Advent Calendar: Day Three

The Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth - The story of a very unusual duet.It is particularly apt this year that we revisit an amazing chance musical collaboration which produced one of the most popular Christmas songs of modern times. Earlier this year we lost David Bowie but almost 40 years ago at the age of 30 he came together with the 72 year old crooner Bing Crosby to record a Christmas duet which has become classic of the genre.The androgynous Bowie arrived at the recording for Crosby's Christmas special and the producers wanted them to do a duet of 'Little Drummer Boy,' but when they told Bowie about the song, he said, "I won't sing that song, I hate that song. If I have to sing that song, I can't do the show." The shows writers got to work and 75 minutes later they had come up with an original counter melody (Peace on Earth) and a new bridge for the song. (It didn't hurt their chances that Bowie's mother was a big Crosby fan.) The song was presented it to him again and this time Bowie agreed. Bing loved the challenge of the new song and it says a lot for the mutual respect and musicality of both men that an hour later they were ready to record it.Sadly, a month after the recording, Crosby died after a massive heart attack and never lived to see the final broadcast. I love the fact that the song allowed both men to come together for the most important four lines:Every child must be made awareEvery child must be made to careCare enough for his fellow manTo give all the love that he canhttps://youtu.be/n9kfdEyV3RQ