David Bowie and Bing Crosby - Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy

Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy by David Bowie and Bing Crosby, Music Video, Lyrics and Review

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

David Bowie and Bing Crosby - Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy Lyrics

David: Hello…… you’re the new butler?
Bing: Hahaha! Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve been the new anything!
David: What’s happened to Hudson?
Bing: I guess he’s changing.
David: Yeah, he does that a lot, doesn’t he? Uhm… Oh, I’m David Bowie, I live
down the road.
Bing: Oh!
David: Sir Percival let’s me use his piano if he not around. He’s not around, is
he?
Bing: I can honestly say I haven’t seen him, but come on in! Come in!
David: But uh…
Bing: Come on in!
David: Are you related to sir Percival?
Bing: Well, distantly…
David: Oh, you’re not the poor relation from America, right?
Bing: Ha! Gee… news sure travels fast, doesn’t it? I’m Bing.
David: Oh, I’m pleased to meet you. You’re the one that sings, right?
Bing: Well, right or wrong, I sing either way.
David: Oh well, I sing too.
Bing: Oh good! What kind of singing?
David: Mostly the contemporary stuff. Do you eh… do you like modern music?
Bing: Oh, I think it’s marvellous! Some of it’s really fine. But tell me, have you ever listened to any of the older fellows?
David: Oh yeah, sure. I like ah… John Lennon and the other one with eh…Harry
Nilsson.
Bing: Mmm… you go back that far, uh?
David: Yeah, I’m not as young as I look.
Bing: Haha, none of us is these days!
David: In fact I’ve got a six year old son. And he really gets excited around the Christmas holiday-thing.
Bing: Do you go in for anything of the traditional things in the… boy, household, Christmas time?
David: Oh yeah, most of them really. Presents, tree, decorations, agents sliding down the chimney…
Bing: What??
David: Oh, I was just seeing if you were paying attention.
Bing: Haha!
David: Actually, our family do most of the things that other families do. We
sing the same songs.
Bing: Do you?
David: Oh, I even have a go at ‘White Christmas’.
Bing: You do, eh!
David: And this one. This is my son’s favourite. Do you know this one?
Bing: Oh, I do indeed, it’s a lovely theme.

And they told me pa-ram-pam-pam-pam
A new-born king to see pa-ram-pam-pam-pam
Our finest gifts we bring pa-ram-pam-pam-pam
Ra-pam-pam-pam, ra-pam-pam-pam

Peace on Earth, can it be
Years from now, perhaps we’ll see
See the day of glory
See the day, when men of good will
Live in peace, live in peace again

Peace on Earth, can it be
Every child must be made aware
Every child must be made to care
Care enough for his fellow man
To give all the love that he can

I pray my wish will come true
For my child and your child too
He’ll see the day of glory
See the day when men of good will
Live in peace, live in peace again

Peace on Earth, can it be
Can it be

Bing: It’s a pretty theme, isn’t it?

David Bowie and Bing Crosby - Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy Review and Song Info

The track was originally recorded on September 11, 1977 for Crosby’s 1977 television special Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas. The pair exchanged stilted 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”.

He has since recalled that he only appeared on the show because “I just knew my mother liked him.” Crosby would die just over a month after recording the special. (R.I.P. Bing Crosby)

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”.

Released October 1982
Recorded Elstree Studios, London 11 September 1977
Genre Traditional
Length 4:23
Label RCA Records BOW 12
Producer David Bowie, Tony Visconti

source wikipedia.org