Sam Fender’s Christmas Single Pairs Two Mix Lengths With Two Different Charity Routes
Sam Fender’s cover of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is out as the soundtrack to the 2026 John Lewis Christmas advert. Physical editions pair the Rolling Stones song with his 2020 recording of Lindisfarne’s “Winter Song”. There is a small but useful difference between the formats: the seven-inch lists an extended mix of the new cover, while the CD lists a shorter version.
Fender produced the recording with his bandmates in Newcastle. The children’s choir comes from John Spence Community High School in North Shields, which he attended, and the brass players are from Easington Colliery Band. Those local ensembles give the record a specific connection to home, beyond the singer’s name on the sleeve.
The official store gives the following running times. “Winter Song”, appearing physically for the first time, is the same length on both products:
| Format | Stones cover | Winter Song |
|---|---|---|
| Seven-inch | Extended Mix — 4:05 | 4:14 |
| CD | 3:29 | 4:14 |
The vinyl version of the title song runs thirty-six seconds longer. Adding the two tracks gives an advertised programme of 8:19 on the seven-inch and 7:43 on CD. Neither listing describes a third song. For a buyer choosing on musical content, the extra time in the cover is the relevant distinction; the B-side title alone does not distinguish the editions.
Both artist-store pages say the products ship by November 13. That is a dispatch deadline on the listings, rather than a promise of arrival at every address that day. The new cover was released on November 3, so the physical schedule follows the digital launch by ten days. “Winter Song” brings a recording from six years earlier onto a physical single, rather than adding a second newly recorded Christmas track.
Where the record is bought also matters to the charitable contribution. Fender and Polydor will donate all net profits they receive from UK sales of the single through his official online store to Teenage Cancer Trust. The terms subtract taxes and direct costs, including manufacture and fulfilment, from the amount received. The promise is about net profits from those sales, not the entire checkout payment or every purchase worldwide.
John Lewis has a separate arrangement: its profits from the records and CDs it sells go to Action for Children. The two routes support different charities. A shopper choosing partly for the beneficiary should therefore check the seller as well as the format. Changing from vinyl to CD is not the same decision as changing the shop.
The advert, Gloria and Pickles, stars Kristin Scott Thomas alongside a toy dog voiced by Paul Whitehouse. For Fender, the release follows the Newcastle ticket-sale disruption covered last week. That earlier story explains the position of existing concert orders; this single offers a separate listening choice, with its own mix, shipping and donation details.