David Bowie Croons With Bing Crosby!
Well, it’s that time of year again: holiday music new and old to listen to 24 hours a day until Dec. 26th, when we go back to our regular programming.
And this song is my all-time favorite!
Talk about one of the most unusual musical duos of all time! At a time when the message of this song is more important than ever, I want to look at the story behind how visionary Musical Artist David Bowie sang a holiday duet with one of Hollywood’s legendary crooners – Bing Crosby!
Bing Crosby is a holiday favorite – due to his classic films “Holiday Inn” and “White Christmas” – two of my favorites…see more of my top holiday classics here:
As for “Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth”, before I share some secrets about this song, it’s time to watch the incredible video, which begins with a nice conversation between the two before it heads into musical magic…let’s go!
The Secrets Behind The Magic!
As I researched this story, I came across a couple of fascinating stories about the recording of this song. First, this took place in September 1977 – when Bowie was at the top of the charts for songs such as his smash hit “Fame”, written with John Lennon in 1975!
Bowie had already wowed the music world with “Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars”, “Diamond Dogs” and “Young Americans”, so he was a popular as a modern musical Artist could be.
Bing Crosby, on the other hand, was best known for the classic holiday film “White Christmas”, his hit movies with Comedian Bob Hope – and his annual Christmas specials that aired on TV.
Cue Their Date With Musical History!
Here’s how it happened: Bowie agreed to sing a song with Crosby for his upcoming television special, “Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas.” They shot the scene in September of 1977. As you saw on the video, they first chatted about what they each do on their family holiday, before singing the classic song “The Little Drummer Boy”…but here is where it gets even more interesting!
Bowie Sang For His Mom!
Here is how wikipedia describes the events surrounding the taping of the song – and Bowie’s reluctance to perform!
“Bowie’s appearance has been described as a ‘surreal’ event, undertaken at a time that he was ‘actively trying to normalise his career’. He later admitted to having only appeared on the show because ‘I just knew my mother liked him’. Buz Kohan was not sure that Crosby knew who Bowie was, but Ian Fraser claimed, ‘I’m pretty sure he did. Bing was no idiot. If he didn’t, his kids sure did.’
“Peace On Earth” Was Written On The Spot!
The last bit of trivia involved the song “Peace On Earth” – which was written because Bowie didn’t want to sing “Drummer Boy!”
According to co-writer Ian Fraser, Bowie balked at singing “Little Drummer Boy”: “I hate this song. Is there something else I could sing?”, Fraser recalls Bowie telling him. Fraser, along with songwriter Larry Grossman and the special’s scriptwriter, Buz Kohan, then wrote “Peace on Earth” as a counterpoint to “Little Drummer Boy”. Crosby performed “Little Drummer Boy”, while Bowie sang the new tune “Peace on Earth”, which they reportedly performed after less than an hour of rehearsal!”
Crosby Compliments The Thin White Duke!
Here is what Bing Crosby said about Bowie after filming – he called him:
“A clean-cut kid and a real fine asset to the show. He sings well, has a great voice and reads lines well.”
Sadly, Crosby died a month after recording with Bowie, and the show aired just over a month after that, on November 30, 1977, on CBS.
The song was released as a single several years later in 1982, and climbed to #3 on the charts, one of David Bowie’s fastest selling singles ever!
There are so many holiday songs, and I will be sharing more all month – but this is also a personal favorite of mine as well:
The Eagles had a huge hit with their gorgeous version of “Please Come Home For Christmas”…check out the song – and their “Funky New Year” – by clicking on my story here:
Among the more famous holiday classics is this one by John Lennon and Yoko Ono:
You can hear this iconic music video here:
If all of this makes you want to hear more great holiday music, check out Hall & Oates:
Sadly, they are now estranged and will probably never record music again, but they made a terrific holiday album, and you can see some of the music videos here:
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Categories: 70's Music, Art, Classic Rock, Music, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities
johnrieber 
I love the Bowie/Crosby story. Thank goodness Bowie’s mother liked Crosby. White Christmas is a favorite!
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It sure is! Thanks for the comment!
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You’re welcome, John.
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I cannot fathom how or why anyone likes the Bowie/Bing duet. For me it was a terrible idea, and the awful end result gets stuck in your brain for eternity! 😊
Best wishes, Pete.
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HA! Pete, it’s a terrific song!
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An unlikely and very nice duet
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Very cool! We’ll definitely be settling in for our annual viewing of White Christmas soon. I’ll share this with my whole family at Christmas!
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I love the song and what a unique duet to be sure…”White Christmas” is such a great movie, leaves us feeling happy for the world again
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I love the Bowie/Bing one, the Eagles and Hall & Oates less so. But Lennon has made a classic.
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