One Of Rock's Most Unexpected Duets Became A Christmas Staple

Among the most familiar and perennially played Christmas pop songs is "Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy," a mash-up and a duet performed by an unlikely and well-matched pair of beloved singers. Captured live in a TV studio in 1977, it was a collaboration between pre-rock mega-star Bing Crosby and iconic, envelope-pushing contemporary rock legend David Bowie.

It's a nearly perfect David Bowie song that should be required listening for younger generations, and "Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy" is a poignant and even profound reflection on themes of unity and understanding in light of the holiday season, blended with an old Christmas chestnut. Behind the scenes, it was a struggle to make the song happen, but Bowie and Crosby ultimately came together to quickly knock out a new holiday standard that still resonates with audiences five decades later. Here's how two widely disparate legends, Crosby, the man who made "White Christmas" a classic, and Bowie, no stranger to classic duets between two powerhouses, conjured up some holiday magic together.

Bing Crosby's handlers and producers of the 1977 TV special "Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas" wanted to attract young viewers to the older-skewing event — enter edgy 30-year-old rock star David Bowie. While he liked that they offered to include the music video for his single "Heroes," Bowie signed on for a sentimental reason. "I didn't know anything about him. I just knew my mother liked him," he told Q (via CBC). Similarly, Crosby was sold because the concept of singing with Bowie impressed his teenage children.

The special taped in England on September 11, 1977, and it instantly nearly fell apart. During a read-through, Bowie objected to the chosen song, the classic "The Little Drummer Boy." Writers working the show — Ian Fraser, Buz Kohan, and Larry Grossman — quickly whipped up a new piece to showcase Bowie's vocal talents, "Peace on Earth," and merged it with "The Little Drummer Boy." Bowie sang the former as a counterpoint to the latter, largely handled by Crosby. The duet partners rehearsed for an hour before committing it to tape.

Before the cameras rolled, Bowie had to change his look, as he arrived with a non-traditionally-gendered appearance, sporting a fur coat, earring, and extensive makeup. "I think the producers told him to take the lipstick off and take the earring out," Crosby's son Nathaniel told Billboard.

In October 1977, about a month after the taping of "Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas" that featured "Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy," Crosby died in Madrid after a round of golf. His duet with David Bowie wound up being one of the last pieces of music he ever recorded or performed, and when it aired as part of the completed Christmas special on November 30, it took on an extra layer of emotional impact. Thus began the journey of the duet into the firmament of holiday pop culture. As the song was never officially recorded outside of the TV studio, bootleggers took the audio from the broadcast (including the pre-song sketch), and 45s of that were purchased for several Christmases. Finally, in 1982, RCA issued an authorized run of "Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy," and it hit No. 3 on the U.K. pop chart.

David Bowie's former bandmates have always had a lot to say about him, and just after they collaborated, Crosby weighed in, calling Bowie "a clean-cut kid and a real fine asset to the show" according to Rebeat. "He sings well, has a great voice, and reads lines well." Bowie wasn't as kind. "He looked like a little old orange sitting on a stool," he recalled to Q (via CBC). "There was just nobody home at all, you know? It was the most bizarre experience."