| "Butterfly" | ||||
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| Single by Mariah Carey | ||||
| from the album Butterfly | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | September 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Studio | Compass Point (The Bahamas)
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:34 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Composer(s) |
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| Lyricist(s) | Mariah Carey | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Mariah Carey singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Butterfly" on YouTube | ||||
"Butterfly" is a song recorded by American singer Mariah Carey for her sixth studio album Butterfly (1997). Columbia Records released it as the second single from the album in September 1997. Written by Carey from the perspective of her husband, Columbia executive Tommy Mottola, the lyrics are about what she wished he would have told her amid their separation. Carey worked with Walter Afanasieff to produce the song and compose its music, which features keyboards, synthesizers, and programmed drums. She adopts a restrained vocal style that gradually evolves from whispers at the beginning to chest voice near its conclusion. A pop, gospel, and R&B ballad, "Butterfly" was originally conceived as the house record "Fly Away". Carey co-produced the latter with David Morales; it appears on both the album and as the single's B-side.
Critics considered "Butterfly" one of the album's best songs and one of Carey's premier vocal performances. It received a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 1998 Grammy Awards. A moderate success on music charts worldwide, "Butterfly" peaked within the top ten in Taiwan and on radio airplay charts in Croatia and Spain. It reached number sixteen on Hot 100 Airplay in the United States, Carey's worst performance on the chart at the time. In the United Kingdom, "Butterfly" peaked at number twenty-two and ended her streak of twelve consecutive top ten singles dating to 1992.
Carey directed the song's music video with Daniel Pearl. It depicts her escaping a house and interacting with horses. She performed "Butterfly" live on American television programs such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Saturday Night Live, and the Late Show with David Letterman. In 1998, she sang it during the Butterfly World Tour. "Butterfly" is ranked high in retrospective lists ranking Carey's songs. It appears on her compilation albums Greatest Hits (2001) and The Ballads (2008).