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Butterfly (Mariah Carey album)

April 26, 2023

Butterfly is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on September 10, 1997, by Columbia Records. The album contains both hip hop and urban adult contemporary sounds, as well as some softer and more contemporary melodies. Throughout the project, Carey worked with Walter Afanasieff, with whom she had written and produced most of the material from her previous albums. She also worked with many famed hip hop producers and rappers, such as Sean "Puffy" Combs, Q-Tip, Missy Elliott and the Trackmasters. With the latter acts producing most of the album, Butterfly deviated from the adult contemporary sound of Carey's previous albums.

Butterfly
Studio album by
Mariah Carey
ReleasedSeptember 10, 1997 (1997-09-10)
RecordedJanuary–July 1997
StudioThe Hit Factory (New York City)
Genre
Length57:20
LabelColumbia
Producer
Mariah Carey chronology
Daydream
(1995) 		Butterfly
(1997) 		#1's
(1998)
Singles from Butterfly
  1. "Honey"
    Released: July 29, 1997
  2. "Butterfly"
    Released: September 29, 1997
  3. "Breakdown"
    Released: January 6, 1998
  4. "The Roof (Back in Time)"
    Released: March 20, 1998
  5. "My All"
    Released: April 21, 1998

With Butterfly, Carey continued the transition that began with previous album, Daydream (1995), which pushed her further into the R&B and hip hop market and away from the pop background of her previous work. Carey was able to reflect her creative maturity and evolution in the album's writing and recording. Carey writes in the booklet of her twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009), that she considers Butterfly her magnum opus and a turning point in both her life and career.

Five singles were released from the album; two worldwide commercial singles and three limited-release singles. "Honey", the album's lead single, topped the charts in Canada and the United States, and reached the top-five in New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom. The album's fifth and final single, "My All", became a top-ten hit throughout Europe and topped the charts in the United States. To promote the album, Carey embarked on the Butterfly World Tour, which visited Australia, Japan and Taiwan, with one show in the United States. Butterfly was nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards.

Butterfly received acclaim from music critics, many of whom embraced Carey's musical transition. Reviewers complimented the album for its mature sound and production, as well as Carey's musical direction. Though released during Carey's heavily publicized conflict with Sony Music, the album became an international commercial success, topping the albums charts in many countries, including Australia, Canada, Greece, Japan, the Netherlands, as well as the United States. It was certified five-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States and received the Million Award in Japan. Globally, Butterfly has sold over ten million copies.

Background and release

In the past, people were scared to let me explore different types of music that I loved and enjoyed. They [the studio heads] saw me as having this instrument, and they wanted to get the most use out of it. There were a lot of people around me who were afraid of change. I was a valuable commodity, and they didn't want to lose that. I was encouraged to act drab, because drab sells records.

—Carey, on her conflict with Sony Music[1]

Carey began working on Butterfly in January 1997. During the album's development in mid-1997 Carey separated from her husband, music executive Tommy Mottola, who had guided her career since 1990. Carey's increasing control over her own career had led to speculation in the press over the future of the couple, and they later divorced.[1] Throughout the development of the album, in a departure from her previous style, Carey worked with various rappers and hip hop producers, including Sean "Puffy" Combs, Q-Tip, Missy Elliott and Jean Claude Oliver and Samuel Barnes from Trackmasters.[1] Critics saw Carey's new production team as a form of revenge on Mottola and Sony Music.[1] Carey denied taking a radically new direction, and insisted that the musical style of her new album was of her own choosing. Nevertheless, Carey resented the control that Sony, whose president was Mottola, exercised over her music, preventing her from making music about which she was passionate.[2] In contrast, Sony was concerned Carey, their best-selling act, could jeopardize her future success through her actions.[2]

The pressure of the separation and constant press attention began to take its toll on Carey. Growing creative differences with producer Walter Afanasieff ended their working relationship, after collaborating on most of Carey's previous output.[2] The breaking point came after a heated argument during a long recording session, over the album's musical direction.[1] Carey also faced media criticism over her choice of producers and several newspapers linked Carey romantically to several rappers, suggesting these relationships influenced her decisions.[1] However, Carey denied the allegations, stating she had only slept with her husband.[3]

Butterfly was first released on September 10, 1997, in Japan and Taiwan.[4][5] It was unconventionally released on Thursday, September 11, in the United Kingdom,[6] and September 12 in the rest of Europe.[7] Columbia released it on September 16 in the United States.[8] It was issued as an LP, cassette, compact disc, and/or MiniDisc depending on the country.[6] In the United States, Columbia also issued a cassette/CD package set, the first such configuration by a record label.[9]

Writing and composition

Butterfly was described as an R&B, pop and hip hop music album[10][11] with hip hop soul elements.[12] With a variety of writers and producers and its new musical direction for Carey, the album was always likely to be a commercial success.[2] Carey and Combs wrote the lead single, "Honey." Combs believed this to be a good song but was uncertain how successful it would be as a release owing to its heavy hip hop influence.[2] The remix for "Honey" featured rapping lead vocals from Da Brat, The LOX and Mase, and some verses were rapped by Combs himself. The track was very different from Carey's previous recordings, and was described by author Chris Nickson as "street Hip-Hop music, with a booming bass."[13] The song's melody was driven by Q-Tip's drum programming and Stevie J's keyboard notes. Combs's production gave the song a "light and airy" effect, further distancing it from Carey's contemporary sound.[13] "Honey" featured musical samples from Treacherous Three's "The Body Rock", and "Hey DJ" by The World's Famous Supreme Team.[13] The track used both hip hop and R&B with traces of pop music and was described as a "[song with a] catchy chorus, combining hip hop and pop into something that simply wasn't going to be denied by anyone, and offering a powerful start to a record."[13]

The album's second single, "Butterfly", was one of the ballads Carey wrote with Afanasieff.[13] Carey described the song as the "favorite ballad she had ever written", one that was more personal than her previous work as the emotions conveyed through the song allude at just how meaningful the lyrics are to her.[14][15] Carey solely wrote the lyrics while Afanasieff, who composed the music with Dan Shea, handled the song's instrumentals, and added a few personal R&B touches. Another ballad Carey wrote with Afanasieff was "My All", written as a contrast to the album's general hip hop flavor.[15] Carey described the song as having "a lush sound and intense styling".[15] It featured guitar arpeggios, which were synthetically created using sampling and keyboard notes.[13] "The Roof", Butterfly's European single, incorporated fragments from Mobb Deep's "Shook Ones (Part II)", and was produced by Carey, Poke & Tone and Cory Rooney.[15]

I had the hook already, as well as a melody and lyric for the chorus. Then she and I collaborated on a new melody for the verses, and we did the first verse, and the second half of the second verse together.

—Carey, on working with Elliott on "Babydoll"[1]

"Fourth of July", one of the album's slower ballads, was also written solely by Carey and Afanasieff but was not released as a single.[15] The song was perceived to have jazz influences and was compared to some of Carey's older work such as "Vanishing" and "The Wind".[15] The next two tracks on the record, "Breakdown" and "Babydoll", were described as "the album's backbone, its real declaration of independence" by Nickson.[15] "Breakdown" was written by Carey and Puffy and included rap verses from Wish and Krayzie Bone from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.[16] Author Chris Nickson wrote that "'Breakdown' showed Mariah treading forcefully into territory that was new for her and making it her own."[16] For "Babydoll", Carey teamed up with Elliott. The track was recorded in Atlanta, where Elliott resided, and included background vocals from Carey's long-time friend, Trey Lorenz. "Babydoll" is an R&B ballad with trip hop and drum and bass influences, and was described as "a vocally driven piece", with strong jazz harmony provided by Cory Rooney.[16] Other songs that incorporated R&B influence into ballads were "Whenever You Call" and "Close My Eyes", which were personally important to Carey due to their lyrical content. While both were similar ballads to Carey's previous work,[16] Nickson said:

While up to the standard of anything Mariah had ever done before, [they] suffered in comparison. But even here you could hear the new Mariah in the spareness of the arrangements and the way it was her voice, rather than any instrument, that controlled the song. She'd grown to the point where having less behind her really proved to be more, for the song and for her. It was notable, too, that like the other ballads on the record, these two leaned very much towards R&B.[16]

