Bob Marley’s ‘Three Little Birds’ Becomes His First Song To Hit Major Milestone On Spotify

Bob Marley and the Wailers’ classic Three Little Birds has reached one billion plays on Spotify, marking the Reggae legend’s first song to achieve this milestone and the seventh Jamaican-led song to do so on the platform overall.

Released on June 3, 1977, on the iconic Exodus album, the song peaked at No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart. It later appeared on the Diamond-selling compilation album Legend in 1984.

The song was inspired by birds that fluttered by Marley’s window at his home in Kingston before he moved to the UK in 1976. Decades after his death, it remains a favorite among diverse groups, from Dutch football fans to post-insurrection Trump supporters.

It is one of four songs by the Reggae band to reach platinum status in the UK.

Jamming (1977) and Is This Love (1978) are certified platinum, each selling over 600,000 units, while Could You Be Loved (1980) and Three Little Birds are certified 2X Platinum.

In 2020, to celebrate Marley’s 75th birthday, a new animated music video for Three Little Birds was released.  Marley’s daughter Cedella, at the time, said, “This song has helped provide hope and light for so many over the years, including me, and I hope it does the same for people now, especially with all that is going on in the world.”

The new visuals, which depict a pig and a wolf developing a friendship under the watchful eye of the titular three little birds, have racked up over 114 million views on YouTube.

Marley’s Could You Be Loved is also nearing one billion plays on Spotify, currently at 946 million.

The other Jamaican-led songs that have surpassed one billion plays on Spotify are Sean Paul’s No Lie with Dua Lipa (1.1 billion), OMI’s Cheerleader (Remix) (1.6 billion), and Shaggy and RikRok’s It Wasn’t Me (1.0 billion).

Producer Walshy Fire, part of Major Lazer, is also in the exclusive club with Lean On (with DJ Snake & MØ), Light It Up (Remix) (with Nyla and Fuse ODG), and Cold Water (with Justin Bieber & MØ), each achieving over one billion plays.