Half The World away is a song originally by the English rock band Oasis that AURORA covered. It is featured as the thirteenth track on the album "All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend". It was officially released worldwide as the seventh single released by AURORA on November 6, 2015.
About the song
AURORA told NME how she ended up providing the soundtrack for the ad: "I was playing a show in England in July, and I think one of the guys from John Lewis was there at my London show and apparently they liked something about me and my band and later we got a mail offering us to record this song – and we did! I really liked the song, so I said yes."[1]
The John Lewis Christmas advert is the most hotly anticipated TV commercial of the year in the UK. Soundtracks to John Lewis festive ads in the previous years have featured covers of classic tracks by Taken By Trees, Ellie Goulding, Slow Moving Millie, Gabrielle Aplin, Lily Allen and Tom Odell.
Aurora was 19 years old when she recorded the song, the first teenager John Lewis have ever picked to do the job. Gabrielle Aplin was the previous youngest; she was 20 when she recorded "The Power Of Love" for the 2012 'Snowman' ad.
Asked what he thought of the cover by BBC Radio 2's Jo Whiley, Oasis guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher lamented that the song "will forever be synonymous with Christmas from now on and, as is well known, it's not my favorite time of year."
"Having said that," he added, "at least it comes with a cheque, which, believe me, is highly worthwhile."
"Don't go buying me John Lewis vouchers for Christmas, trying to be a smart arse," he concluded, "inside a card that says 'Noel.'"
Lyrics
I would like to leave this city
This old town don't smell too pretty and
I can feel the warning signs running around my mind
And when I leave this island
I book myself into a soul asylum
I can feel the warning signs running around my mind
So here I go
I'm still scratching around in the same old hole
My body feels young but my mind is very old
So what do you say?
You can't give me the dreams that are mine anyway
You're half the world away
You're half the world away
And when I leave this planet
You know I'd stay but I just can't stand it and
I can feel the warning signs running around my mind
And if I can leave this spirit
I'll find me a home and I'll live in it and
I can feel the warning signs running around my mind
So here I go
I'm still scratching around in the same old hole
My body feels young but my mind is very old
So what do you say?
You can't give me the dreams that are mine anyway
You're half the world away
You're half the world away
You're half the world away
I've been lost, I've been found
But I don't feel down
You're half the world away
I've been lost, I've been found
But I don't feel down
I don't feel down
Music Video
The music video for the cover was released on November 12, 2015. It was directed by Kenny McCracken.
AURORA - Half The World Away