No matter how old a boy is, he always wants to make his mom happy. In 1977, David Bowie was tapped for a duet with Bing Crosby for the holiday special, Merrie Olde Christmas. He apparently did the show because his mom was a huge Bing fan, but David hated the song choice. According to PBS, he told producers that “The Little Drummer Boy was a deal-breaker.
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“He said, ‘If I have to sing that song, I can’t do the show,'” Merrie Olde Christmas writer Larry Grossman recalled.
He said David told him he was “doing the show because my mother loves Bing Crosby.”
The Writers Got Creative to Get David Bowie on Board
“We decided the best way to salvage the arrangement was to do a counter melody that would fit in between the spaces and maybe write a new bridge and see if we can sell him that,” Merrie Olde Christmas co-writer Buz Kohan said.
Thankfully, that was enough to get David Bowie on board, and an iconic Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy tune was born.
Fans loved the sweet story.
“Well, I’m glad bowie hated A little drummer boy and his mom loved bing. otherwise, we wouldn’t have this masterpiece,” a fan wrote.
“Two people who really didn’t want to collaborate & created a magic moment. This duet & arrangement is so iconic, another person shared.
This version is a favorite for many Christmas music fans.
“Absolutely my favorite Christmas song of all time. Bing Crosby is one of the best singers to ever tackle Christmas music. And I love the contrast this songs gives between him and Bowie,” a fan noted.
Bing Crosby died just weeks after filming the special alongside David Bowie. That’s one Christmas gift David’s mom would never forget.
This story’s featured image is by Bettman/Getty.
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