WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The most-played Christmas song on Washington s WASH-FM isn t "White Christmas," but Bing Crosby nonetheless is the one singing it.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Crosby, along with British rock star David Bowie, sang a cobbled-together version of "The Little Drummer Boy," newly titled "Peace on Earth" in one of the most successful duets in Christmas-music history.
The story goes that Bowie was appearing on Crosby s "Merrie Olde Christmas" television special in 1977 and his assignment was to sing "The Little Drummer Boy," but he didn t like the "pah-rumpa-pum-pums," in the song, so producers quickly had the song rewritten hours before the pair went on camera.
A month after the show was recorded on Sept. 11, the venerable Crosby was dead of a heart attack, making the Christmas special all the more special.
The song was first released as a single in 1982 and has since been packaged and repackaged in Christmas compilation albums and released as a DVD.
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