Bing Crosby & BTS Singer V Duet on “White Christmas” — But This Isn’t the First Time Bing Has Crossed the Generation Gap
Though many musicians have tried to reach across the generational divide through the years — say, Bono singing with Frank Sinatra in 1993, or Lady Gaga’s 2014 album and tour with Tony Bennett — no collaboration has been quite as surprising as the recent announcement that V, a singer with mega-selling South Korean boy band BTS, and Bing Crosby will release a duet of “White Christmas,” using Crosby’s previously recorded vocals.
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V has described Crosby, who died in 1977 (18 years before V was born) as “my all-time favorite jazz artist. I feel incredibly fortunate and honored to have sung along on ‘White Christmas’ with the voice of someone I consider an idol,” the BTS singer noted in press release. “Being a huge fan of his, I sang with the utmost sincerity and admiration for him, and I hope many people enjoy it as much as I enjoyed singing it.”
Even if you have no idea who BTS are, your kids and/or grandkids definitely do: BTS have sold over 40 million albums and have an excess of 75 million followers on social media.
Remember When Bing Crosby Sang With David Bowie?
It’s impossible to think about this duet without thinking of another cross-generational Crosby Christmas collaboration: Bing’s infamous 1977 duet with David Bowie, on “Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth.” Bowie, looking to rehabilitate his ’70s image as a louche, druggy rock star, accepted an offer to appear on Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas special, where he and Crosby somewhat awkwardly made sweet music together.
The duet was originally supposed to just be “Little Drummer Boy,” but Bowie hated the tune and asked if he could sing something else. The special’s producers knocked out a new original tune, “Peace on Earth,” in about an hour and a half.
In a 1999 interview, Bowie admitted that recording the duet was “the most bizarre experience. I didn’t know anything about him. I just knew my mother liked him.” But the image rehab worked, at least on Crosby — he called a Bowie “clean-cut kid and a real fine asset to the show,” and said, “He sings well, has a great voice and reads lines well.”
The Crosby/V version of “White Christmas” comes out on Dec. 6 — just in time to bridge the generation gap in your own home during the holidays. Who knows — maybe it will even be enough to get your grandkids to stop playing Minecraft for 10 minutes. (Hey, Christmas wishes do come true sometimes, right?)
Remind 
Home For The Holidays
November 2021
Celebrate the holidays with your favorite classic stars!
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