Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy
"Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" | ||||
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ATV Elstree (Hertfordshire) | ||||
Genre | Christmas | |||
Length | 4:23 (UK), 2:32 (US) | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ian Fraser, Larry Grossman, Buz Kohan / Harry Simeone, K.K. Davis, Henry Onorati | |||
Producer(s) | Frank Konigsberg | |||
David Bowie singles chronology | ||||
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Bing Crosby singles chronology | ||||
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2010 US Reissue | ||||
Collector's Choice Music |
"Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" is a
Following the special's broadcast during the 1977 holiday season, "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" went unavailable for many years. It was eventually released as a single by
Background and recording
Although
The special's musical supervisors, Ian Fraser and Larry Grossman, originally intended the duo to record a straightforward rendition of "The Little Drummer Boy".[7] However, Bowie balked at singing "Little Drummer Boy": "I hate this song. Is there something else I could sing?", Fraser recalled Bowie telling him. Scriptwriter Buz Kohan further stated that Bowie felt "Little Drummer Boy" "wasn't a good showcase for his voice".[5] Startled, Fraser, Grossman, and Kohan found a piano in the studio's basement and wrote "Peace on Earth" as a counterpoint to "Little Drummer Boy" in just over an hour.[7][9] Regarding the experience, Kohan said, "It all happened rather rapidly. I would say within an hour, we had it written and were able to present it to [Bowie] again."[10] Crosby performed "Little Drummer Boy", while Bowie sang "Peace on Earth", which they reportedly performed after less than an hour of rehearsal.[7] Kohan added that "Bing loved the challenge" of the arrangement, stating he "was able to transform himself without losing any of the Crosby-isms."[10]
Before the duet, Bowie and Crosby act out a dialogue skit, described by
Bowie's appearance has been described as a "surreal" event, undertaken at a time when he was "actively trying to normalise his career".[13] In 1978, Bowie said of Crosby: "He was fantastic. That old man knew everything about everything. He knew rock and roll backwards, even if he didn't know the music...I'm glad I met him."[5] However, by 1999 he changed his opinion, stating "He was not there at all" and describing Crosby as "look[ing] like a little old orange sitting on a stool." He found the experience to be "bizarre" and stated to having appeared on the show primarily because "I just knew my mother liked him".[7] Kohan was not certain if Crosby knew who Bowie was, but Fraser claimed, "I'm pretty sure he did. Bing was no idiot. If he didn't, his kids sure did."[5][14] A few days after the taping, Crosby said of Bowie, "clean-cut kid and a real fine asset to the show. He sings well, has a great voice and reads lines well."[15]
A week after taping his appearance for Marc, Marc Bolan died in a car crash.[16] A month after recording "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy", Crosby died of a heart attack on 14 October.[5][7] Bowie later commented on the coincidence, stating "I was getting seriously worried about whether I should appear on TV because everyone I was going on with was kicking it the following week."[7]
Release
In the United States, Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas aired on 30 November 1977 on
The single debuted on the
In the United States and Canada, "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" became a staple on radio stations during the Christmas season. On 14 November 1995, Oglio Records released a special multimedia CD single of "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" which contained both the standard full-length audio version and the full-length music video of the footage from the 1977 Christmas special accessible via CD-ROM drives.
On 9 November 2010,
VH1 placed the duet at number 43 on its 2000 list of "100 Greatest Rock & Roll Moments on TV".[22]
In 2017, the track was released on the Bowie box set A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) on the bonus CD exclusive to the set entitled Re:Call 3 released by Parlophone.[23][24]
Track listing
7": RCA / BOW 12 (UK)
- "Peace on Earth/Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati, Harry Simeone) – 4:23
- "Fantastic Voyage" (David Bowie) – 2:55
Personnel
According to biographer Chris O'Leary:[5]
- David Bowie – vocals
- Bing Crosby – vocals
- Uncredited session players – piano, bass, drums, strings
Charts
Weekly chartsDavid Bowie and Bing Crosby version
Bandaged version
|
Year-end chartsDavid Bowie and Bing Crosby version
Bandaged version
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] | Silver | 250,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Other versions
In 2008, Welsh radio presenter
A remastered version, with the original vocals from Crosby and Bowie and music played by the London Symphony Orchestra was released on the compilation album, Bing At Christmas in 2019.[39]
Appearances in popular culture
- The section of the original broadcast consisting of the song briefly appeared in the Christmas-themed episode of Beavis and Butt-Head titled "A Very Special Christmas With Beavis and Butt-Head", which aired on December 17, 1993. In the episode, both Beavis and Butt-Head stare in horror and abject disgust at the video, providing no commentary, before quickly changing the channel.
