Three Little Birds

The source of Marley's inspiration for the lyrics of "Three Little Birds" remains disputed. Some believe Marley was using birds as a metaphor for the way Jamaicans had to grow cannabis. Some believe the lyrics are partly inspired by birds that Marley was fond of that used to fly and sit next to his home.Goldman (2006), p. 241 Tony Gilbert, a long time friend of Marley, was present at the time he was writing the song and elaborated, "Bob got inspired by a lot of things around him, he observed life. I remember the three little birds. They were pretty birds, canaries, who would come by the windowsill at Hope Road." However, three female singers from the reggae group I Threes who did shows with Marley claim it is a reference to them. I Threes member Marcia Griffiths remarked, "After the song was written, Bob would always refer to us as the Three Little Birds. After a show, there would be an encore, sometimes people even wanted us to go back onstage four times. Bob would still want to go back and he would say, 'What is my Three Little Birds saying?{{'"}}

The song is written in the key of A major.[https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0092983 Bob Marley "Three Little Birds" Sheet Music]

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|type=single|artist=Bob Marley|title=Three Little Birds|award=Gold|relyear=1980|certyear=2024|access-date=August 26, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|type=single|artist=Bob Marley & The Wailers|title=Three Little Birds|award=Platinum|id=15366|relyear=1980|certyear=2025|access-date=10 May 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|type=single|artist=Bob Marley & The Wailers|title=Three Little Birds|award=Gold|relyear=1980|certyear=2023|access-date=10 April 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=single|artist=Bob Marley & The Wailers|title=Three Little Birds|award=Platinum|note=sales since 2009|relyear=1997|certyear=2021|access-date=6 September 2021|id=8957}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Bob Marley And The Wailers|title=Three Little Birds|award=Platinum|number=6|type=single|relyear=1980|certyear=2024|source=radioscope|access-date=6 April 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|type=single|award=Platinum|certyear=2024|artist=Bob Marley|title=Three Little Birds|accessdate=March 4, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Bob Marley & The Wailers|title=Three Little Birds|award=Platinum|number=3|note=sales since 2004|relyear=2004|certyear=2024|id=10261-1030-1|access-date=12 September 2024}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Three Little Birds

| cover =

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Monty Alexander

| album = Stir it up - The Music of Bob Marley

| released = 25 September 1999

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Jazz, Reggae

| length =

| label = Telarc International Corporation

| writer = Bob Marley

| producer =

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title =

| next_year =

}}

Monty Alexander recorded a cover of "Three Little Birds" in January 1992 and, in 1999, he released it as a hit single. The cover was also produced by him and, unlike the original, the Monty Alexander version is very Jazz-heavy.

{{tracklist

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Three Little Birds

| writer1 = Bob Marley

| length1 = 3:00

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Side two

| title2 = Could You Be Loved

| writer2 = Bob Marley

| length2 = 2:50

}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Three Little Birds

| cover = Three Little Birds (Connie Talbot song) cover.jpg

| alt =

| border = yes

| type = single

| artist = Connie Talbot

| album = Over the Rainbow

| B-side = You Raise Me Up

| released = {{Start date|2008|6|10|df=y}}

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Reggae

| length = 3:08

| label = Rainbow Recording Company

| writer = Bob Marley

| producer = Simon Hill and Rob May

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title =

| next_year =

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|4cmffLlkwxc|Three Little Birds}}

}}

}}

"Three Little Birds" was released as the first single by British child singer Connie Talbot on 10 June 2008. It was taken from the 2008 re-release of her 2007 album, Over the Rainbow. Talbot released a music video to publicise the single, which was filmed in Jamaica. The release reached number 3 on the UK Independent Singles Chart, and number 1 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart in the United States.

After rising to fame on the first series of Britain's Got Talent, Talbot signed with Rainbow Recording Company and began production of her debut album, Over the Rainbow. The album initially featured several Christmas themed songs, and the first single, "Over the Rainbow"/"White Christmas", was planned be released on 3 December 2007.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} The single was then cancelled in favour of an album-first release.{{cite news |title= Connie's dream of a hit single|url= https://www.expressandstar.com/2008/01/13/connie%E2%80%99s-dream-of-a-hit-single/|newspaper= Express & Star|date= 13 January 2008|access-date=11 February 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080115152443/http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/01/13/connie%E2%80%99s-dream-of-a-hit-single/ |archive-date = 15 January 2008}} The album was rereleased with more general tracks to replace the Christmas songs, and one of the new tracks was a cover of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds".{{cite news|title= Britain's Got Talent Connie Talbot sings Three Little Birds|url= https://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/latest/2008/06/12/video-britain-s-got-talent-connie-talbot-sings-three-little-birds-89520-20604459/|newspaper= Daily Mirror|date= 12 June 2008|access-date= 12 June 2008}}{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }} The songs on the album were chosen with collaboration between Talbot and her management; first Talbot and her family wrote "a list of the songs that Connie would sing at her birthday party", and the management then thought "long and hard" about including the more adult songs, including "I Will Always Love You", but Talbot herself insisted.{{cite news |first= Kerri|last= Mason|title= Record buyers head-"Over"-heels for 7-year-old|url= https://www.reuters.com/article/musicNews/idUSTRE4998Z620081010|work= Reuters|date= 10 October 2008|access-date=30 October 2008 }} The album was recorded in a bedroom studio, nicknamed "the hut".{{cite news |first= Korina|last= Lopez|title= 'Talent' star Connie Talbot is 7 going on globally successful|url= https://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2008-11-02-connie-talbot_N.htm|publisher= U.S.A. Today|date= 2 November 2008|access-date=11 November 2008 }}