Carey wrote the song "Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise)" with famed house music producer David Morales.[17] When imagining the concept for "Butterfly", Carey intended the song to be a house music record, but after writing it, made it into a ballad. Carey expressed a desire to feature her concept both on the house record, in addition to the ballad that would become "Butterfly".[17] Morales took Carey's lyrics, concept and melody and added a house beat to it.[17] For the album, Carey recorded a version of Prince's "The Beautiful Ones", featuring Dru Hill, with Dru Hill lead singer Sisqó sharing much of the lead with her. The song was one of the last recorded tracks and was the only non-original song on Butterfly.[17] The final song on the album was "Outside", a ballad that was written by Carey, Afanasieff and Rooney, about Carey's experience being biracial.[17] Richard Harrington from The Washington Post described the album's subtle inclusion of both pop and R&B genres:

There are two Mariah Careys on Butterfly. One is the pop-oriented, ballad-leaning traditionalist who works very effectively with her longtime professional partner, composer-producer Walter Afanasieff. The other is a self-styled hip-hop fanatic who worked with Ol' Dirty Bastard on her last album and teams up here with several of that genre's movers and shakers, most notably Sean "Puffy" Combs, the godfather of hip-hop soul and the hottest producer in pop music today.[11]

Promotion

To promote Butterfly, Carey made many live appearances.[13] On September 12, 1997, Carey was interviewed about her split from Mottola and sang a live rendition of "Butterfly" and "Hero" on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[13] Carey also featured as a musical guest on November 15, 1997, on Saturday Night Live, performing "Butterfly" again, as well as the Spanish-inspired "My All".[13] She made two appearances on The Rosie O'Donnell Show; she performed "My All" and on her return visit, sang "Close My Eyes" live for the first time.[18] Carey also gave performances at awards shows, singing "My All" at the 1998 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards and "Honey" at the 1998 World Music Awards.[18] In Europe, Carey made several promotional television appearances. In the United Kingdom, Carey performed "My All" and "Honey" on the Des O'Connor Show and Top of the Pops. In Germany, she sang "Butterfly" on Wetten, dass..? and performed on Japanese television.[18]

Originally, Carey had not planned to tour, after receiving mixed reviews in the US for her Music Box Tour. However, after the album's release, many fans requested Carey to tour, especially in Asia and Australia.[18] Therefore, Carey embarked on the Butterfly World Tour; her third head-lining tour and most extensive to date. The tour included eleven shows, four in Japan's largest stadium, Tokyo Dome, one in Taiwan, five in Australia and one in the United States.[19] As part of her performance at the 50,000-capacity Aloha Stadium in Hawaii, Carey filmed a concert video, Around the World. The video was a compilation DVD which included parts of Carey's shows in Japan, Australia and Hawaii.[19] The tour was a critical and commercial success. Both fans and critics praised the quality of the show and Carey's vocals.[20]

Singles

Five singles were released from Butterfly; some featured as airplay-only singles, while others were released only in certain territories. "Honey" was released as the album's first single to mainstream and rhythmic radio on July 29, 1997.[21] The song became Carey's twelfth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the chart in Canada, while reaching the top-five in New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of one million units in the United States, and received a gold certification in Australia.[22][23] "Honey" was well-received, with critics complimenting its catchy sound and clever fusion of pop and R&B sounds.[24] The title track served as the album's second single, but it was released as an "airplay-only" single due to Carey's conflict with Sony.[24] Though not being released commercially by her label, "Butterfly" reached number sixteen on the Hot 100 Airplay, as well as the top-twenty in New Zealand.[13]

"Breakdown" was the third single released from Butterfly. The song received a limited release throughout certain countries, such as the United States, where it peaked at number four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[25] Aside from the US, "Breakdown" achieved a steady peak of number four on the New Zealand singles chart, in addition to entering the top-forty in Australia. While not one of Carey's best-known hits, "Breakdown" remains one of her most praised songs, receiving acclaim for assisting Carey's transition into the R&B market.[12] In his review for the album, Rich Juzwiak from Slant magazine wrote the following:

The song of Carey's career, where the lyrical strokes are as broad and obvious as they are naked. Mariah the chanter flawlessly adapts to their singsong style, largely boxing her multi-octave range into a sly, hypnotic melody so that when she really wails at the end, you really feel it. Carey lunges toward musical maturity by embracing, not shunning hip-hop. This is the height of her elegance and maybe hip-hop-soul's, too.[12]

While "Breakdown" served as the album's third single in the United States, New Zealand and Australia, "The Roof" was released in Europe.[13] It performed weakly on the charts, peaking at number 96 in the United Kingdom, and faring only slightly better in the Netherlands, where it peaked at number 63. While not commercially released in the US, the song's music video received heavy rotation on MTV and Vh1, due to the record's popularity.[13] "My All" was chosen as the album's fifth and final single. The song was the most commercially successful song on Butterfly, becoming Carey's thirteenth chart topper in the US, and reaching the top-ten throughout Europe. In France, "My All" peaked at number six, and was certified silver by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP).[26] In the United States, the song finished at number seventeen, on the Billboard Year-End chart, remaining Carey's highest-charting single of 1998.[27]

#Butterfly25

In September 2022, for the album's twenty-fifth anniversary, Carey announced a deluxe reissue "with eight new bonus tracks from the Butterfly sessions".[28] This was announced alongside merchandise, new vinyl releases, 4K remasters for music videos, and a documentary for the making of the "Honey" music video.[28]

Critical reception

Butterfly garnered general acclaim from music critics. In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, Arion Berger praised the album's producers and Carey's "more controlled" vocals.[34] Berger noticed a connection between much of Carey's lyrics and her separation from Mottola.[34] Jon Pareles, editor of The New York Times called Butterfly "a new turn" in Carey's career. He wrote, "Carey has sold tens of millions of albums by being the girl next door with the startling vocal range... but for most of "Butterfly" Carey turned her voice into an airy whisper, as if she would rather charm listeners" compared to over-powering them.[37] Aside from commenting on its deviance from Carey's previous work, he noted songs in which Carey alludes to her failed marriage to Mottola, such as "Butterfly" and "Close My Eyes" which were both released on the album following the divorce with lyrics about letting love go and life struggles. Additionally he wrote, "Since Carey writes her own lyrics, fans might expect a glimpse of marital discord or pride in her new-found autonomy."[38] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly gave Butterfly a B− in his review.[30] Browne wrote: "In Breakdown, [Carey] demonstrates she can match the staccato, lite-reggae phrasing of her guests, two members of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony."[30] He described an increased intimacy in the music but noted the arrangement made it difficult to hear the lyrics Carey was singing. "Butterfly is undeniably pleasant, with little of the all-conquering bombast usually associated with Carey. But it's also the last thing anyone would have expected from her: blandly self-effacing."[30]

In a retrospective review of the album, Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic appreciated the new direction of Carey's music, commenting on the increased urban feel of the work.[24] He described the record as "a collection of hit singles surrounded by classy filler" and "while [the songs] are all well-crafted, many of them blend together upon initial listening".[24] However, he noted an increased control in her voice which led him to describe some of the ballads such as 'Butterfly' and 'Breakdown' as among her best work. He said Butterfly was one of Carey's best records and she was "continuing to improve and refine her music, which makes her a rarity among her '90s peers."[24] Erlewine gave the album a score of four out of five stars;[39] but in 2021 the AllMusic website upgraded the rating by a half star.[24] Rich Juzwiak from Slant Magazine awarded the album a score of four and a half out of five stars, calling it "elegant" and praising Carey's mature vocals.[12] Juzwiak particularly praised "Breakdown", which he called one of the album's best tracks. Of Carey's vocals, he wrote, "The relatively high and thin register that she sings in when not belting (and that's often) could be the most important of Butterfly's changes, as it marks the first time that Mariah the vocalist seems consistently real. She's utterly soulful."[12] In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, critic Robert Christgau gave Butterfly a "dud" rating,[36] indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought".[40]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Complex The Best R&B Albums of '90s
5
[10]
Pitchfork The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s
60
[41]

Commercial performance

Butterfly debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 selling 235,500 copies in the first week after its release, the highest of her career at the time.[42] It maintained that position for one week and remained in the top twenty for 21 weeks; it stayed in the chart for 55 weeks, including one re-entry.[25] The album achieved its highest weekly sales in its fifteenth week of release, when it was at number eight on the chart with 283,000 copies sold. It also peaked at number three on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.[25] In the United States, Butterfly was certified five-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of five million copies. Nielsen SoundScan estimates the album's sales at 3,807,000 copies in the US.[43][44] In Canada, the album debuted at number one and was certified double-platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), denoting shipments of 200,000 copies of the album.[25][45] Butterfly debuted at number one in Australia, and received a double-platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), indicating shipments of 140,000 units.[22]