- In December 2010, a number of comedians paired to perform or parody the song and video, including Jack Black and Jason Segel for College Humor;[40] Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly for Funny or Die;[41] Black again with Jimmy Fallon on the latter's Late Night talk show;[42] and Paul F. Tompkins with David 'Gruber' Allen.[43]
- Jimmy Fallon and Ricky Gervais performed a portion of the song on the 9 December 2014 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon during the skit "Lip Flip". Fallon sang Bowie's part with Gervais taking Crosby's part.[44]
- This version of the song is the most-reported one to take out people in the Little Drummer Boy Challenge according to organiser Michael Alan Peck.[45]
References
- ^ Nemetz, Dave (26 November 2014). "The Story Behind Bowie and Bing's Offbeat Christmas Classic [Video]". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ Buckley 2005, p. 272.
- ^ Pegg 2016, p. 391.
- ^ Buckley 2005, p. 282.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j O'Leary 2019, p. 106.
- ^ Buckley 2005, p. 283.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Pegg 2016, pp. 208–209.
- ^ "Bing Crosby's Kids Recall Dad's Surprise Duet With David Bowie". Billboard. 23 July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
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ignored (help) - ^ Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the originalon 28 November 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Watch an Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Clip of Bowie's 'Little Drummer Boy'". Rolling Stone. 24 November 2014. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ a b c Doggett 2012, p. 346.
- ^ Seabrook 2008, p. 190.
- ^ Buckley 1999, pp. 327–328.
- ^ Farhi, Paul (20 December 2006). "Bing and Bowie: An Odd Story of Holiday Harmony". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ "The Accidental Classic". Yuleblog.us. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ Buckley 2005, pp. 283–284.
- ^ Carr & Murray 1981, p. 117.
- ^ O'Leary 2019, p. 661.
- ^ Pegg 2016, pp. 89, 209.
- ^ "Sorry". Music Week. 6 October 2016. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ a b Anderson, Sara (29 October 2010). "Bing Crosby, David Bowie 'The Little Drummer Boy / Peace on Earth' -- New Vinyl". AOL Radio Blog. AOLRadioBlog.com. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
- ^ "100 Greatest Rock & Roll Moments on TV". VH1. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ Grow, Kory (28 September 2017). "Review: David Bowie's Heroically Experimental Berlin Era Explored in 11-CD Box Set". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ Gerard, Chris (12 October 2017). "Filtered Through the Prism of David Bowie's Quixotic Mind: 'A New Career in a New Town'". PopMatters. p. 2. Archived from the original on 24 August 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ "David Bowie & Bing Crosby – Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ "David Bowie & Bing Crosby – Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy". VG-lista. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ "David Bowie & Bing Crosby – Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ "Bing Crosby Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ "David Bowie & Bing Crosby – Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on 26 January 2003. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
- ^ "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2002". Jam!. 14 January 2003. Archived from the original on 6 September 2004. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart 2008" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ "British single certifications – David Bowie & Bing Crosby – Little Drummer Boy". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "Terry and Aled drumming up support for BBC Children in Need". BBC. 25 November 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Bing Crosby Orchestral Album 'Bing at Christmas' Announced |". 13 October 2019. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
- ^ "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy 2010 (with Jack Black and Jason Segel)". CollegeHumor. Archived from the original on 7 December 2010. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
- ^ "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy with Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly from Owen Burk". Funnyordie.com. 12 December 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ McGlynn, Katla (22 December 2010). "WATCH: Jack Black Gets Messy Singing Carols With Jimmy Fallon". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
- ^ "The Pod F. Tompkast, EXTRASODE: PFT On Earth/Little Gruber Boy". Pft.libsyn.com/ (Podcast). 25 December 2010. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
- ^ "Fallon "Lip Flip's" With Ricky Gervais". NBC New York. 10 December 2014. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ "How to play the Little Drummer Boy Challenge". CNN. 19 November 2018. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
Bibliography
- Buckley, David (1999). Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story. London: ISBN 978-1-85227-784-0.
- Buckley, David (2005) [1999]. Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story. London: Virgin Books. ISBN 978-0-75351-002-5.
- ISBN 978-0-38077-966-6.
- ISBN 978-0-06-202466-4.
- O'Leary, Chris (2019). Ashes to Ashes: The Songs of David Bowie 1976–2016. London: Repeater. ISBN 978-1912248308.
- Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (Revised and Updated ed.). London: ISBN 978-1-78565-365-0.
- Seabrook, Thomas Jerome (2008). Bowie in Berlin: A New Career in a New Town. London: Jawbone Press. ISBN 978-1-90600-208-4.