"Three Little Birds" was released as Talbot's first single on 10 June 2008 in the UK,{{cite news |title= Buy Connies single today!|url= http://www.connietalbot.com/news.php|publisher= Rhythm Riders|date= 10 June 2008|access-date=12 June 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071213002414/http://www.connietalbot.com/news.php |archive-date = 13 December 2007}} and released alongside the album in the U.S. on 14 October.{{cite news|title= Connie Talbot Soars 'Over The Rainbow' and Up the Billboard Charts (press release)|url= http://au.sys-con.com/node/723981|publisher= AAO Music/Reality Records|date= 27 October 2008|access-date= 29 October 2008|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110716182339/http://au.sys-con.com/node/723981|archive-date= 16 July 2011|url-status= dead}} Rashvin Bedi, writing for Malaysian newspaper The Star, said that "Three Little Birds" was her favourite song on Over the Rainbow.{{cite news |first= Rashvin|last= Bedi|title= Over the Rainbow|url= http://www.star-ecentral.com/music/reviews/review.asp?file=archives/music/2008/11/OvertheRainbow&artist=CONNIE%20TALBOT&title=Over%20the%20Rainbow&sec=Music|newspaper= The Star|access-date=11 November 2008 }} The single peaked at number 3 on the Independent Singles Charts in the United Kingdom,{{cite news |title= Connies single at No. 3!|url= http://www.connietalbot.com/news.php?keyword=&page=2|publisher= Rhythm Riders|date= 20 June 2008|access-date=22 August 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080731224520/http://www.connietalbot.com/news.php?keyword=&page=2 |archive-date = 31 July 2008}} and entered the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart at number 2, dropping to 3 the next week.{{cite magazine |url= http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=353&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Singles+Sales&ci=3102742&cdi=10044642&cid=11%2F22%2F2008|title= Three Little Birds- Hot 100|access-date=16 November 2008 |magazine= Billboard|date= 22 November 2008}}{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} It then rose back to number 2, and, on the sixth week, reached number 1.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Singles&f=Hot+Singles+Sales|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614134535/http://billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Singles&f=Hot+Singles+Sales|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 June 2006|title= Hot Singles Sales|access-date=27 November 2008 |magazine= Billboard}} Talbot received attention from the British press because of the single's success, with the Daily Telegraph attributing her success in America to her appeal to the Christian market.{{cite news |title= Connie Talbot goes to Number One on the Billboard Charts|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/11/28/bmconnie128.xml|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081202083217/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/11/28/bmconnie128.xml|url-status= dead|archive-date= 2 December 2008|newspaper= Daily Telegraph|date= 28 November 2008|access-date=30 November 2008 | location=London | first=Gervase | last=de Wilde}}{{cite news|title= Connie tops the US charts|url= http://www.thisissuttoncoldfield.co.uk/entertainment/Connie-tops-charts/article-517188-detail/article.html|publisher= Sutton Coldfield Observer|date= 3 December 2008|access-date= 3 December 2008}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} As of November 2008, the single has sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide.{{cite news |first= Ruth|last= Harrison|title= Album Review: Connie Talbot's Christmas Album|url= http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/music/features/Album+Review+Connie+Talbots+Christmas+Album-6453.html|publisher= FemaleFirst|date= 27 November 2008|access-date=30 November 2008 }}

The music video for the single was released on 19 June 2008.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cmffLlkwxc|title=Connie Talbot – Three Little Birds|work=YouTube}} It was shot in Jamaica in late March/early April 2008.{{cite news|first= Sharon|last= Van Guens|title= Britains Got Talent star Connie's got teeth|url= http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/sunday/2008/04/06/connie-s-got-teeth-98487-20373657/|newspaper= The Sunday Mirror|date= 6 April 2008|access-date= 16 November 2008|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080410234813/http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/sunday/2008/04/06/connie-s-got-teeth-98487-20373657/|archive-date= 10 April 2008}}

The video begins with images of Talbot skipping through a garden, which is then replaced with an image of her singing on a beach. She then joins a child whose parents had been arguing and plays with them and others in a field, then dances with them on the beach. The children are then led to a stage, where Talbot performs as the others sing and play musical instruments. The video closes with Talbot in the garden, skipping away from the camera.

{{tracklist

| title1 = Three Little Birds

| lyrics1 = Bob Marley

| music1 = Bob Marley

| length1 = 3:08

| title2 = You Raise Me Up

| lyrics2 = Brendan Graham

| music2 = Rolf Løvland

| length2 = 4:04

}}

Footnotes

{{Reflist}}

Bibliography

{{Refbegin}}

• {{Citation | last = Goldman | first = Vivien | author-link= Vivien Goldman | title = The book of Exodus: the making and meaning of Bob Marley and the Wailers' album of the century | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=d2qJ2HfGv24C | publisher = Random House | year = 2006 | isbn = 1-4000-5286-6}}

{{Refend}}

{{Bob Marley}}

{{Connie Talbot}}

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Category:Bob Marley songs

Category:1980 singles

Category:1999 singles

Category:2008 singles

Category:Connie Talbot songs

Category:Songs written by Bob Marley

Category:Songs about birds

Category:Songs about talking animals

Category:AFC Ajax songs

Category:1977 songs