"Butterfly" is a song by American rap rock band Crazy Town. The song was released in October 2000 as the third single from their debut album, The Gift of Game. It gained mainstream popularity after being released physically on February 19, 2001. It is based on a sample of "Pretty Little Ditty" from the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 1989 album Mother's Milk, so band members Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith, and John Frusciante are credited as writers.

"Butterfly" peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for two nonconsecutive weeks in March and April 2001. Outside of the United States, the song topped the charts in seven countries, including Austria, Denmark, and Norway, and it peaked within the top ten on the charts of several others, including Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

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".

"Butterfly" was described by George Lang of the Oklahoman as a "a deft blend of hip-hop and rock". Alan di Perna of Guitar World magazine noted Crazy Town were predominantly a rap-metal group, with their music containing the "streetwise guitar rage" of the genre combined with "a dash of Eighties alternative melodicism" and declared the song as a "hip-hop flavored ballad". This was echoed by Tim Kenneally of Spin who noted that the band avoided "descending into rap-metal's typical bitch-done-me-wrong jeremiads"; he declared it a sappy hip-hop love song. 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 among rap-rock songs, "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.

In the lyrics of the song, Shifty 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

It was named the 34th "Most Awesomely Bad Song Ever" by VH1. It was also rated number three on Billboard's chart for one-hit wonders of the 2000s, compiled in 2009. Spin named "Butterfly" as the 13th best nu metal song. "Butterfly" was featured in Metal Hammer's "The Top 40 Best Nu Metal Songs Ever Made" list and ranked at #18.

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.

Track listings

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

Charts

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)	2× Platinum	140,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)	Gold	20,000
Belgium (BEA)	Gold	25,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)	Platinum	8,000
Germany (BVMI)	Platinum	500,000
Norway (IFPI Norway)	Platinum	60,000
Sweden (GLF)	Platinum	30,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)	Gold	20,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	Platinum	600,000
Sales figures based on certification alone. Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref(s).
United States	October 24, 2000	Alternative radio	Columbia
	December 19, 2000	Contemporary hit radio
	January 23, 2001	Rhythmic contemporary radio
Europe	February 19, 2001	CD maxi-CD 12-inch vinyl
United States	February 20, 2001	CD 7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl
Australia	March 19, 2001	CD
United Kingdom	March 26, 2001	CD cassette

See also

• List of Romanian Top 100 number ones of the 2000s