It is one of the weirdest sights in television history. You’ve probably seen the clip on YouTube or during a VH1 throwback special: David Bowie, the Thin White Duke himself, standing next to a 74-year-old Bing Crosby. They’re at a piano. They’re talking about "Sir Percival" and "sheet music" in a script so stiff it feels like it was written by a 19th-century butler. Then, they sing.
The david bowie duet with bing crosby shouldn't work. It’s a collision of worlds that makes no sense. On one side, you have the man who sang "White Christmas" and basically invented the concept of the multimedia superstar. On the other, the guy who had spent the last five years playing a bisexual alien and a coke-fueled occultist.
But the "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" medley became a massive, multi-generational hit. It stays on holiday playlists decades later. Interestingly enough, the version we all love almost never happened because David Bowie flat-out refused to sing the original song.
The Secret Reason Bowie Said Yes
Most people think this was some high-level record label synergy. It wasn't. Bowie’s career in 1977 was in a weird spot. He was living in Berlin, trying to get clean from a legendary drug habit, and making experimental ambient music like Low. He was also dealing with a PR nightmare after some truly bizarre comments he’d made about fascism—comments he later blamed on being "totally out of my mind" on substances.
He needed to look "normal" again. He needed to show the world he wasn't a dangerous lunatic.
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But the real reason he showed up at ATV Elstree Studios on September 11, 1977? His mom. Honestly, that’s it. Bowie famously said later, "I just knew my mother liked him." He did the show as a gift to Margaret Mary "Peggy" Jones.
Bing, for his part, wasn't exactly a huge Ziggy Stardust fan. He reportedly didn't know much about Bowie, though his kids certainly did. When Bowie showed up, he reportedly had bright red hair and was wearing full makeup. The producers had to politely ask him to tone it down for the "Merrie Olde Christmas" audience. He complied, showing up for the cameras in a sensible blazer and a much more "human" look.
The Basement Rescue: How "Peace on Earth" Was Born
The plan was simple: sing "The Little Drummer Boy." That’s what Bing did. That’s what the show wanted.
Bowie hated it.
"I hate this song. Is there something else I can sing?" he reportedly told the musical directors. He thought "The Little Drummer Boy" was clunky and didn't fit his voice. This created a massive problem. You don't just tell Bing Crosby "no" on his own Christmas special.
The show’s writers—Ian Fraser, Larry Grossman, and Buz Kohan—didn't panic. Instead, they scrambled. They found a piano in the studio basement and spent exactly one hour writing a new counterpoint melody. They called it "Peace on Earth."
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The structure was brilliant. Bing would handle the traditional "Pa-rum-pum-pum-pum" lines, and Bowie would soar over the top with the new lyrics about "sleep in peace" and "goodwill to men." They rehearsed it for less than an hour.
When they finally filmed it, the chemistry was accidental but perfect. Bing’s bass-baritone was steady as a rock, and Bowie’s performance was uncharacteristically earnest. He wasn't playing a character. He was just singing with an old pro.
The Tragedy Behind the Broadcast
There is a layer of sadness to the david bowie duet with bing crosby that many fans forget. Just five weeks after filming that segment, Bing Crosby was in Spain playing golf. He collapsed from a massive heart attack after finishing a round and died at the age of 74.
He never saw the special air.
When Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas finally hit screens in November 1977 (U.S.) and Christmas Eve (U.K.), it served as a posthumous farewell to a legend. The duet with Bowie stood out because it felt like a passing of the torch. It was the old guard meeting the new, even if the "new" guy was wearing a sweater vest he clearly borrowed from the wardrobe department.
Why It Took Five Years to Become a Hit
You’d think a pairing that famous would be rushed to radio immediately. Nope. For years, the only way to hear the song was to wait for the TV special to be rebroadcast or to find a bootleg.
RCA Records didn't officially release "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" as a single until November 1982. By then, Bowie was a global megastar again thanks to the Let's Dance era. The song shot to number 3 on the UK Singles Chart. It became one of Bowie’s best-selling singles of all time, which is kind of hilarious when you consider it was a song he initially tried to get out of singing.
Myths vs. Reality
People love to romanticize this meeting. Some stories claim they became fast friends. Others claim Bowie hated every second.
The truth is somewhere in the middle. In 1978, Bowie called Bing "fantastic" and said the "old man knew everything about everything." Years later, in 1999, he was a bit more cynical, describing Bing as looking like "a little old orange sitting on a stool."
That’s just Bowie, though. He was a chameleon who frequently changed his mind about his past "eras." Regardless of how he felt about the stool or the orange makeup, his vocal performance on that track is undeniably one of his most controlled and beautiful.
Actionable Insights for Music History Buffs
If you want to experience the full impact of this moment beyond just the 3-minute clip, here is how to dive deeper:
- Watch the Dialogue Skit: Don’t just listen to the audio. The "hilariously forced" dialogue where Bowie pretends to be a neighbor dropping by to use the piano is a masterclass in awkward 70s variety TV.
- Listen for the Phasing: If you find the "Heroes" performance from the same special, listen to the vocal. It’s a unique live take with a very strange echo effect that wasn't on the studio record.
- Check the Credits: Look up Ian Fraser and Buz Kohan. These guys saved the song in 60 minutes. Their ability to write a counter-melody that fits perfectly over a 1941 classic is a lesson in professional songwriting under pressure.
The david bowie duet with bing crosby remains a peak "glitch in the matrix" moment. It shouldn't exist, but we’re lucky it does. It proves that even the most cynical rock stars can be convinced to do something wholesome if you just write a better melody—and if their mom really wants them to do it.