Sep 18, 2026 · 43 min · 11 segments
It's almost December 1982 and as we open our advent calendar who do we find behind the cardboard doors? (it's the 80s, so no milk chocolate) Bing Crosby and David Bowie! We also introduce the Pale…
So we start today in playlist 51 with one of a number of Christmas songs that were released in 1982.
And I'm pleased to say there's a few here that we'll see scattered through the next few episodes.
82 was quite a good year for Christmas songs.
But it has to be said, we are staring directly at one of the absolute anomalies of the decade.
For amid all the synth pop and pop culture of the time, right there, climbing all the way to number three in the UK, is a track featuring an iconic American crooner who had passed away five years prior, performing alongside a British glam rock deity.
Yes, we're talking about the unexpected holiday masterpiece, Peace on Earth slash Little Drummer Boy, by Bing Crosby and David Bowie, backed by the London Symphony Orchestra.
Let's gather by the old Joanna with a warm sweater and a glass of eggnog and listen.
This is track one, playlist 51.
Seems odd to be doing Christmas songs when it's only mid-September here and 20 degrees in the UK.
Now, we've already crossed paths with David Bowie on this musical marathon, but we need to take a moment to talk about his partner in rhyme for this festive duet, Harry Lillis, Bing Crosby.
Born on May 3rd, 1903, Bing was the quintessential multimedia star of the 20th century.
Long before anyone coined the term superstar, Bing was dominating every entertainment medium available.
He was a defining leader in radio broadcasting, a massive box office draw who starred in legendary comedies alongside Bob Hope, such as the famous Rhodes 2 film series, and a recording pioneer who heavily invested in tape recording technology.
And of course, he gave the world Irvin Berlin's White Christmas, which remains the best-selling physical single of all time.
Fun fact, my family owned an animated Santa Claus, which for many years stood by the fireplace and played Bing Crosby's White Christmas when you pressed a little button.
After a while, it took on a similar reputation to Billy the Talking Bass, and we haven't seen it since.
By the time 1977 rolled around, Bing was 74 years old, an elder statesman of traditional American popular music, preparing for his annual television special.
So how on earth did a 74 year old traditional crooner find himself sharing a piano bench with a 30 year old avant-garde rock chameleon who had spent the decade as an alien space oddity? The unlikely pairing came down to a mix of television production strategy and personal career redirection.
The producers of the CBS television special Bing Crosby's Merry Old Christmas, Gary Smith and Dwight Hemmion, were desperate to bridge the generation gap and attract a younger demographic to the holiday show.
They reached out to Bowie's Camp.
On the other side of the equation, Bowie was in a transitional phase.
According to biographer David Buckley, in strange fascination, Bowie was actively trying to normalise his career following a period of intense drug addiction and bizarre public controversies.
He had recently released Low and was about to release Heroes, moving away from his theatrical glam persona.
When asked why he agreed to the gig, Bowie later admitted it was delightfully simple.
I just knew my mother liked him.
So we start today in playlist 51 with one of a number of Christmas songs that were released in 1982.
And I'm pleased to say there's a few here that we'll see scattered through the next few episodes.
82 was quite a good year for Christmas songs.
But it has to be said, we are staring directly at one of the absolute anomalies of the decade.
For amid all the synth pop and pop culture of the time, right there, climbing all the way to number three in the UK, is a track featuring an iconic American crooner who had passed away five years prior, performing alongside a British glam rock deity.
Yes, we're talking about the unexpected holiday masterpiece, Peace on Earth slash Little Drummer Boy, by Bing Crosby and David Bowie, backed by the London Symphony Orchestra.
Let's gather by the old Joanna with a warm sweater and a glass of eggnog and listen.
This is track one, playlist 51.
Seems odd to be doing Christmas songs when it's only mid-September here and 20 degrees in the UK.
Now, we've already crossed paths with David Bowie on this musical marathon, but we need to take a moment to talk about his partner in rhyme for this festive duet, Harry Lillis, Bing Crosby.
Born on May 3rd, 1903, Bing was the quintessential multimedia star of the 20th century.
Long before anyone coined the term superstar, Bing was dominating every entertainment medium available.
He was a defining leader in radio broadcasting, a massive box office draw who starred in legendary comedies alongside Bob Hope, such as the famous Rhodes 2 film series, and a recording pioneer who heavily invested in tape recording technology.
And of course, he gave the world Irvin Berlin's White Christmas, which remains the best-selling physical single of all time.
Fun fact, my family owned an animated Santa Claus, which for many years stood by the fireplace and played Bing Crosby's White Christmas when you pressed a little button.
After a while, it took on a similar reputation to Billy the Talking Bass, and we haven't seen it since.
By the time 1977 rolled around, Bing was 74 years old, an elder statesman of traditional American popular music, preparing for his annual television special.
So how on earth did a 74 year old traditional crooner find himself sharing a piano bench with a 30 year old avant-garde rock chameleon who had spent the decade as an alien space oddity? The unlikely pairing came down to a mix of television production strategy and personal career redirection.
The producers of the CBS television special Bing Crosby's Merry Old Christmas, Gary Smith and Dwight Hemmion, were desperate to bridge the generation gap and attract a younger demographic to the holiday show.
They reached out to Bowie's Camp.
On the other side of the equation, Bowie was in a transitional phase.
According to biographer David Buckley, in strange fascination, Bowie was actively trying to normalise his career following a period of intense drug addiction and bizarre public controversies.
He had recently released Low and was about to release Heroes, moving away from his theatrical glam persona.
When asked why he agreed to the gig, Bowie later admitted it was delightfully simple.
I just knew my mother liked him.
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