Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy

Infobox Single
Name = Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy


Artist = David Bowie & Bing Crosby
B-side = "Fantastic Voyage"
Released = October 1982
Format = 7"/12” single
Recorded = Elstree Studios, London
11 September 1977
Genre = Traditional, Christmas
Length = 4:23
Label = RCA Records
BOW 12
Producer = David Bowie, Tony Visconti
Chart position =
* #3 (UK)
Chronology = David Bowie singles
Last single = "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)"
(1982)
This single = "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy"
(1982)
Next single = "Let’s Dance"
(1983)

"Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" is a medley of two Christmas songs performed by David Bowie and Bing Crosby.

The track was originally recorded on September 11, 1977 for Crosby's 1977 television special, "Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas". The pair exchanged dialogue about what they do for Christmas before singing a medley of a traditional song, "Little Drummer Boy", and a new song written for the special, "Peace on Earth". Bowie's appearance has been described as a "surreal" event, undertaken at a time that he was "actively trying to normalise his career". [David Buckley (1999) "Strange Fascination - David Bowie: The Definitive Story": pp.327-328] He has since recalled that he only appeared on the show because "I just knew my mother liked him."Nicholas Pegg (2000). "The Complete David Bowie": p.161] Crosby would die just over a month after recording the special.

According to co-writer Ian Fraser, Bowie balked at singing "Little Drummer Boy". "I hate this song. Is there something else I could sing?" Fraser recalls Bowie telling him. Fraser, along with songwriter Larry Grossman and the special's scriptwriter, Buz Kohan, then wrote "Peace on Earth" and arranged a medley of it with "Little Drummer Boy". Bowie sang "Peace on Earth" and Crosby performed "Little Drummer Boy". [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/19/AR2006121901260.html Paul Farhi] (December 20, 2006). "Bing and Bowie: An Odd Story of Holiday Harmony", "The Washington Post". Retrieved December 21, 2006.]

The medley was available for some years as a bootleg single backed with "Heroes", [Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). "Bowie: An Illustrated Record": p.117] which Bowie had also performed on the TV special. In 1982, RCA issued the recording as an official single, complete with the dialogue, arbitrarily placing "Fantastic Voyage" from the "Lodger" album on the B-side. Bowie was unhappy with this move, which further soured his strained relationship with RCA, and he left the label soon after. The single would climb to #3 on the UK charts, boosted by a 12" picture disc release, and has since become a perennial on British Christmas compilation albums, with the TV sequence also a regular on UK nostalgia shows.

Track listing

7": RCA / BOW 12 (UK)

# "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" (Larry Grossman, Ian Fraser, Buz Kohan / Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati, Harry Simeone) – 4:23
# "Fantastic Voyage" (David Bowie) – 2:55

Production credits

* Producers:
** David Bowie
** Tony Visconti

* Musicians:
** David Bowie: Vocals, Piano on “Fantastic Voyage”
** Bing Crosby: Vocals
** Uncredited session players on “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy”
** Adrian Belew: Mandolin on “Fantastic Voyage”
** Dennis Davis: Percussion on “Fantastic Voyage”
** Tony Visconti: Backing vocals, Mandolin on “Fantastic Voyage”
** Brian Eno: Ambient drone on “Fantastic Voyage”
** Simon House: Mandolin on “Fantastic Voyage”
** Sean Mayes: Piano on “Fantastic Voyage”

Appearances in popular culture

Craig Kilborn performed a parody of it on Comedy Central , aired as a short piece between shows during the Christmas season. The words were changed, with Kilborn replacing Bowie's opening lines with, "Why the hell / am I doing this?".

A parody version was released on the internet as a Christmas present, sung by The Monarch (Jackson Publick) and Doctor Girlfriend (Doc Hammer), from the Adult Swim show venture bros. The song stars The Monarch as David Bowie and Doctor Girlfriend as Bing Crosby.

Notes

References

Pegg, Nicholas, "The Complete David Bowie", Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5

External links

* [http://www.phillyburbs.com/christmascarols/poe.shtml PhillyBurbs article on the special]
*YouTube|U-OTQmVOqJU|Performance
* [http://ffmovies.ign.com/filmforce/audio/article/573/573912/vb_monarch_drummer_boy.mp3 Venture Bros. parody]