It’s not Christmas for many until they’ve watched all of the classic Christmas movies or listened to their fair share of Christmas carols. But two iconic Christmas moments, the “A Charlie Brown Christmas” special and the timeless duet of “Little Drummer Boy” between Bing Crosby and David Bowie, almost never happened.
Subscribe to have The Washington Times’ Higher Ground delivered to your inbox every Sunday.
Thankfully, everything worked out in some pretty miraculous ways, leaving Christmas fans with two unforgettable classics that have stood the test of time.
Network protests, but viewers embrace the retelling of the birth of Jesus in “A Charlie Brown Christmas”
The fact is, back in 1965, producers simply did not think people were going to like “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” They were unsure about the animation, the use of children actors to voice the characters and there was behind-the-scenes drama around the pivotal scene that had Linus quoting the New Testament story of the birth of Christ, made the network want to scrap it altogether.
But in the end, people loved it. In fact, 15 million households —nearly half of American television sets at the time — tuned in to watch Charlie Brown and the gang remember the true meaning of Christmas. Even today, viewers still embrace the animated special as one of their favorites and a timeless tribute to what Christmas is all about — God sending His Son to save the world.
And just as the Bible has endured throughout the centuries, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and Linus’ monologue from the Book of Luke have weathered additional protests and challenges, continuing to speak truth into millions of households each Christmas.
David Bowie didn’t like “Little Drummer Boy” until a reworked version convinced the star to sing a duet for Bing Crosby’s Christmas special
In 1977, 30-year-old David Bowie was going to be just the thing that enticed younger viewers to watch Bing Crosby’s Christmas TV special “Merrie Olde Christmas.” The only problem was that the British rocker hated “Little Drummer Boy,” the song he was slated to sing with Crosby, and refused to do it. But instead of scrapping it altogether, a frantic team of musicians and composers decided to rework the song — with the classic crooner’s blessing.
“It was a time when there was a dramatic change in the music world. And David Bowie was very much an instrument of that change,” Bing Crosby’s son, Harry, explained in a recent interview. “I loved his music and I think dad respected his music and where he came from.”
The reworked song, complete with a few new lyrics, sold Mr. Bowie, and the duo recorded “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” to the delight of fans everywhere.
“I was there on the set, and it was just seamless,” Mr. Crosby said. “They had great respect for one another and there’s no doubt that their respect for each other only grew after that recording. They came together in such an organic and natural way to produce a timeless piece.”
And while Bing Crosby passed away shortly after the duet at the age of 74, the song has lived on as a timeless holiday classic that brought together both old and new generations of fans.
—
Marissa Mayer is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her work has been featured in Christian Post, The Daily Signal, and Intellectual Takeout. Mayer has a B.A. in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing from Arizona State University.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.