ST.Reflecting on the past, Carrie Underwood called her duet with her son on “Little Drummer Boy” a once-in-a-lifetime gift she’ll hold onto forever.
In 2020, Carrie Underwood released a fantastic Christmas album called My Gift, which features both traditional holiday songs as well as some originals, including a duet with John Legend on “Hallelujah.”
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But easily the most personal song is Carrie’s duet with her oldest son, Isaiah. He was just five-years-old when they recorded “Little Drummer Boy” several years ago now, and it really is the sweetest version of that song I’ve ever heard.
Of course, “Little Drummer Boy” is a Christmas standard that was written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941, and it was first recorded in 1951 by the Austrian Trapp Family. It was most popularized by a 1958 recording by the Harry Simeone Chorale, and many, many artists have covered it over the years.
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In a behind-the-scenes look at the recording process, Carrie shared why it was so important to her to have Isaiah sing with her:
“I love that line, ‘Bless all the dear children in thy tender care.’ Children are truly our greatest gift, and for this album ‘My Gift,’ I had the pleasure of sharing the thing that I love doing most in the world, singing, with one of the people I love beyond measure, my son, Isaiah.”
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You see footage of them in the vocal booth when it was recorded, and while Carrie wanted her fans to hear this special duet, she obviously had personal reasons for doing it too, saying this would be something she’ll cherish “for the rest of my life”:
“‘Little Drummer Boy’ is a central song in ‘My Gift.’ That’s where the title of the album came from, and it’s one of my favorite Christmas songs. I started thinking about what would make it extra special, so I have a very special duet partner.
He loves to sing, and that is so his personality. He’ll make crafts, or he’ll do things for you, and he’s like, ‘Didn’t I do a good job? Didn’t I do my best? Are you proud of me?’ And it’s the sweetest thing. And I just thought his sweet little voice would sound perfect.
If nothing else, I will have this for the rest of my life. I think it’s the perfect piece of the puzzle for this whole album.”
I can only imagine how special it is to her now as her kids get older, and there’s a really adorable moment when Carrie is in the vocal booth with her little boy and Isaiah tells her he’ll do whatever she wants him to do so it’s just right:
“I can do it as much times as you want.”
His little voice is so sweet, and for as many times as I’ve heard “Little Drummer Boy,” I’ve never heard it like this… and the footage from their recording process just makes it that much more special and fun to listen to.
Carrie’s is one of the best country Christmas albums out there, and I say that as someone who usually passes on Christmas music. But this song… it will just about bring a tear to your eye to hear Carrie and Isaiah sing such a beautiful song together.
