Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Christmas Songs part 6: Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth

Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth-Bing Crosby/David Bowie

I was going to write down the story of the recording of this particular song, but I actually found a site that explains it quite well. Click here.

A particularly interesting bit of trivia about this song was that Bing and Bowie recorded their duet on September 11. Ironic that 24 years after the fact, America would be plunged into a well of war and terror.

The song itself is absolutely lovely. Whatever reason that they had for making this a counterpointed duet, the two songs mesh well together, and it's amazing to hear the merging of the voice of the old crooner with that of one of rock's legendary chameleons in his prime.

Sometimes I miss the old celebrity Christmas specials. Back in the 70's and early 80's, you could count on seasonal appearances by Bing, Perry Como, Bob Hope, and many others. Now they're all gone. I know Nick Laschey and Jessica Simpson tried to resurrect the format a couple of years ago, but it just didn't seem right. Maybe I need to shop around a "Clint McGuire Christmas". :)

Recommendation: find the "Bing Crosby Christmas" DVD, watch this segment over and over until you can sing the "Peace On Earth" part, and duet with someone.

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