In Europe, Butterfly peaked within the top-five in several European countries. It received a platinum certification by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), denoting shipments of well one million copies throughout Europe.[46] In the United Kingdom, Butterfly peaked at number two, and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting shipments of 300,000 copies.[47] In France, the album peaked at number six, where it was certified double-gold by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP).[48]

As with many of Carey's previous records, Butterfly became a large success in Asia. In Japan, the record debuted at number one on the album charts.[49] The album was certified the Million Award by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), denoting shipments of one million copies.[50] In Hong Kong, Butterfly finished as one of the twenty best-selling foreign albums of 1997, receiving a platinum certification by IFPI.[51] Globally, Butterfly has sold over 10 million copies.[52]

Legacy and cultural impact

 
Artwork of Carey with a butterfly, which became a metaphorical symbol of her impact and legacy upon pop and R&B music.[12][53]

In the years since its release, Butterfly has been hailed as being an R&B classic.[54] In a retrospective review for The Washington Post, Bethonie Butler focused on the album's impact, stating that it "changed the face of pop music" by paving "the way for other pop stars...to sing alongside their rap contemporaries".[55] Writing for Jezebel, Rich Juzwiak focused on the influence of Carey's vocal stylings in the track "Breakdown", remarking that "in this day and age, when there’s so much genre blending that it’s sometimes impossible to label an artist as merely “singer” or “rapper,” it'd be foolish to understate the prescience of" the song.[54] A profile of the album in Essence by Jessica Littles further stated that the album "catalyzed the pop music trend of collaborating with hip-hop artists", concluding that it "not only showcased her [Carey's] already-established prowess as a vocalist, who could belt out ballads or flirt over the hottest summer jams, but also as one of the most versatile songwriters in contemporary music".[56]

The lead single from the album, "Honey", was notable for pushing Carey further towards hip hop and R&B than before.[57] The music video gained further attention, as Carey, for the first time in her career, was provocatively dressed, giving viewers a "taste of the freer Mariah."[57] The Puerto Rico-filmed video's concept was created by Carey with Paul Hunter filling in as the director.[57] Featuring a James Bond theme, Carey was a "very sexy agent M", in the words of Nickson, who escapes a large mansion in which she has been held captive.[57] Carey said of the video: "I don't really think the video is overtly sexual, but for me—I mean people used to think I was the nineties version of Mary Poppins!"[13] At the time of the video's release, Carey and Mottola were in the midst of their divorce. Tabloids and critics were linking the video's theme to Carey's marriage, writing how Mottola would lock her in their mansion, although she denied this.[57] In an interview, Carey said that "Tommy loves the video, he says it's my best video yet."[57] Carey's writing partner of six years, Afanasieff, felt the video was undeniably about Mottola.[57]

The music video for "The Roof" was ranked 18th on Slant's "100 Greatest Music Videos".[58] Sal Ciquemani, from Slant, gave the video a positive review, complimenting Carey's pairing the sultry song with a "sophisticated tale of a sexy rooftop encounter."[58] The video shows Carey reminiscing on a past love and a night they shared together on a rainy roof-top. The video revolves around the settings of a dark limousine, a decrepit NYC apartment, and a rainy roof-top, where according to Slant, "Carey is featured at her most vulnerable, with runny mascara and drenched in the cold rainy night."[58] In the conclusion of his review of the video, Ciquemani wrote: "When Carey rises through the limo's sunroof and relishes the warm November rain, she's not drunk on the bubbly but on the memory of past delights."[58] The video for "My All" was also one of the more notable videos from Butterfly.[57] The video featured Carey in various places, including a submerged vessel, a lighthouse and a large conch shell floating the shore.[57] In each of the scenes, Carey is shown lamenting her love and yearning to be re-united with him once more.[57] In the video's climax, Carey meets her love in the lighthouse, where they caress and drift into the "nights abyss."[57] According to author Chris Nickson, the scenes of Carey on the overturned vessel showed her vulnerability without her loved one, truly emphasizing the yearning featured in the song.[57]

Butterfly, recognised by critics as one of Carey's best albums at that point in her career, received several awards and was nominated for others. At the Billboard Music Awards, Carey received an honorary award, recognizing her achievement of earning "The Most Number-one Singles Ever by a Female Solo Artist in History".[59] "Honey" was nominated at the 1998 Grammy Awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song, while "Butterfly" was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.[59] Butterfly won a Japan Gold Disc Award in the "International Pop Album of the Year" category. For Butterfly, Carey won the American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist in 1998. Additionally, the album won the BMI Pop Award for Songwriter of the Year and the Songwriter awards for "Honey", "Butterfly" and "My All".[59] At the Soul Train Music Awards in 1998, Carey won the awards for the Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year and Soul Train Lady of Soul, which were presented to her by Chris Tucker and Patti LaBelle.[59]

Butterfly was nominated at the 1998 NAACP Image Awards, in the Outstanding Female Artist category.[18] At the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Carey was named the Songwriter of the Year and received the Song of the Year award. At the 1998 World Music Awards, Carey won two of night's top awards; the World's Best-selling R&B Artist and the World's Best-selling Recording Artist of the '90s.[59] Carey was unhappy not to win any of the Grammy Awards once again, but this was offset by the success of her tour, which was taking place during the awards. According to author Marc Shapiro, "No amount of awards could replace the popular acceptance of Butterfly and the feeling she was now free to live her own life – creatively and personally."[20] In a recent list compiled by a selection of rock critics, Butterfly was chosen as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[60]

The album was released with two different covers[61] and in 2007 one of them was listed on Maxim's Sexiest Album Covers.[62]

Track listing

Butterfly – Standard edition
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
1."Honey"Mariah Carey
5:02
2."Butterfly"Carey
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
4:36
3."My All"Carey
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
3:53
4."The Roof"Carey
5:15
5."Fourth of July"Carey
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
4:23
6."Breakdown" (featuring Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone)
  • Carey
  • Stevie J
  • Carey
  • Stevie J
  • Combs
4:45
7."Babydoll"
  • Carey
  • Rooney
  • Stevie J
  • Carey
  • Rooney
5:07
8."Close My Eyes"Carey
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
4:22
9."Whenever You Call"Carey
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
4:22
10."Fly Away" (Butterfly Reprise)
3:49
11."The Beautiful Ones" (Prince cover) (featuring Dru Hill)PrincePrince
  • Carey
  • Rooney
7:00
12."Outside"Carey
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
  • Rooney[a]
4:46
Butterfly – European/Japanese edition (bonus tracks)[63]
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
13."Honey" (So So Def Radio Mix) (featuring Da Brat and JD)Carey
3:59
14."Honey" (Def Club Mix)Carey
  • Carey
  • Robinson
6:17
Butterfly – Latin American edition (bonus track)
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
15."Mi Todo"
  • Carey
  • Manny Benito
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
3:53
Butterfly: 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition[64]
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
13."Whenever You Call" (with Brian McKnight)Carey
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
4:22
14."The Roof (When I Feel The Need)" (featuring Brandy)Carey
  • Olivier
  • Barnes
  • Rooney
  • Johnson
  • Muchita
  • Carey
  • Daniel Moore II
  • Tremaine "Six7" Williams
4:54
15."Butterfly" (Live from The Late Show With David Letterman)Carey
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
 4:14
16."My All" (Live from VH1 Divas 1998)Carey
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
 5:28
17."Fourth of July" (Acapella)Carey
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
4:16
18."Outside" (Acapella)Carey
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
4:16
19."Butterfly (Amorphous Anniversary Club Mix)" (with Amorphous)Carey
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
  • Carey
  • Afanasieff
  • Amorphous
6:06
20."Honey" (Another Taste of Honey David Morales Mix)Carey
  • Carey
  • Combs
  • Fareed
  • Jordan
  • Hague
  • Robinson
  • Larkins
  • Price
  • McLaren
  • Morales
Morales7:55

Notes

Personnel

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[112] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Belgium (BEA)[113] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[114] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[48] 2× Gold 200,000*
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[115] Platinum 20,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[116] Million 1,000,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[117] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[118] Platinum 15,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[119] Gold 50,000*
Singapore — 80,000[120]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[121] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[122] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] Platinum 300,000 
United States (RIAA)[123] 5× Platinum 3,807,000[44]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[124] Platinum 1,000,000*
Worldwide — 10,000,000[52]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
  Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Shapiro 2001, pp. 99–100
  2. ^ a b c d e Shapiro 2001, p. 101
  3. ^ Shapiro 2001, p. 104
  4. ^ "バタフライ" [Butterfly] (in Japanese). Sony Music Japan. from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
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Works cited

