“Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley and The Wailers has surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify. This is the reggae band’s first song to reach the milestone.
Released August 29, 1980, it was the fourth single from Marley’s Time Magazine album of the century Exodus (1977).
The song generates an average of 670,000 streams per day on Spotify and is largely responsible for the success of the compilation album “Legend: The Best Of Bob Marley and The Wailers” which spends a record 234 weeks on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart.
It has received multiple certifications across various regions. In Denmark, it has been certified Gold for 45,000 units sold. Germany has awarded it Gold status for 250,000 units. Since 2009, the song has reached Platinum in Italy with 70,000 units sold. New Zealand recognized the song’s success with 5× Platinum for 150,000 units. In Spain, it has earned Platinum certification for 60,000 units. In the United Kingdom, the song has achieved 2× Platinum since 2004, with 1,200,000 units sold.
While the original has not charted in the U.S., in 2008, seven year old British Got Talent runner up Connie Talbot, released a cover version on her debut album “Over The Rainbow” which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Singles Sales Chart.
Three Little Birds has become a cultural phenomenon in Europe, making its way through Wales and England before Amsterdam football club Ajax adopted the track as the team’s official anthem with fans singer the song at every match.
Ky-Mani Marley sang “Three Little Birds” with the fans in the stadium in 2019 and in 2021 the team released an official third kit featuring the reggae colors of red gold and green and the “Three Little Birds” logo.
The relationship with Ajax Amsterdam and Adidas started in 2008 when the stadium DJ played the song for fans after a friendly game between in Cardiff, against Cardiff City FC.
It culminated in collaboration with the Bob Marley family, and the released of the club’s 2021/2022 third kit on August 20, 2021. Shortly after the away kit was sold out, The European Football Association [UEFA] ask the club to removed the commercial emblem siting “it as a different expression than the club logo, logo clothing sponsor or sleeve sponsor,” according to AJAXLife, adding “Other expressions are not allowed” on team gear.
Bob Marley and The Wailers has surpassed 10.4 billion streams on Spotify, the second highest reggae act behind Sean Paul.
