Butterfly (Crazy Town song)

Background and composition

Crazy Town did not choose to release "Butterfly" as the first single from The Gift of Game. Guitarist Kraig "Squirrel" Tyler explained: "We knew all along we didn't want to release 'Butterfly' first because we didn't want to be known as the band that does 'Butterfly'. We are looking at this like we want to have a career. That isn't who we are." In describing the song, frontman Shifty Shellshock said: "Well, a song like 'Butterfly' is a no-brainer, everyone seems to love that no matter how hard they are, it's very radio friendly, the female audience loves it and at the same time I think we kept our integrity with it, it's not a sell-out song, it's very real and cool and I like it."

In the lyrics of the song, Shellshock calls a lady he has been with "butterfly". He references "Sid and Nancy", which is Sid Vicious of the English punk rock band Sex Pistols and his American girlfriend Nancy Spungen. In the chorus, he repeats the refrain "come my lady" and calls her several terms of endearment. He describes how she has changed his life for the better and wonders if she will stay with him, ending the final verse by thanking her.

Critical reception

"Butterfly" was described by George Lang of the Oklahoman as "a deft blend of hip-hop and rock". As part of a compendium of nu metal music, Alan di Perna of Guitar World magazine described the song as a "hip-hop flavored ballad". Tim Kenneally of Spin wrote that the "butter-smooth come-on" of the song drove album sales to Platinum level, even though he thought it might be "the sappiest hip-hop love song since LL Cool J's 'I Need Love'". Michael Steele, a music director of the pop radio station KIIS-FM, noted the song's crossover appeal in an interview in the Los Angeles Times, declaring that "Butterfly" was "the one that completely crossed over from the rap-rock genre". Spin labelled "Butterfly" as a "nu metal power ballad" and possibly the biggest love song of the entire genre.

It was named the 34th "Most Awesomely Bad Song Ever" by VH1, and rated number three on *Billboard'''s chart for one-hit wonders of the 2000s, compiled in 2009. "Butterfly" was featured in Metal Hammer's "The Top 40 Best Nu Metal Songs Ever Made" list and ranked at #18. The song is ranked #342 on *Consequence's'' list of "Every Alternative Rock No. 1 Hit from Worst to Best".

Music video

The song's music video, directed by Honey, shows the band in a fantastical forest full of butterflies. Shifty Shellshock and Epic Mazur sing praises to two women with butterfly wings (Cynthia Mittweg & Melissa Binzer). At one point in the video, Shifty's star-shaped tattoos fly off into the air. In 2018, the staff of Metal Hammer included the music video in the site's list of "the 13 best nu metal videos".

Track listings

US 7-inch single :A. "Butterfly" – 3:37 :B. "Revolving Door" – 3:41

US CD and 12-inch single :A1. "Butterfly" (album version) – 3:37 :A2. "Butterfly" (Epic remix) – 3:50 :A3. "Butterfly" (Extreme mix) – 3:24 :B1. "Butterfly" (Jazzy Jim mix) – 3:21 :B2. "Butterfly" (instrumental) – 3:37

UK CD single

1. "Butterfly" (clean album version) – 3:37
2. "Butterfly" (Epic remix) – 3:50
3. "Darkside" (clean album version) – 3:53
4. "Darkside" (video CD extra)

UK cassette single

1. "Butterfly" (clean album version) – 3:37
2. "Butterfly" (Extreme mix) – 3:34 European CD single
3. "Butterfly" (album version) – 3:37
4. "Butterfly" (Extreme mix) – 3:34

European maxi-CD single

1. "Butterfly" (album version) – 3:37
2. "Butterfly" (Extreme mix) – 3:34
3. "Butterfly" (Epic remix) – 3:50
4. "Toxic" (explicit album version) – 2:48

Australian CD single

1. "Butterfly" (clean album version) – 3:37
2. "Butterfly" (Extreme mix) – 3:34
3. "Butterfly" (Jazzy Jim mix) – 3:03
4. "Butterfly" (Epic remix) – 3:50
5. "Only When I'm Drunk" (demo) – 3:04

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the US CD single and The Gift of Game album booklet.

Studios

• Tracked at Westlake Audio (Los Angeles)
• Mixed at Scream Studios (Burbank, California) and The Mix Room (Los Angeles)
• Mastered at Precision Mastering (Hollywood, California)

Personnel

• Shifty Shellshock – lyrics and music (as Seth Binzer), vocals
• Bret Mazur – lyrics and music, vocals, production
• Anthony Kiedis – music ("Pretty Little Ditty")
• Flea – music ("Pretty Little Ditty")
• John Frusciante – music ("Pretty Little Ditty")
• Chad Smith – music ("Pretty Little Ditty")
• Rust Epique – guitar
• Trouble Valli – guitar
• Faydoedeelay – bass
• DJ AM – turntables
• James Bradley Jr. – drums
• Josh Abraham – production, mixing
• Brian Virtue – mixing, engineering
• Tom Baker – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

References

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