April 26, 2023
butterfly, mariah, carey, album, butterfly, sixth, studio, album, american, singer, songwriter, mariah, carey, released, september, 1997, columbia, records, album, contains, both, urban, adult, contemporary, sounds, well, some, softer, more, contemporary, melo. Butterfly is the sixth studio album by American singer songwriter Mariah Carey released on September 10 1997 by Columbia Records The album contains both hip hop and urban adult contemporary sounds as well as some softer and more contemporary melodies Throughout the project Carey worked with Walter Afanasieff with whom she had written and produced most of the material from her previous albums She also worked with many famed hip hop producers and rappers such as Sean Puffy Combs Q Tip Missy Elliott and the Trackmasters With the latter acts producing most of the album Butterfly deviated from the adult contemporary sound of Carey s previous albums ButterflyStudio album by Mariah CareyReleasedSeptember 10 1997 1997 09 10 RecordedJanuary July 1997StudioThe Hit Factory New York City GenreR amp B pop hip hopLength57 20LabelColumbiaProducerMariah Carey Walter Afanasieff Sean Puffy Combs The Ummah Stevie J Trackmasters Cory Rooney David MoralesMariah Carey chronologyDaydream 1995 Butterfly 1997 1 s 1998 Singles from Butterfly Honey Released July 29 1997 Butterfly Released September 29 1997 Breakdown Released January 6 1998 The Roof Back in Time Released March 20 1998 My All Released April 21 1998With Butterfly Carey continued the transition that began with previous album Daydream 1995 which pushed her further into the R amp B and hip hop market and away from the pop background of her previous work Carey was able to reflect her creative maturity and evolution in the album s writing and recording Carey writes in the booklet of her twelfth studio album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel 2009 that she considers Butterfly her magnum opus and a turning point in both her life and career Five singles were released from the album two worldwide commercial singles and three limited release singles Honey the album s lead single topped the charts in Canada and the United States and reached the top five in New Zealand Spain and the United Kingdom The album s fifth and final single My All became a top ten hit throughout Europe and topped the charts in the United States To promote the album Carey embarked on the Butterfly World Tour which visited Australia Japan and Taiwan with one show in the United States Butterfly was nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards Butterfly received acclaim from music critics many of whom embraced Carey s musical transition Reviewers complimented the album for its mature sound and production as well as Carey s musical direction Though released during Carey s heavily publicized conflict with Sony Music the album became an international commercial success topping the albums charts in many countries including Australia Canada Greece Japan the Netherlands as well as the United States It was certified five times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA in the United States and received the Million Award in Japan Globally Butterfly has sold over ten million copies Contents 1 Background and release 2 Writing and composition 3 Promotion 3 1 Singles 3 2 Butterfly25 4 Critical reception 4 1 Accolades 5 Commercial performance 6 Legacy and cultural impact 7 Track listing 8 Personnel 9 Charts 9 1 Weekly charts 9 2 Year end charts 10 Certifications and sales 11 References 12 Works citedBackground and release EditIn the past people were scared to let me explore different types of music that I loved and enjoyed They the studio heads saw me as having this instrument and they wanted to get the most use out of it There were a lot of people around me who were afraid of change I was a valuable commodity and they didn t want to lose that I was encouraged to act drab because drab sells records Carey on her conflict with Sony Music 1 Carey began working on Butterfly in January 1997 During the album s development in mid 1997 Carey separated from her husband music executive Tommy Mottola who had guided her career since 1990 Carey s increasing control over her own career had led to speculation in the press over the future of the couple and they later divorced 1 Throughout the development of the album in a departure from her previous style Carey worked with various rappers and hip hop producers including Sean Puffy Combs Q Tip Missy Elliott and Jean Claude Oliver and Samuel Barnes from Trackmasters 1 Critics saw Carey s new production team as a form of revenge on Mottola and Sony Music 1 Carey denied taking a radically new direction and insisted that the musical style of her new album was of her own choosing Nevertheless Carey resented the control that Sony whose president was Mottola exercised over her music preventing her from making music about which she was passionate 2 In contrast Sony was concerned Carey their best selling act could jeopardize her future success through her actions 2 The pressure of the separation and constant press attention began to take its toll on Carey Growing creative differences with producer Walter Afanasieff ended their working relationship after collaborating on most of Carey s previous output 2 The breaking point came after a heated argument during a long recording session over the album s musical direction 1 Carey also faced media criticism over her choice of producers and several newspapers linked Carey romantically to several rappers suggesting these relationships influenced her decisions 1 However Carey denied the allegations stating she had only slept with her husband 3 Butterfly was first released on September 10 1997 in Japan and Taiwan 4 5 It was unconventionally released on Thursday September 11 in the United Kingdom 6 and September 12 in the rest of Europe 7 Columbia released it on September 16 in the United States 8 It was issued as an LP cassette compact disc and or MiniDisc depending on the country 6 In the United States Columbia also issued a cassette CD package set the first such configuration by a record label 9 Writing and composition EditButterfly was described as an R amp B pop and hip hop music album 10 11 with hip hop soul elements 12 With a variety of writers and producers and its new musical direction for Carey the album was always likely to be a commercial success 2 Carey and Combs wrote the lead single Honey Combs believed this to be a good song but was uncertain how successful it would be as a release owing to its heavy hip hop influence 2 The remix for Honey featured rapping lead vocals from Da Brat The LOX and Mase and some verses were rapped by Combs himself The track was very different from Carey s previous recordings and was described by author Chris Nickson as street Hip Hop music with a booming bass 13 The song s melody was driven by Q Tip s drum programming and Stevie J s keyboard notes Combs s production gave the song a light and airy effect further distancing it from Carey s contemporary sound 13 Honey featured musical samples from Treacherous Three s The Body Rock and Hey DJ by The World s Famous Supreme Team 13 The track used both hip hop and R amp B with traces of pop music and was described as a song with a catchy chorus combining hip hop and pop into something that simply wasn t going to be denied by anyone and offering a powerful start to a record 13 The album s second single Butterfly was one of the ballads Carey wrote with Afanasieff 13 Carey described the song as the favorite ballad she had ever written one that was more personal than her previous work as the emotions conveyed through the song allude at just how meaningful the lyrics are to her 14 15 Carey solely wrote the lyrics while Afanasieff who composed the music with Dan Shea handled the song s instrumentals and added a few personal R amp B touches Another ballad Carey wrote with Afanasieff was My All written as a contrast to the album s general hip hop flavor 15 Carey described the song as having a lush sound and intense styling 15 It featured guitar arpeggios which were synthetically created using sampling and keyboard notes 13 The Roof Butterfly s European single incorporated fragments from Mobb Deep s Shook Ones Part II and was produced by Carey Poke amp Tone and Cory Rooney 15 I had the hook already as well as a melody and lyric for the chorus Then she and I collaborated on a new melody for the verses and we did the first verse and the second half of the second verse together Carey on working with Elliott on Babydoll 1 Fourth of July one of the album s slower ballads was also written solely by Carey and Afanasieff but was not released as a single 15 The song was perceived to have jazz influences and was compared to some of Carey s older work such as Vanishing and The Wind 15 The next two tracks on the record Breakdown and Babydoll were described as the album s backbone its real declaration of independence by Nickson 15 Breakdown was written by Carey and Puffy and included rap verses from Wish and Krayzie Bone from Bone Thugs n Harmony 16 Author Chris Nickson wrote that Breakdown showed Mariah treading forcefully into territory that was new for her and making it her own 16 For Babydoll Carey teamed up with Elliott The track was recorded in Atlanta where Elliott resided and included background vocals from Carey