Little Drummer Boy and Peace on Earth By Bing Crosby and David Bowie

  I will be passing up on my latest meme that I have been flogging er working on my Monday Music, the theme of Bugaloo songs, those will pick ip again Next week, I will be playing my favorite Christmas Song from Wham "White Christmas.....LOL Just Kidding, I will be playing "Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth it was a Duet with Bing Crosby and David Bowie and it became an Instant Classic.

Well I figured I would run out a Christmas song for Monday Music and I always liked "little Drummer Boy with David Bowie and Bing Crosby.  To me this song plays well with their own music strength and is one of the best known and unusual duets in Music history...Think about it  Bing Crosby, the classic crooner and Ziggie Stardust.   Whodda thunk it?   But they played well together and  created in instant classic.  This song and one other are my favorite Christmas Songs.

"Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" (sometimes titled "The Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth") is a Christmas song with an added counterpoint performed by David Bowie and Bing Crosby. "Little Drummer Boy" is a Christmas song written in 1941, while the "Peace on Earth" tune and lyrics, written by Ian Fraser, Larry Grossman, and Alan Kohan, were added to the song specially for Bowie and Crosby's recording.

RECORDING

The track was recorded on September 11, 1977 for Crosby's then-upcoming television special, Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas. The pair exchanged scripted dialogue about what they each do for their family Christmases, before singing "Little Drummer Boy" with a new counterpoint with original lyrics 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" Buz Kohan was not sure that Crosby knew who Bowie was, but Ian Fraser claimed, "I'm pretty sure he did. Bing was no idiot. If he didn't, his kids sure did."
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" as a counterpoint to "Little Drummer Boy". Crosby performed "Little Drummer Boy", while Bowie sang the new tune "Peace on Earth", which they reportedly performed after less than an hour of rehearsal.
Crosby died on October 14, nearly five weeks after recording the special at Elstree Studios near London; in the U.S., the show aired just over a month later, on November 30, 1977, on CBS. In the United Kingdom, the special first aired on December 24, 1977 on ITV.

The song was available for some years as a bootleg single backed with "Heroes", which Bowie had also performed on the TV special. In 1982, RCA issued the recording as an official single, complete with the dialogue, arbitrarily placing "Fantastic Voyage" from the Lodger album on the B-side. Bowie was unhappy with this move, which further soured his already strained relationship with RCA, and he left the label soon after. The single debuted on the UK singles chart in November 1982, and climbed to position number three on the chart, boosted by a 12" picture disc release. It has since become a perennial on British Christmas compilation albums, with the TV sequence also a regular on UK nostalgia shows.
In the United States, "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" became a staple on radio stations during the Christmas season.
On November 9, 2010, Collector's Choice Music released a 7-inch vinyl edition of "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" on red-colored vinyl in the United States. The flip-side of the single contained a Bing Crosby/Ella Fitzgerald duet of the song "White Christmas", recorded in 1953. The single was limited to 2,000 copies.

Monday Music Celtic Women "O Holy Night"

I had in the past have gone with "traditional" Music, 2 years ago, I had used "Do they know it is Christmas" by Band Aid and last year I went with Bing Crosby and David Bowie with "Little Drummer Boy".  I consider those songs "Iconic: Christmas Songs.  This year I decided to go with something new and different.....I heard a track from "Celtic Women" and I was mesmerized.  There is something haunting and sends chills down my spine when I hear songs like this.   There is something about a group of people able to sing in symphony and play off their voice strength.  I really thought this was very good.  I remember what it was in the late 90's when the Celtic movement hit the states when we had "Riverdance" and others like that.  it was nice to see the culture no longer be submerged and I like that.

Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration is the second album from the singing group Celtic Woman. The album's main vocalists are the same five women who were first featured on the PBS music special of the same name: Méav Ní Mhaolchatha, Órla Fallon, Lisa Kelly, Chloë Agnew and Máiréad Nesbitt. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in December 2009, for sales of 500,000, and certified Platinum in November 2011 for sales of 1,000,000.

    

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,

Here come the wise men from the Orient land.

The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;

In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weaknesses no stranger,

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

The Irish Holiday Film Orchestra was recorded at Icicle Studios, Dublin, Ireland Directed by Timothy Wells Celtic Woman Band:
 The Antonas Choir was recorded at South Hill Studios, Dublin, Ireland Directed by Rosemary Collier All Christmas arrangements by David Downes