David Bowie and Bing Crosby’s odd Christmas collaboration “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” debuts inside the top 10 on multiple charts decades after its release. David Bowie On Set of “Jump They Say” Music Video, in Los Angeles California, circa March 1993. (Photo by Lester Cohen)
Lester Cohen
Even over a decade after his passing, David Bowie remains a force on the charts in the United Kingdom, his home country. The pioneering superstar, who changed both the look and sound of rock music during his decades-long career, can usually be found on a handful of tallies thanks to one compilation or another — or occasionally with one of his most popular singles, as is the case at the moment.
This frame, the late powerhouse scores a new bestselling song – and a top 10 to boot – as one of his collaborations with one of the most recognizable voices of all time opens inside the highest tier. At the same time, Bowie earns a new top-selling album in what has turned out to be a very special period for his legacy.
David Bowie and Bing Crosby’s Holiday Duet Debuts
Now that Halloween has passed, millions of music lovers around the world are turning their attention toward Christmas music. Of course, there are still weeks to go before the jolliest day of the year, but yuletide tunes become hugely popular annually, and the surge has begun.
“Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy,” a collaboration between Bowie and Bing Crosby, debuts on three charts in the U.K. this frame. The duet, which was recorded and initially released in the ‘70s, was recently delivered on vinyl. Ahead of December’s arrival, the track earns both artists another posthumous chart win.
David Bowie and Bing Crosby Chart a Top 10 Hit Together
“Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” opens in the same spot, at No. 3, on two tallies. The Bowie/Crosby cut starts in third place on both the Official Physical Singles and Official Vinyl Singles charts this week.
The same two tracks beat Crosby and Bowie to the summit on the Official Physical Singles and Official Vinyl Singles charts. “Dakota” by Stereophonics hits No. 1, while “My Ever Changing Moods” from Style Council enters in the runner-up spot.
Bing Crosby Earns His First Top 10 Smash on One Chart
American actor and singer Bing Crosby (1904 – 1977) sings into a microphone, circa 1945. (Photo by American Stock/Getty Images)
Getty Images
While he’s the older artist, Crosby is relatively new to both tallies, and “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” earns the crooner a very special win. Crosby hits the Official Physical Singles chart’s top 10 for the first time and scores just the second placement of his career — and second top 10 — on the Official Vinyl Singles tally.
Bowie is far ahead of his one-time collaboration partner in terms of the number of smashes he’s racked up. The multi-genre talent is now up to 33 top 10s on the list of the bestselling songs on vinyl and 42 top 10 smashes on the Official Physical Singles roster.
“Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” Becomes a Bestseller
While “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” performs best on the Official Physical Singles and Official Vinyl Singles charts, it also manages to appear on the Official Singles Sales tally, the ranking of the bestselling songs across the U.K., regardless of format or genre. On that roster, which is much more competitive than the other two, the combined holiday classics, which are one hit, open at No. 24.
David Bowie’s I Can’t Give Everything Away Box Set Debuts
GERMANY – OCTOBER 27: Photo of David BOWIE; Musik, David Bowie, live in concert, Mnnchen-Olympiahalle, Europa-Tour 2003, The Reality Tour, in action, Geste, Zeigefinger (Photo by Bernd Muller/Redferns)
Redferns
At the same time that Bowie earns a new top 10 song on multiple tallies, he also posthumously scores another bestselling album. I Can’t Give Everything Away, a newly-released box set, arrives on one ranking this frame. The project, which includes music Bowie recorded and released between 2002 and his death in 2016, opens on the Official Album Downloads list at No. 75.
I Can’t Give Everything Away is the sixth and final installment in a series of box sets, each one focusing on a different era of his music career. As the project — initially released in September — debuts, Bowie collects his thirty-fifth appearance on the Official Album Downloads roster, which looks only at the top-performing titles on digital storefronts like iTunes throughout the U.K.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2025/11/04/one-of-david-bowies-most-unusual-duets-becomes-a-surprise-top-10-hit/
