“The Little Drummer Boy” (originally known as “Carol of the Drum”) was written by Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. The 1958 recording by the Harry Simeone Chorale made the song into a holiday classic. In 1968 it was made into a TV special by the Rankin / Bass team.

In 1977 David Bowie was invited to sing a duet with Bing Crosby for his upcoming television special Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas. At Bowie’s urging a new song, “Peace on Earth,” was composed by Ian Fraser, Larry Grossman, and Alan Kohan, to be added as counterpoint to “The Little Drummer Boy.”

This was Bing Crosby’s last recording, he died October 14 of that year, just five weeks after this recording was made. As beautiful as the duet is, the pair’s witty banter before the song is great fun with Bing quipping “right or wrong, I sing either way” to Bowie’s question “You’re the singer, right?”