s long time friend Trey Lorenz Babydoll is an R amp B ballad with trip hop and drum and bass influences and was described as a vocally driven piece with strong jazz harmony provided by Cory Rooney 16 Other songs that incorporated R amp B influence into ballads were Whenever You Call and Close My Eyes which were personally important to Carey due to their lyrical content While both were similar ballads to Carey s previous work 16 Nickson said While up to the standard of anything Mariah had ever done before they suffered in comparison But even here you could hear the new Mariah in the spareness of the arrangements and the way it was her voice rather than any instrument that controlled the song She d grown to the point where having less behind her really proved to be more for the song and for her It was notable too that like the other ballads on the record these two leaned very much towards R amp B 16 Carey wrote the song Fly Away Butterfly Reprise with famed house music producer David Morales 17 When imagining the concept for Butterfly Carey intended the song to be a house music record but after writing it made it into a ballad Carey expressed a desire to feature her concept both on the house record in addition to the ballad that would become Butterfly 17 Morales took Carey s lyrics concept and melody and added a house beat to it 17 For the album Carey recorded a version of Prince s The Beautiful Ones featuring Dru Hill with Dru Hill lead singer Sisqo sharing much of the lead with her The song was one of the last recorded tracks and was the only non original song on Butterfly 17 The final song on the album was Outside a ballad that was written by Carey Afanasieff and Rooney about Carey s experience being biracial 17 Richard Harrington from The Washington Post described the album s subtle inclusion of both pop and R amp B genres There are two Mariah Careys on Butterfly One is the pop oriented ballad leaning traditionalist who works very effectively with her longtime professional partner composer producer Walter Afanasieff The other is a self styled hip hop fanatic who worked with Ol Dirty Bastard on her last album and teams up here with several of that genre s movers and shakers most notably Sean Puffy Combs the godfather of hip hop soul and the hottest producer in pop music today 11 Promotion EditTo promote Butterfly Carey made many live appearances 13 On September 12 1997 Carey was interviewed about her split from Mottola and sang a live rendition of Butterfly and Hero on The Oprah Winfrey Show 13 Carey also featured as a musical guest on November 15 1997 on Saturday Night Live performing Butterfly again as well as the Spanish inspired My All 13 She made two appearances on The Rosie O Donnell Show she performed My All and on her return visit sang Close My Eyes live for the first time 18 Carey also gave performances at awards shows singing My All at the 1998 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards and Honey at the 1998 World Music Awards 18 In Europe Carey made several promotional television appearances In the United Kingdom Carey performed My All and Honey on the Des O Connor Show and Top of the Pops In Germany she sang Butterfly on Wetten dass and performed on Japanese television 18 Originally Carey had not planned to tour after receiving mixed reviews in the US for her Music Box Tour However after the album s release many fans requested Carey to tour especially in Asia and Australia 18 Therefore Carey embarked on the Butterfly World Tour her third head lining tour and most extensive to date The tour included eleven shows four in Japan s largest stadium Tokyo Dome one in Taiwan five in Australia and one in the United States 19 As part of her performance at the 50 000 capacity Aloha Stadium in Hawaii Carey filmed a concert video Around the World The video was a compilation DVD which included parts of Carey s shows in Japan Australia and Hawaii 19 The tour was a critical and commercial success Both fans and critics praised the quality of the show and Carey s vocals 20 Singles Edit Five singles were released from Butterfly some featured as airplay only singles while others were released only in certain territories Honey was released as the album s first single to mainstream and rhythmic radio on July 29 1997 21 The song became Carey s twelfth number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the chart in Canada while reaching the top five in New Zealand Spain and the United Kingdom It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA for shipments of one million units in the United States and received a gold certification in Australia 22 23 Honey was well received with critics complimenting its catchy sound and clever fusion of pop and R amp B sounds 24 The title track served as the album s second single but it was released as an airplay only single due to Carey s conflict with Sony 24 Though not being released commercially by her label Butterfly reached number sixteen on the Hot 100 Airplay as well as the top twenty in New Zealand 13 Breakdown was the third single released from Butterfly The song received a limited release throughout certain countries such as the United States where it peaked at number four on the Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs 25 Aside from the US Breakdown achieved a steady peak of number four on the New Zealand singles chart in addition to entering the top forty in Australia While not one of Carey s best known hits Breakdown remains one of her most praised songs receiving acclaim for assisting Carey s transition into the R amp B market 12 In his review for the album Rich Juzwiak from Slant magazine wrote the following The song of Carey s career where the lyrical strokes are as broad and obvious as they are naked Mariah the chanter flawlessly adapts to their singsong style largely boxing her multi octave range into a sly hypnotic melody so that when she really wails at the end you really feel it Carey lunges toward musical maturity by embracing not shunning hip hop This is the height of her elegance and maybe hip hop soul s too 12 While Breakdown served as the album s third single in the United States New Zealand and Australia The Roof was released in Europe 13 It performed weakly on the charts peaking at number 96 in the United Kingdom and faring only slightly better in the Netherlands where it peaked at number 63 While not commercially released in the US the song s music video received heavy rotation on MTV and Vh1 due to the record s popularity 13 My All was chosen as the album s fifth and final single The song was the most commercially successful song on Butterfly becoming Carey s thirteenth chart topper in the US and reaching the top ten throughout Europe In France My All peaked at number six and was certified silver by the Syndicat National de l Edition Phonographique SNEP 26 In the United States the song finished at number seventeen on the Billboard Year End chart remaining Carey s highest charting single of 1998 27 Butterfly25 Edit In September 2022 for the album s twenty fifth anniversary Carey announced a deluxe reissue with eight new bonus tracks from the Butterfly sessions 28 This was announced alongside merchandise new vinyl releases 4K remasters for music videos and a documentary for the making of the Honey music video 28 Critical reception EditProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic 24 Chicago Tribune 29 Entertainment WeeklyB 30 Los Angeles Times 31 NME4 10 32 Rolling Stone 33 The Rolling Stone Album Guide 34 Slant Magazine 12 USA Today 35 The Village Voice 36 Butterfly garnered general acclaim from music critics In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide Arion Berger praised the album s producers and Carey s more controlled vocals 34 Berger noticed a connection between much of Carey s lyrics and her separation from Mottola 34 Jon Pareles editor of The New York Times called Butterfly a new turn in Carey s career He wrote Carey has sold tens of millions of albums by being the girl next door with the startling vocal range but for most of Butterfly Carey turned her voice into an airy whisper as if she would rather charm listeners compared to over powering them 37 Aside from commenting on its deviance from Carey s previous work he noted songs in which Carey alludes to her failed marriage to Mottola such as Butterfly and Close My Eyes which were both released on the album following the divorce with lyrics about letting love go and life struggles Additionally he wrote Since Carey writes her own lyrics fans might expect a glimpse of marital discord or pride in her new found autonomy 38 David Browne from Entertainment Weekly gave Butterfly a B in his review 30 Browne wrote In Breakdown Carey demonstrates she can match the staccato lite reggae phrasing of her guests two members of Bone Thugs N Harmony 30 He described an increased intimacy in the music but noted the arrangement made it difficult to hear the lyrics Carey was singing Butterfly is undeniably pleasant with little of the all conquering bombast usually associated with Carey But it s also the last thing anyone would have expected from her blandly self effacing 30 In a retrospective review of the album Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic appreciated the new direction of Carey s music commenting on the increased urban feel of the work 24 He described the record