I alluded to this pairing in My Venture Bros. Christmas post. I remember seeing this video on MTV  in the 80’s, but in 1977 David Bowie agreed to appear on Bing Crosby’s 1977 Christmas special. Sure thye make an odd couple and that’s enough of a tale, but the day of the shoot Bowie told the show’s writers he hated “Little Drummer Boy”, and asked if he could sing something else. Within 75 minutes, the writers and the arrangers wrote an original tune, “Peace on Earth”, with a melody and arrangement that would interweave with “Little Drummer Boy”.

The Christmas special moment that almost wasn’t was miraculously saved, creating a most memorable performance that was bootlegged for years, before ever being released in an audio format. The show aired on television in 1977, unfortunately Bing Crosby died before its air date.

But the moment is ever preserved on celluloid, and now on YouTube and the rest of the Internet, uncomfortable, odd-sounding banter and all. The Washington Post tells the full story best.