Bob Marley was a gifted songwriter, but sometimes inspiration came to him like a gift received from somewhere else. “Three Little Birds,” a simple, joyful song that has been a hit several times over, was a gift from nature, its writing prompted by the birds that fluttered by the window at 56 Hope Road, Bob’s Tuff Gong HQ, and home during the second half of the 70s.Bob Marley & The Wailers – Three Little Birds (Official Music Video)
Connie Talbot version edit
British child singer Connie Talbot’s debut single, “Three Little Birds,” was released on June 10, 2008. It was taken from her 2007 album Over the Rainbow, which was reissued in 2008. To promote the song, Talbot released a music video that was shot in Jamaica. The release peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart and number three on the UK Independent Singles Chart.
“It was amazing how he put the words together”
Bob was a nature lover, and Jamaica was endowed with many natural marvels to pique his interest, from the unusual streamertail hummingbirds to the common house sparrow. His songs regularly referenced nature, such as the trees in “Small Axe,” the big cat in “Iron, Lion, Zion,” and the dog in “Craven Choke Puppy” as a mischievous youth. “Wings Of A Dove” and “Rastaman Chant” were able to take flight because birds could soar while humans were shackled to the ground; however, the latter song’s wings belonged to angels. The song “Three Little Birds,” which is loved even by those who have never heard of Bob Marley, eventually takes Bob’s feathered friends to places that few other songs could hope to reach.
“Three Little Birds” came to Bob as naturally as singing to larks, according to Gilly Gilbert, Bob’s close friend, road manager, and fitness partner. Gilly also prepared the “ital food” that kept the singer nourished both at home and on tour. In 2006, he recalled the three small birds to author Vivien Goldman. “The birds that would visit the Hope Road window were quite lovely.” Gilly said, “It was just amazing how he put the words together in a flow,” after watching Bob write the song. The I-Threes, Bob’s three female backup vocalists, took inspiration from the song’s lyrics to create their own meaning. Bob referred to them as his “three little birds” at times. ” Marcia Griffiths remembered of the song: “We loved it. We were aware that it was our song even as we were recording it. ”.
Writing and inspiration edit
It’s still unclear where Marley got the idea for the lyrics to “Three Little Birds.” Some people think Marley was alluding to the way Jamaicans had to cultivate cannabis by using birds as a metaphor. Some people think that birds that Marley loved to watch flying and perching next to his house served as inspiration for some of the lyrics. When Marley was writing the song, his longtime friend Tony Gilbert was there and clarified, saying, “Bob got inspired by a lot of things around him, he observed life.” I remember the three little birds. Canaries were beautiful birds that would visit the windowsill at Hope Road. Nevertheless, three female vocalists from the reggae group I Threes, who performed alongside Marley, assert that it is a mention of them. [2] Marcia Griffiths, one of the I Threes, said, “After the song was written, Bob would always call us the Three Little Birds.” There would be an encore following a performance, and occasionally people would even ask us to return to the stage four times. Bob would ask, “What are my Three Little Birds saying?” and would still want to return [2].
The song is written in the key of A major.[3]