Ikea's Hilarious Christmas Ad Has One of the Best Original Songs Ever

UPDATE: D Double E on Thursday released the full musical track from this spot:

Original story below.

Ikea has joined the fray in the U.K. with its first-ever high-profile Christmas ad, and what a debut it is. The furniture retailer today rolled out a brilliant spot from Mother London that features a drab and cluttered home whose inanimate residents—ornaments and the like—suddenly start rapping hilariously and insulting the human owners about how awful the place is. 

Anchoring the piece is a fantastic original grime track from D Double E, the legendary English grime MC. It’s easily one of the best songs written for an ad in recent memory—and it’s brought to life by director Tom Kuntz of MJZ, who expertly conducts his crazy menagerie of characters for maximum grim comedy, while mixing in some hilarious reaction shots from the humans as well. 

And of course, Ikea swoops in to save the day. 

The work nicely sidesteps the traditional treacly-sweet sentiment of most seasonal spots. Like the other big Christmas spot released so far, from Argos, it’s built around music—but by contrast, feels refreshingly current and energetic, rather than nostalgic and safe. 

Reaction to the spot in the U.K. has bordered on ecstatic, with many applauding the brand for choosing such an unexpected genre of music, and such a far-from-mainstream artist who really delivers the goods. 

The D Double E IKEA advert is so important because:

– Its using an MC that is very credible and not mainstream

– His lyrics/style haven’t been watered down. Not even by 1%

Its a great example of a brand understandinf the nuances of culture. Brilliant stuff.

— Austin (@AustinDarbo) November 8, 2019

The campaign launched today across broadcast and VOD TV, as well as cinema and digital media. The :90, :60 and :20 edits are supported with OOH, CRM and PR. Social content includes three films that show how to tackle home shame with simple changes using Ikea products. 

Here are the full lyrics from the song: 

Ooh, ooh
Dirtee-tee

Budubupbup
I must confess
This place ain’t blessed
This place is a mess
(Disgusting)
Budubupbup
Nah, you don’t deserve no guests
In here, in here
I don’t wanna lay down or rest
(Are you crazy?)
That crack in the wall needs addressing
The state of the floor!
It’s just depressing
(Man!)
This table’s older than the pyramids
(Older?)
At least it’s younger than the mirror is
This place is small, and it’s barely a house
Never mind a cat, you couldn’t even swing a mouse
(So small)
Hmm
Those curtains are looking tired
Decorations are tired
Look, your stylist’s fired

It’s like somebody hit it with a bulldozer
If your house was a car
It would get pulled over
(Excuse me, please)
This is very, very
Very, very
Very, very
Very unacceptable

OK, let’s walk around
I’ll give the house a scan
Oops!
Doorknob broke off into my hand
(Oh my gosh)
Every time I touch something
I wanna wash my hands
(Sanitize!)
I don’t wanna sit in here
I’d rather stand
(I’m cool, I’m alright)
You’ve got wobbly seats
At your dining table
(Wobbly!)
Everywhere I look
It’s wires and cables
(Which one’s this for?)
This is the messiest house that I’ve ever been in
Look at the stains on the rug
That’s gonna need more than cleaning
What, the sofa bed’s not working?
It’s not flicking out?
Hmm
Think it’s time to sort it out
(Come on)
Walls are meant to be white
But they’re looking beige
(Tell me)
What, did you have a house party?
What, did you have a rave?

It’s like somebody hit it with a bulldozer
If your house was a car
It would get pulled over
(Excuse me, please)
This is very, very
Very, very
Very, very
Very unacceptable

Super dupe oourrr oourrrr
Dirtee-tee
That’s you-you
(Oh my word)
Fresh and clean
Budubupbup

“Our first Ikea Christmas advert focuses on the phenomenon of ‘home shame,’ encouraging people to overcome the negative voices in their head holding them back from opening up their homes,” says Sarah Green, U.K. and Ireland country marketing manager at Ikea. “It was born from the common feeling that along with the seasonal joys, a lot of us feel a looming sense of dread when it comes to hosting others, with many feeling ashamed of our homes over the Christmas period.” 

She adds: “We believe every home can and should be worthy of a get-together and that, with a little imagination, some clever products and ideas, there’s no reason not to be proud and invite your nearest and dearest over. This campaign aims to inspire us all to get our homes party-ready and ‘Silence the Critics’, once and for all.” 

CREDITS

Agency: Mother
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Tom Kuntz
MJZ Producer: Emma Butterworth
MJZ Production Manager: Daniel Gay
Production Designer: Chris Oddy
Editing: Russell Icke at the Whitehouse
Music Supervision: Dave Bass and Arnold Hattingh at Wake the Town
Sound: 750mph
Post: Electric Theatre Collective
VFX: Electric Theatre Collective
VXF Producer: Magda Krimitsou
VXF Coordinator: Larisa Covaciu
VXF Creative Director: James Sindle
2D Lead: James Belch
3D Lead: Patrick Krafft
2D Artists: Chris Fraser, Tomer Epsthein 
3D Artists: Jordan Dunstall, Ryan Maddox, Mark Bailey, Remy Herisse, Edwin Leeds, Gregory Martin, Nikolai Maderthoner, Will Preston, Stefan Brown, Adrian Lan Sun Luk, Piers Limberg, Zach Pindolia, Olivia Grimmer, Romain Thirion, Richard Fry
Colorist: Luke Morrison