In the United States, "Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas" aired on 30 November 1977 on CBS, while in the United Kingdom, the special aired on 24 December 1977 on ITV. According to biographer Chris O'Leary, there was never a plan to release "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" and as such, the original 16-track master tape of the recording was erased. Kohan later stated, "We never expected to hear about it again." The song was available for some years as a bootleg single backed with "Heroes". In 1982, RCA Records issued the recording as an official single; due to the erasure of the master tape, the label had to use an on-line mix, where Bowie and Crosby's vocals were picked up by a boom microphone. The single was released in November 1982, with the catalog number RCA BOW 12. The label arbitrarily placed the "Lodger" track "Fantastic Voyage" as the B-side. Bowie was unhappy with this move, which further soured his already strained relationship with RCA, and he left the label soon after.