On 11 September 1977, David Bowie and Bing Crosby recorded a duet at ATV Elstree Studios in England, blending "Little Drummer Boy" with a newly written song, "Peace on Earth." The performance, broadcast on CBS on 30 November 1977 as part of Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas, became one of Crosby's final recordings before his death from a heart attack just weeks later, on 14 October 1977, and has since endured as an unlikely festive classic pairing glam rock with old-school crooning.

Bowie reportedly agreed to appear only to please his mother, a Crosby fan, and balked at singing the original song, prompting writers Ian Fraser, Buz Kohan and Larry Grossman to compose "Peace on Earth" for him within roughly 75 minutes. Despite an awkward start, with Bowie arriving in full make-up and a mink coat, the pair completed the recording in under an hour. Released as a single by RCA Records in November 1982, "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" reached number three on the UK singles chart, becoming Crosby's last hit and one of Bowie's most successful releases.