as a collection of hit singles surrounded by classy filler and while the songs are all well crafted many of them blend together upon initial listening 24 However he noted an increased control in her voice which led him to describe some of the ballads such as Butterfly and Breakdown as among her best work He said Butterfly was one of Carey s best records and she was continuing to improve and refine her music which makes her a rarity among her 90s peers 24 Erlewine gave the album a score of four out of five stars 39 but in 2021 the AllMusic website upgraded the rating by a half star 24 Rich Juzwiak from Slant Magazine awarded the album a score of four and a half out of five stars calling it elegant and praising Carey s mature vocals 12 Juzwiak particularly praised Breakdown which he called one of the album s best tracks Of Carey s vocals he wrote The relatively high and thin register that she sings in when not belting and that s often could be the most important of Butterfly s changes as it marks the first time that Mariah the vocalist seems consistently real She s utterly soulful 12 In his consumer guide for The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau gave Butterfly a dud rating 36 indicating a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought 40 Accolades Edit Publication Accolade Rank Ref Complex The Best R amp B Albums of 90s 5 10 Pitchfork The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s 60 41 Commercial performance EditButterfly debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 selling 235 500 copies in the first week after its release the highest of her career at the time 42 It maintained that position for one week and remained in the top twenty for 21 weeks it stayed in the chart for 55 weeks including one re entry 25 The album achieved its highest weekly sales in its fifteenth week of release when it was at number eight on the chart with 283 000 copies sold It also peaked at number three on Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums 25 In the United States Butterfly was certified five times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA denoting shipments of five million copies Nielsen SoundScan estimates the album s sales at 3 807 000 copies in the US 43 44 In Canada the album debuted at number one and was certified double platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association CRIA denoting shipments of 200 000 copies of the album 25 45 Butterfly debuted at number one in Australia and received a double platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association ARIA indicating shipments of 140 000 units 22 In Europe Butterfly peaked within the top five in several European countries It received a platinum certification by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry IFPI denoting shipments of well one million copies throughout Europe 46 In the United Kingdom Butterfly peaked at number two and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry BPI denoting shipments of 300 000 copies 47 In France the album peaked at number six where it was certified double gold by the Syndicat National de l Edition Phonographique SNEP 48 As with many of Carey s previous records Butterfly became a large success in Asia In Japan the record debuted at number one on the album charts 49 The album was certified the Million Award by the Recording Industry Association of Japan RIAJ denoting shipments of one million copies 50 In Hong Kong Butterfly finished as one of the twenty best selling foreign albums of 1997 receiving a platinum certification by IFPI 51 Globally Butterfly has sold over 10 million copies 52 Legacy and cultural impact Edit Artwork of Carey with a butterfly which became a metaphorical symbol of her impact and legacy upon pop and R amp B music 12 53 In the years since its release Butterfly has been hailed as being an R amp B classic 54 In a retrospective review for The Washington Post Bethonie Butler focused on the album s impact stating that it changed the face of pop music by paving the way for other pop stars to sing alongside their rap contemporaries 55 Writing for Jezebel Rich Juzwiak focused on the influence of Carey s vocal stylings in the track Breakdown remarking that in this day and age when there s so much genre blending that it s sometimes impossible to label an artist as merely singer or rapper it d be foolish to understate the prescience of the song 54 A profile of the album in Essence by Jessica Littles further stated that the album catalyzed the pop music trend of collaborating with hip hop artists concluding that it not only showcased her Carey s already established prowess as a vocalist who could belt out ballads or flirt over the hottest summer jams but also as one of the most versatile songwriters in contemporary music 56 The lead single from the album Honey was notable for pushing Carey further towards hip hop and R amp B than before 57 The music video gained further attention as Carey for the first time in her career was provocatively dressed giving viewers a taste of the freer Mariah 57 The Puerto Rico filmed video s concept was created by Carey with Paul Hunter filling in as the director 57 Featuring a James Bond theme Carey was a very sexy agent M in the words of Nickson who escapes a large mansion in which she has been held captive 57 Carey said of the video I don t really think the video is overtly sexual but for me I mean people used to think I was the nineties version of Mary Poppins 13 At the time of the video s release Carey and Mottola were in the midst of their divorce Tabloids and critics were linking the video s theme to Carey s marriage writing how Mottola would lock her in their mansion although she denied this 57 In an interview Carey said that Tommy loves the video he says it s my best video yet 57 Carey s writing partner of six years Afanasieff felt the video was undeniably about Mottola 57 The music video for The Roof was ranked 18th on Slant s 100 Greatest Music Videos 58 Sal Ciquemani from Slant gave the video a positive review complimenting Carey s pairing the sultry song with a sophisticated tale of a sexy rooftop encounter 58 The video shows Carey reminiscing on a past love and a night they shared together on a rainy roof top The video revolves around the settings of a dark limousine a decrepit NYC apartment and a rainy roof top where according to Slant Carey is featured at her most vulnerable with runny mascara and drenched in the cold rainy night 58 In the conclusion of his review of the video Ciquemani wrote When Carey rises through the limo s sunroof and relishes the warm November rain she s not drunk on the bubbly but on the memory of past delights 58 The video for My All was also one of the more notable videos from Butterfly 57 The video featured Carey in various places including a submerged vessel a lighthouse and a large conch shell floating the shore 57 In each of the scenes Carey is shown lamenting her love and yearning to be re united with him once more 57 In the video s climax Carey meets her love in the lighthouse where they caress and drift into the nights abyss 57 According to author Chris Nickson the scenes of Carey on the overturned vessel showed her vulnerability without her loved one truly emphasizing the yearning featured in the song 57 Butterfly recognised by critics as one of Carey s best albums at that point in her career received several awards and was nominated for others At the Billboard Music Awards Carey received an honorary award recognizing her achievement of earning The Most Number one Singles Ever by a Female Solo Artist in History 59 Honey was nominated at the 1998 Grammy Awards for Best Female R amp B Vocal Performance and Best R amp B Song while Butterfly was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance 59 Butterfly won a Japan Gold Disc Award in the International Pop Album of the Year category For Butterfly Carey won the American Music Award for Favorite Soul R amp B Female Artist in 1998 Additionally the album won the BMI Pop Award for Songwriter of the Year and the Songwriter awards for Honey Butterfly and My All 59 At the Soul Train Music Awards in 1998 Carey won the awards for the Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year and Soul Train Lady of Soul which were presented to her by Chris Tucker and Patti LaBelle 59 Butterfly was nominated at the 1998 NAACP Image Awards in the Outstanding Female Artist category 18 At the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Carey was named the Songwriter of the Year and received the Song of the Year award At the 1998 World Music Awards Carey won two of night s top awards the World s Best selling R amp B Artist and the World s Best selling Recording Artist of the 90s 59 Carey was unhappy not to win any of the Grammy Awards once again but this was offset by the success of her tour which was taking place during the awards According to author Marc Shapiro No amount of awards could replace the popular acceptance of Butterfly and the feeling she was now free to live her own life creatively and personally 20 In a recent list compiled by a selection of rock critics Butterfly was chosen as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die 60 The album was released with two different covers 61 and in 2007 one of them was listed on Maxim s Sexiest Album Covers 62 Track listing EditButterfly Standard