‘little weepy’ the first time she watched it.

‘I was in a styling room in the John Lewis store in Oxford Street and they were talking about the advert and I said, “Oh, I haven’t seen it,”’ she recalls.

‘So, they ushered everybody out and an exec came in with a laptop, locked all the doors and played it to me. 

‘I was so moved, I really loved it. I got to meet the father from the advert as well, just randomly at a performance I was giving. He’s tall and he’s gorgeous and he’s lovely and I think he’s Italian, so he’s got an accent.’

In addition to the beautiful story of family connection at the centre of the advert, it also marked the resurgence of Where Love Lives – something that Alison says happens ‘every few years’ with her iconic track.

‘It was actually the gay clubs that ran with it first and then suddenly it was bubbling over into mainstream and people played it on the radio, so they re-released it… several times in different remixes,’ she recollects.

We remark that if the song was a big hit in gay clubs, then surely her performance at Brighton Pride is going to be off the charts.

‘I hope so! I did all those gay clubs back in the day,’ she responds. 

‘I did New Year’s Eve at Heaven. Oh my God! Come on, that’s the big one. It was an astonishing evening. There ain’t no crowd like a gay crowd kicking off on a New Year’s Eve. It was fantastic.’

At the time of speaking to Alison, she’s debating whether to also perform her new track Sista Mother Child, explaining how personal the song is to her.

‘It is something I have toyed with. It was written at a time when my mother had died and just everything was in a mess. The words kind of fell out of me,’ she shares.

‘When we started singing it, I got about three quarters of the way through it and I just was in tears. I couldn’t continue.

‘I did it on Radio 1’s Live Lounge with a box of tissues near my foot, so I could grab one if I needed one, and I was like, my mother would be so disappointed if I p***ed this opportunity away. 

‘We got through it, and then Vernon Kay came and gave me a hug, which was lovely.’

This weekend, Alison is performing at Brighton Pride alongside Diana Ross – a singer who she looks up to greatly.

‘You know, there some people who should always be just the imaginary icon in your mind. If I ever met them, I would fall at their feet in worship,’ she admits.

However, Alison did manage to keep her composure when she met and worked with George Michael, who she said was ‘gorgeous’ in person.

‘I was just backing vocals. I got together with his band – lovely people – so I had two days to get used to the idea,’ she says.

‘He’s so gorgeous. He came into the room and we sang it together, then we did the show and that was it.’

Alison Limerick plays Pride On The Park at Brighton Pride this weekend alongside Diana Ross, Raye, Jessie J, Self Esteem, Five, Paris Hilton, with RuPaul and Mel C DJing. One-day tickets from £75, weekend tickets £154, brighton-pride.org