Marshall’s timeless tribute to his daughters has become his fourth song to reach the milestone of 2.5 billion streams on Spotify.
In defiance of the image of a violent, destructive provocateur often presented by the media, “Mockingbird” shows Marshall’s tender, vulnerable side. Dedicated to his children, the song remains one of hip hop’s clearest expressions of parental love. Its appeal, however, extends beyond hip hop. Having discovered the song through social media several years ago, the younger generation of listeners gave it an enormous boost in popularity.
Second wind
Released in 2004, “Mockingbird” was always one of the standout tracks on Encore, despite the critics’ scepticism. But all its achievements paled in comparison to the massive resurgence in late 2022. Viral trends were behind this spike of interest, as TikTok and Instagram users were layering their emotional edits with the gut-wrenching “Mockingbird” hook.
The song then found a massive new audience and re-entered the charts. Theat new wave of attention even pushed it into charts it had never entered before. For instance, the song first entered the Spotify Daily song chart on October 15, 2022, at No. 200. By late November, the song had climbed to No.20, with over 2.4 million daily streams. In December, it received its second Platinum in the UK (then third in July 2024). By March 2023, “Mockingbird” crossed the 1 billion streams mark on Spotify.
Calm and steady
The explosive growth phase is now over. After spending over a year on the Spotify chart, “Mockingbird” has left the ranking. Yet its place in popular culture remains secure.
Before that recent resurgence, “Mockingbird” was not even in Em’s Spotify Top 10 songs. Now, it ranks fourth both in total and daily streams. It is here to stay, regardless of new viral trends or fashion fads.