editionNo TitleLyricsMusicProducer s Length1 Honey Mariah CareyCareySean CombsKamaal FareedSteven JordanStephen HagueBobby RobinsonRonald LarkinsLarry PriceMalcolm McLarenCombsThe UmmahStevie JCarey5 022 Butterfly CareyCareyWalter AfanasieffCareyAfanasieff4 363 My All CareyCareyAfanasieffCareyAfanasieff3 534 The Roof CareyCareyJean Claude OlivierSamuel BarnesCory RooneyAlbert JohnsonKejuan MuchitaPoke and ToneCarey5 155 Fourth of July CareyCareyAfanasieffCareyAfanasieff4 236 Breakdown featuring Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone CareyAnthony HendersonCharles ScruggsCareyStevie JCareyStevie JCombs4 457 Babydoll CareyMissy ElliottCareyRooneyStevie JCareyRooney5 078 Close My Eyes CareyCareyAfanasieffCareyAfanasieff4 229 Whenever You Call CareyCareyAfanasieffCareyAfanasieff4 2210 Fly Away Butterfly Reprise CareyElton JohnBernie TaupinCareyDavid MoralesCarey a Morales a 3 4911 The Beautiful Ones Prince cover featuring Dru Hill PrincePrinceCareyRooney7 0012 Outside CareyCareyAfanasieffCareyAfanasieffRooney a 4 46 Butterfly European Japanese edition bonus tracks 63 No TitleLyricsMusicProducer s Length13 Honey So So Def Radio Mix featuring Da Brat and JD CareyCareyRobinsonHagueLarkinsPriceMcLarenFreddie PerrenAlphonzo MizellBerry GordyDennis LussierJermaine DupriManuel Seal a 3 5914 Honey Def Club Mix CareyCareyRobinsonMorales a Carey a Albert Cabrera b 6 17 Butterfly Latin American edition bonus track No TitleLyricsMusicProducer s Length15 Mi Todo CareyManny BenitoCareyAfanasieffCareyAfanasieff3 53 Butterfly 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition 64 No TitleLyricsMusicProducer s Length13 Whenever You Call with Brian McKnight CareyCareyAfanasieffCareyAfanasieff4 2214 The Roof When I Feel The Need featuring Brandy CareyOlivierBarnesRooneyJohnsonMuchitaCareyDaniel Moore IITremaine Six7 Williams4 5415 Butterfly Live from The Late Show With David Letterman CareyCareyAfanasieff 4 1416 My All Live from VH1 Divas 1998 CareyCareyAfanasieff 5 2817 Fourth of July Acapella CareyCareyAfanasieffCareyAfanasieff4 1618 Outside Acapella CareyCareyAfanasieffCareyAfanasieff4 1619 Butterfly Amorphous Anniversary Club Mix with Amorphous CareyCareyAfanasieffCareyAfanasieffAmorphous6 0620 Honey Another Taste of Honey David Morales Mix CareyCareyCombsFareedJordanHagueRobinsonLarkinsPriceMcLarenMoralesMorales7 55 Notes a signifies a co producer b signifies an additional producer Honey contains a sample of The Treacherous Three s The Body Rock 1980 and The World s Famous Supreme Team s Hey DJ 1984 The Roof contains a sample of Mobb Deep s Shook Ones Part II 1994 and Run DMC s Rock Box 1984 Breakdown contains an interpolation of Bone Thugs n Harmony s Tha Crossroads 1996 Fly Away Butterfly Reprise contains an interpolation of Elton John s Someone Saved My Life Tonight 1975 Honey So So Def Remix contains a sample of The Jackson 5 s It s Great to Be Here 1971 and an interpolation of The World s Famous Supreme Team s Hey DJ 1984 Personnel EditAdapted from the Butterfly liner notes 65 Mariah Carey lead vocals background vocals 1 2 4 6 7 10 Walter Afanasieff keyboards synthesizers and programming 2 3 5 8 9 12 Dan Shea additional keyboards drum and rhythm programming sound design and computer programming 2 3 5 8 9 12 Stevie J keyboards keyboard programming and drum programming 1 6 Cory Rooney keyboards and keyboard programming 4 7 Q Tip drum programming 1 Poke and Tone drum programming 4 Peter Ski Schwartz keyboards 10 Nathaniel Townsley drums 12 Artie Reynolds bass guitar 12 Gary Montoute Hammond B 3 12 Donald Parker piano and keyboards 12 Michael Cirro guitar 12 Michael Phillips EWI 12 Mase additional vocals 1 The Lox additional vocals 1 Krayzie Bone lead and background vocals 6 Wish Bone lead and background vocals 6 Dru Hill vocals 11 Melonie Daniels background vocals 1 2 10 Mary Ann Tatum background vocals 2 10 Kelly Price background vocals 4 Trey Lorenz background vocals 7 Clarence background vocals 9 Production Mariah Carey arranger 2 3 5 8 9 11 12 Walter Afanasieff arranger 2 3 5 8 9 12 Cory Rooney arranger 11 Dru Hill arranger 11 Ron Grant additional arranging 12 David Morales additional production arranger and mixing 10 Satoshi Tomiie additional production arranger and mixing 10 Dana Jon Chappelle engineer 1 12 Mike Scott engineer 2 5 7 8 12 assistant engineer 9 mixing 7 12 Glen Marchese engineer 1 11 Rich Travali engineer 1 David Gleeson engineer 2 Bill Esses engineer 4 Franklin Grant engineer 4 Doug Wilson engineer 7 David EQ3 Sussman engineer 10 Ian Dalsemer assistant engineer 1 8 11 12 Ken Ross assistant engineer 1 4 7 Oliver Wiz Bone assistant engineer 2 4 Steve Jones assistant engineer 7 Ann Mincieli assistant engineer 10 Greg Thompson assistant engineer 11 Tony Maserati mixing 1 4 6 Mick Guzauski mixing 2 3 5 7 9 11 12 Herb Powers Jr mastering 1 4 6 7 10 11 Bob Ludwig mastering 2 3 5 8 9 12 Charts EditWeekly charts Edit Chart 1997 98 PeakpositionAustralian Albums ARIA 66 1Austrian Albums O3 Austria 67 5Belgian Albums Ultratop Flanders 68 6Belgian Albums Ultratop Wallonia 69 2Canadian Albums Billboard 70 1Canadian R amp B Albums SoundScan 71 1Czech Albums CNS IFPI 72 13Danish Albums Hitlisten 73 13Dutch Albums Album Top 100 74 1European Albums Billboard 75 2Finnish Albums Suomen virallinen lista 76 12French Albums SNEP 77 6German Albums Offizielle Top 100 78 7Greek Albums IFPI 79 1Hungarian Albums MAHASZ 80 20Irish Albums IRMA 75 6Italian Albums FIMI 75 2Japanese Albums Oricon 81 1Malaysian Albums RIM 75 4New Zealand Albums RMNZ 82 4Norwegian Albums VG lista 83 5Portuguese Albums AFP 84 8Scottish Albums OCC 85 10Spanish Albums PROMUSICAE 86 5Swedish Albums Sverigetopplistan 87 4Swiss Albums Schweizer Hitparade 88 3Taiwanese Albums IFPI 89 2UK Albums OCC 90 2UK Dance Albums OCC 91 2UK R amp B Albums OCC 92 1US Billboard 200 93 1US Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard 94 3Chart 2022 PeakpositionUK Album Downloads OCC 95 45UK R amp B Albums OCC 96 34 Year end charts Edit Chart 1997 PositionAustralian Albums ARIA 97 27Belgian Albums Ultratop Flanders 98 69Belgian Albums Ultratop Wallonia 99 39Canada Top Albums CDs RPM 100 24Canadian Albums SoundScan 101 39Dutch Albums Album Top 100 102 70European Top 100 Albums Music amp Media 103 42German Albums Offizielle Top 100 104 74Japanese Albums Oricon 105 24Swiss Albums Schweizer Hitparade 106 48UK Albums OCC 107 63US Billboard 200 108 54US Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard 108 58Chart 1998 PositionCanadian Albums SoundScan 109 188Canadian R amp B Albums SoundScan 110 27US Billboard 200 111 21US Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard 111 30Certifications and sales EditRegion Certification Certified units salesAustralia ARIA 112 2 Platinum 140 000 Belgium BEA 113 Gold 25 000 Canada Music Canada 114 2 Platinum 200 000 France SNEP 48 2 Gold 200 000 Hong Kong IFPI Hong Kong 115 Platinum 20 000 Japan RIAJ 116 Million 1 000 000 Netherlands NVPI 117 Gold 50 000 New Zealand RMNZ 118 Platinum 15 000 Poland ZPAV 119 Gold 50 000 Singapore 80 000 120 Spain PROMUSICAE 121 Platinum 100 000 Switzerland IFPI Switzerland 122 Gold 25 000 United Kingdom BPI 47 Platinum 300 000 United States RIAA 123 5 Platinum 3 807 000 44 SummariesEurope IFPI 124 Platinum 1 000 000 Worldwide 10 000 000 52 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone Sales streaming figures based on certification alone References Edit a b c d e f g Shapiro 2001 pp 99 100 a b c d e Shapiro 2001 p 101 Shapiro 2001 p 104 バタフライ Butterfly in Japanese Sony Music Japan Archived from the original on October 1 2022 Retrieved October 1 2022 Mariah Carey Butterfly in Traditional Chinese Sony Music Taiwan Archived from the original on October 1 2022 Retrieved October 1 2022 a b Campaigns of the Week Music Week September 6 1997 p 50 Butterfly Music amp Media September 13 1997 p 24 Discography Sony Music Archived from the original on July 8 2009 Reilly Patrick M August 29 1997 Sony Plans to Sell CD Tape Set of Mariah Carey s New Album The Wall Street Journal Retrieved October 1 2022 a b Charity Justin November 15 2017 5 Mariah Carey Butterfly The Best R amp B Albums of the 90s Complex Archived from the original on November 23 2018 Retrieved October 28 2018 a work of R amp B pop and hip hop a b Harrington Richard September 14 1997 Divorce and the Divas New Albums From New Singles Carey and Williams The Washington Post Archived from the original on November 6 2017 Retrieved May 10 2011 a b c d e f g Juzwiak Rich December 18 2003 Mariah Carey Butterfly Slant Magazine Archived from the original on February 3 2011 Retrieved September 7 2010 a b c d e f g h i j k l m Nickson 1998 p 166 Frost Deborah October 10 1993 A Powerful Voice Wrapped in a Glossy Corporate Package The New York Times a b c d e f g Nickson 1998 p 167 a b c d e Nickson 1998 p 168 a b c d e Nickson 1998 p 169 a b c d e Nickson 1998 p 170 a b Nickson 1998 p 171 a b Shapiro 2001 p 110 Sandiford Waller Theda August 9 1997 Hot 100 Singles Spotlight Billboard Vol 109 no 32 p 71 Mariah Carey s latest Honey Columbia was digital downloaded at 8 p m EDT July 29 to radio a b ARIA Charts Accreditations 1997 Albums Australian Recording Industry Association Archived from the original on May 28 2008 Retrieved August 25 2010 Gold amp Platinum gt Search Results Recording Industry Association of America Archived from the original on June 26 2007 