Bing Crosby will forever be synonymous with Christmas cheer. 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, which undoubtedly established him as a true musical legend.
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. Everyone celebrates Christmas with different traditions and different events, but the most important thing is that we all take care of each other and help each other in any way.
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 isn’t just about giving gifts, it’s a time when you give a lot of things. 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. There are now numerous songs that have become Christmas classics over the years. Some artists have even reached career peaks by 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 work and became legendary shortly before his death in 1977.
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.
The video of Bing and Bowie sitting side by side in the studio for the Christmas special is full of warmth and love. 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’m not going to sing that song.’ I hate this song. According to the CBC, Larry Grossman and Booz Cohan said, “I’m doing this show because my mom likes Bing Crosby.” Grossman and Cohan had to do something about it. So they came up with the idea of having a counter song that Bowie could sing while Crosby sang “Little Drummer Boy.” Ian Fraser, Grossman and Cohan wrote Peace on Earth.
“We didn’t know what to do,” Fraser explained, according to UltimateClassicRock.com. He reportedly went down to the basement of the studio and worked for 75 minutes.
Bing Crosby initially hated David Bowie.
Bowie and Crosby completed Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy in less than an hour. What is worth noting is that the two did not get along at all when they first met. When Bowie and his then-wife Angela Bowie arrived at the television studio, Crosby was impressed. “The door opened and David and his wife walked in,” Bing’s daughter Mary Crosby recalled. “Both wore long mink coats, full make-up and bright red hair. We thought, “Oh my God!”
Bing’s son Nathaniel Crosby added: “That didn’t actually happen.”
“I think the production crew told me to take off my lipstick and earrings. “It was nice to see the contrast,” he said.
However, as time went on and Crosby and Bowie began to work more closely together, the legendary Christmas caroler began to prefer English. She called him “a tight-lipped kid and a real asset to the show.”
Mary Crosby remembers seeing her father change during the recording. “They were sitting at the piano and David was a bit nervous. My father realized that David was a great musician, and David realized that my father was a great musician. “Once I saw these two people relax, the magic happened.”
He passed away before the song came out.
Bing and David recorded the song in September 1977. A month later, Crosby died of a heart attack. The world mourned the great singer and artist Bowie, and after his death a Christmas show with Bowie was broadcast.
The song became one of Bowie’s best singles of all time. According to Far Out magazine, around 400,000 copies were sold in the UK alone.
What was it like working with Bing Crosby on Beautiful Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy? According to David Bowie, it was a unique experience. Although the two were not close friends and, as Bowie recalled, “too disconnected,” they did something truly special. “That’s right. I wonder if he’s still alive. It just wasn’t there. It wasn’t there at all. In front of him was a horse. (Deep Bing’s voice) “Hey Dave, nice to see you here,” Bowie recalled in a 1999 interview. “She looked like an old orange sitting on a chair. “Because he had too much make-up on, his skin was a bit dimpled and nobody was home. It was the strangest experience. I didn’t know anything about him. I knew my mom would love it.”
