No matter how old a boy is, he always wants to make his mom happy. In 1977, David Bowie was tapped for a duet with Bing Crosby for the holiday special, Merrie Olde Christmas. He apparently did the show because his mom was a huge Bing fan, but David hated the song choice. According to PBS, he told producers that “The Little Drummer Boy was a deal-breaker. “He said, ‘If I have to sing that song, I can’t do the show,'” Merrie Olde Christmas writer Larry Grossman recalled. He said David told him he was “doing the show because my mother loves Bing Crosby.” @pbs POV: you discover the “random duet Christmas spectacular” of Bing Crosby & David Bowie #SNL #christmas #holidaymusic ♬ original sound – PBS The Writers Got Creative to Get David Bowie on Board “We decided the best way to salvage the arrangement was to do a counter melody that would fit in between the spaces and maybe write a new bridge and see if we can sell him that,” Merrie Olde Christmas co-writer Buz Kohan said. Thankfully, that was enough to get David Bowie on board, and an iconic Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy tune was born. Fans loved the sweet story. “Well, I’m glad bowie hated A little drummer boy and his mom loved bing. otherwise, we wouldn’t have this masterpiece,” a fan wrote. “Two people who really didn’t want to collaborate & created a magic moment. This duet & arrangement is so iconic, another person shared. This version is a favorite for many Christmas music fans. “Absolutely my favorite Christmas song of all time. Bing Crosby is one of the best singers to ever tackle Christmas music. And I love the contrast this songs gives between him and Bowie,” a fan noted. Bing Crosby died just weeks after filming the special alongside David Bowie. That’s one Christmas gift David’s mom would never forget. This story’s featured image is by Bettman/Getty.