The wholesome reason why David Bowie worked with Bing Crosby
David Bowie and Bing Crosby’s collaboration remains one of the most unlikely pairings in musical history. The recording was the final act of Crosby’s career, with the legendary singer passing away shortly after they duetted, and tragically, he didn’t live to see it air.
Crosby was no longer the relevant pop star he was during World War II, and Bowie didn’t feel a connection to his work. The idea for the pair to collaborate was initiated by the producers of Crosby’s A Merrie Olde Christmas special, which aired on CBS in the United States, and ITV in the United Kingdom.
Early in the special, Crosby receives a letter from a long-lost relative from England, who invites the singer to spend Christmas with him. This invitation provides the setting for Crosby to be in a rural, picturesque English estate which allowed a handful of British celebrities to visit him.
Ron Moody and Twiggy also make cameos in the programme, but Bowie’s appearance stole the show. At the time, Bowie was at the height of his Berlin era, and performing a sentimental duet with Crosby was the antithesis of his output.
Understandably, Bowie was reluctant to sacrifice his credibility to appear alongside Crosby for a piece of cheesy, family-friendly festive television. However, as well as being David Bowie, he was also David Jones, a loving son, and his mother’s love of Crosby persuaded him to appear.
In an interview with The Sun, Bing’s daughter Mary recalled: “David wasn’t going to do the show and his mum said, ‘No, you HAVE to work with Bing Crosby!’ She was a fan. She was like, ‘You have do this’.”
She also remembered: “When David walked into the studio with his wife, they were both wearing full-length mink coats, full make-up and had short, bright-red hair. Harry and I looked at each other and we were like, ‘Oh wow! How is this going to work?'”
In an American television interview, Bowie later explained how both he and Bing were vacant on set for different reasons. On multiple occasions, Crosby introduced himself to the Englishman, which was an indictment of his ill health. Meanwhile, Bowie implied it was substances which caused him to be there in body only.
Additionally, Bowie said on The Jonathan Ross Show: “I don’t think he knew he’d sung it with me, and he wasn’t kind of reacting to very much around him. He was pretty old by that time, and he was just this little old fella on a stool.”
Despite the communication issues between the two stars on set, their performance of ‘Little Drummer Boy’ is a slice of Christmas joy which crosses the generational divide.
Watch the iconic performance below.
