Bing Crosby will forever be synonymous with the joy of Christmas. The singer’s incredible voice has warmed hearts for decades, and her classic recording of “White Christmas” has become a national treasure.
In 1977, a month before Crosby’s death, he sang “Earth Peace/Little Drummer Boy” with David Bowie, undoubtedly cementing his place as a true musical legend.
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The beautiful Christmas songs sung by Crosby and Bowie are still considered classics today. But few people know the complex story behind their collaboration.
David Bowie apparently hated this song. And there was only one reason why I sang this song with Bing Crosby. When we hear the word “Christmas”, we all think of different things.
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Everyone celebrates Christmas with different traditions and on different occasions, but the most important thing is that we take care of each other and help each other as much as we can.
Bing Crosby is a Christmas legend.
Some people think that gifts are the most important thing, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But for me, Christmas is a time of giving more than just presents. Expressing gratitude and love to your near and dear ones is very important, and if there is a holiday created especially for this, it is Christmas.
What we all love about Christmas is the music. The unique and beautiful vibes of classic songs always take Christmas to another level. Now there are numerous songs that have become Christmas classics over the years.
Some artists have reached career highs recording Christmas carols. Bing Crosby is the most popular Christmas artist. As many have speculated, this is due to his performance in White Christmas.
Written in 1942, the song became a worldwide hit. It has sold over 50 million copies and is officially the best selling Christmas song of all time and the best selling single of all time!
Crosby thus became synonymous with Christmas, appearing in 42 Christmas TV specials during his lifetime. But it was his last event and became legendary in 1977, shortly before his death.
In a special Christmas show, Bing tapped the talents of David Bowie. The legendary British musician joined Crosby on the show to perform the classic “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy.”
Now the story of their collaboration on the Bing Crosby Christmas special is much more interesting than you might think. One thing is certain. The result is one of the best Christmas songs of all time!
Bowie didn’t want to sing “Little Drummer Boy” with Bing Crosby.
There’s warmth and love all around when you see a photo of Bing and Bowie sitting side by side in the special Christmas studio. But behind the scenes, the British rock star wasn’t so enthusiastic at first.
In 2014, the writers of Bing Crosby’s Merry Olde Christmas explained in an interview with PBS that David Bowie refused to sing Little Drummer Boy with Crosby.
“He said, ‘I won’t sing that song. I hate that song. I’m doing this show because my mother loves Bing Crosby,’” Larry Grossman and Buz Kohan said, as reported by CBC.
Grossman and Kohan had to do something about it. So they came up with the idea of having a counter-melody Bowie could sing simultaneously while Crosby sang Little Drummer Boy. Ian Fraser, Grossman, and Kohan wrote Peace on Earth.
“We didn’t know quite what to do,” Fraser explained, according to UltimateClassicRock.com. He also said that they went down to the studio basement and spent 75 minutes working on it.
Bing Crosby didn’t like David Bowie at first
Bowie and Crosby then perfected the song Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy in less than one hour.
Suffice to say, the duo didn’t quite get along upon their first meeting. When Bowie and his then-wife Angela Bowie arrived at the television studio, Crosby wasn’t impressed.
“The doors opened, and David walked in with his wife,” Bing’s daughter, Mary Crosby, recalled. “They were both wearing full-length mink coats, they have matching full makeup, and their hair was bright red. We were thinking, ‘Oh my god.’”
“It almost didn’t happen,” Bing’s son, Nathaniel Crosby, added.
“I think the producers told him to take the lipstick off and take the earring out. It was just incredible to see the contrast.”
However, as the day progressed and Crosby and Bowie worked closer together, the legendary Christmas singer grew fond of the Englishman. He called him a “clean-cut kid and a real fine asset to the show.”
Mary Crosby recalled seeing her father transform during the recording.
“They sat at the piano, and David was a little nervous. Dad realized David was this amazing musician, and David realized Dad was an amazing musician. You could see them both collectively relax, and then magic was made.”
Passed away before the song aired
Bing and David recorded the song in September 1977. Just one month later, Crosby passed away after suffering from a heart attack. The world mourned the great singer and performer, and the Christmas show with Bowie aired after his death.
The song became one of Bowie’s all-time best singles. According to Far Out Magazine, it sold an estimated 400,000 copies in the UK alone.
So what was it like working with Bing Crosby on the beautiful Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy?
Well, according to David Bowie himself, it was a unique experience. Even though the two weren’t best friends and, as Bowie recalled, “so totally out of touch with each other,” they produced something very special.
“Yes. I was wondering if he was still alive. He was just… not there. He was not there at all. He had the words in front of him. (Deep Bing voice) ‘Hi, Dave, nice to see ya here,’” Bowie recalled in a 1999 interview.
“And he looked like a little old orange sitting on a stool. ‘Cos he’d been made up very heavily and his skin was a bit pitted, and there was just nobody home at all, you know? It was the most bizarre experience. I didn’t know anything about him. I just knew my mother liked him.”
Listen to this beautiful song down below.
