In the winter of 1977, Bowie appeared on TV with Bing Crosby for Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas. A groundbreaking appearance, he endeared himself to fans of Crosby’s who might not have considered him before. His appearance was relatively short, with the setup being that Bowie was a neighbor of the absent owner of the mansion where Crosby was staying. Crosby welcomes him in, and after chatting for a short while, they sing together around the piano. Originally, they were just meant to sing “Little Drummer Boy”, a song which Bowie hated. To compromise, Crosby sang “Little Drummer Boy”, while Bowie sang counterpoint with a new song called “Peace on Earth”, written by Ian Fraser, Alan Kohan, and Larry Grossman.
Sadly, Crosby passed away very soon after the special was shot, and it was aired posthumously. RCA issued “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” as a single in 1982, and it became one of Bowie’s best selling singles ever. The special is still fondly remembered today.