Retrieved September 13 2010 a b c d e f g Erlewine Stephen Thomas Butterfly Mariah Carey AllMusic Archived from the original on November 11 2021 Retrieved November 29 2021 a b c d Butterfly Mariah Carey Billboard Archived from the original on November 21 2021 Retrieved September 13 2010 Certifications Singles Argent annee 1998 in French Syndicat National de l Edition Phonographique Archived from the original on March 9 2012 Retrieved September 7 2010 Billboard Top 100 1998 Billboard Longbored Surfer Charts Archived from the original on January 26 2010 Retrieved September 13 2010 a b Mariah Carey Rolls Out Surprises for 25th Anniversary of Butterfly Billboard Archived from the original on September 15 2022 Retrieved September 15 2022 Kot Greg September 19 1997 Mariah Carey Butterfly Columbia Chicago Tribune Archived from the original on April 7 2022 Retrieved March 30 2020 a b c d Browne David September 19 1997 Butterfly Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on October 11 2007 Retrieved September 7 2010 Johnson Connie September 14 1997 Carey Gets Personal in Her Latest Release Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on December 12 2015 Retrieved March 30 2020 Oldham James October 4 1997 Mariah Carey Butterfly NME Archived from the original on March 10 2000 Retrieved March 30 2020 Hoskyns Barney October 30 1997 Butterfly Rolling Stone Archived from the original on August 27 2013 Retrieved June 1 2012 a b c Berger Arion 2004 Mariah Carey In Brackett Nathan Hoard Christian eds The New Rolling Stone Album Guide 4th ed Simon amp Schuster pp 138 39 ISBN 978 0 7432 0169 8 Archived from the original on October 14 2021 Retrieved March 30 2020 Jones Steve September 16 1997 Carey soars and dips on Butterfly USA Today a b Christgau Robert 1997 Robert Christgau CG Mariah Carey RobertChristgau com Archived from the original on July 28 2013 Retrieved September 7 2010 Pareles Jon September 21 1997 A New Gentleness from a Pop Diva The New York Times Pareles Jon September 21 1997 Recordings View A New Gentleness From a Pop Diva The New York Times Archived from the original on March 4 2014 Retrieved January 26 2011 Erlewine Stephen Thomas Butterfly Mariah Carey AllMusic Archived from the original on June 17 2012 Retrieved November 29 2021 Christgau Robert CG Grades 1990s RobertChristgau com Archived from the original on January 28 2012 Retrieved August 29 2010 The 150 Best Songs of the 1990s Pitchfork September 27 2022 Archived from the original on October 2 2022 Retrieved September 28 2022 Mayfield Geoff October 4 1997 Between the Bullets Billboard p 114 ProQuest 1506035056 Trust Gary August 21 2009 Ask Billboard Madonna vs Whitney vs Mariah Billboard Archived from the original on May 23 2013 Retrieved April 7 2010 a b Trust Gary April 2 2013 Ask Billboard Belinda s Back JT Too Mariah Carey s Album Sales amp More Billboard Archived from the original on April 3 2013 Retrieved May 11 2013 Canada s certification database Canadian Recording Industry Association Archived from the original on May 1 2010 Retrieved August 25 2010 IFPI Platinum Europe Awards International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Archived from the original on May 9 2012 Retrieved September 13 2010 a b British album certifications Mariah Carey Butterfly British Phonographic Industry Retrieved January 24 2020 a b French album certifications Mariah Carey Butterfly in French Syndicat National de l Edition Phonographique Retrieved September 1 2017 Hogaku album rankings and fourth week of September 1997 Recording Industry Association of Japan September 10 1997 Archived from the original on October 22 2012 Retrieved September 13 2010 RIAJ 1997 million seller lists by year in Japanese Recording Industry Association of Japan Archived from the original on November 14 2012 Retrieved August 2 2010 International Platinum Disc International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Honk Kong Archived from the original on October 15 2007 Retrieved August 25 2010 a b Macias Ernest December 6 2017 The Catch Up Your guide to Mariah Carey s glittering career Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on December 6 2017 Retrieved December 10 2017 Critic s Notebook In the Pop Kingdom Flying Is the Reigning Metaphor The New York Times Archived from the original on July 21 2021 Retrieved March 31 2021 a b Juzwiak Rich September 15 2017 Mariah Carey s Butterfly Is the Truth The Album at 20 The Muse Archived from the original on July 4 2019 Retrieved July 4 2019 Butler Bethonie September 19 2017 Twenty years ago Butterfly changed Mariah Carey s career It also helped change pop music The Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Archived from the original on September 19 2017 Retrieved March 13 2021 20 Years Later The Secret History Of Mariah Carey s Butterfly Album Essence Archived from the original on July 4 2019 Retrieved July 4 2019 a b c d e f g h i j k l Nickson 1998 pp 161 162 a b c d Cinquemani Sal June 30 2003 100 Greatest Music Videos Slant Magazine Archived from the original on December 21 2010 Retrieved September 12 2010 a b c d e Shapiro 2001 pp 161 163 Robert Dimery Michael Lydon March 23 2010 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die Revised and Updated Edition Universe ISBN 978 0 7893 2074 2 Mariah s Butterfly Sprouts Two Covers Possible Tour MTV News Viacom August 21 1997 Archived from the original on August 9 2015 Retrieved July 15 2015 Sexiest Album Covers Maxim Archived from the original on December 18 2013 Retrieved July 12 2012 Top gt Discography gt Butterfly in Japanese Sony Music Entertainment Japan Archived from the original on August 4 2020 Retrieved March 11 2019 Butterfly 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition in Japanese Apple Music Archived from the original on September 15 2022 Retrieved September 15 2022 Butterfly Liner Notes Mariah Carey Columbia Records 1997 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Australiancharts com Mariah Carey Butterfly Hung Medien Retrieved October 13 2015 Austriancharts at Mariah Carey Butterfly in German Hung Medien Retrieved October 13 2015 Ultratop be Mariah Carey Butterfly in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved October 13 2015 Ultratop be Mariah Carey Butterfly in French Hung Medien Retrieved October 13 2015 Mariah Carey Chart History Canadian Albums Billboard Retrieved October 13 2015 Top 10 R amp B Albums The Gazette September 25 1998 p C6 Archived from the original on October 19 2022 Retrieved October 19 2022 via Newspapers com Top National Sellers PDF Music amp Media Vol 14 no 42 October 18 1997 p 15 Archived PDF from the original on July 28 2021 Retrieved July 11 2021 See LW column Mariah Carey Butterfly Top20 dk Archived from the original on March 17 2014 Retrieved October 13 2015 Dutchcharts nl Mariah Carey Butterfly in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved October 13 2015 a b c d Hits of the World PDF Billboard Retrieved October 13 2015 Mariah Carey Butterfly in Finnish Musiikkituottajat IFPI Finland Retrieved October 13 2015 Lescharts com Mariah Carey Butterfly Hung Medien Retrieved October 13 2015 Offiziellecharts de Mariah Carey Butterfly in German GfK Entertainment Charts Retrieved October 13 2015 Top National Sellers PDF Music amp Media Vol 14 no 43 October 25 1997 p 14 Archived PDF from the original on July 28 2021 Retrieved July 11 2021 See LW column Album Top 40 slagerlista 1997 42 het in Hungarian MAHASZ Retrieved October 13 2015 マライア キャリーのアルバム売り上げランキング in Japanese Oricon Archived from the original on October 26 2014 Retrieved October 13 2015 Charts nz Mariah Carey Butterfly Hung Medien Retrieved October 13 2015 Norwegiancharts com Mariah Carey Butterfly Hung Medien Retrieved October 13 2015 Top National Sellers PDF Music amp Media Vol 14 no 40 October 4 1997 p 15 ISSN 0006 2510 Archived PDF from the original on September 23 2022 Retrieved April 10 2020 via American Radio History Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved October 13 2015 Hits of the World PDF Billboard Retrieved October 13 2015 Swedishcharts com Mariah Carey Butterfly Hung Medien Retrieved October 13 2015 Swisscharts com Mariah Carey Butterfly Hung Medien Retrieved October 13 2015 IFPI Taiwan International Top 10 1997 37 Archived from the original on May 30 1998 Retrieved August 31 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link Official Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved October 13 2015 Dance Albums Music Week September 20 1997 p 29 Official R amp B Albums Chart Top 40 Official Charts Company Retrieved October 13 2015 Mariah Carey Chart History Billboard 200 Billboard Retrieved October 13 2015 Mariah Carey Chart History Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard Retrieved October 13 2015 Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Official R amp B Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Archived from the original on September 23 2022 Retrieved September 23 2022 ARIA Charts End Of Year Charts Top 100 Albums 1997 ARIA Archived from the original on October 4 2011 Retrieved October 13 2015 Jaaroverzichten 1997 in Dutch Ultratop Archived from the original on April 10 2008 Retrieved October 13 2015 Rapports annueles 1997 in French Ultratop Archived from the original on May 24 2009 Retrieved October 13 2015 Top 100 Albums of 1997 RPM Archived from the original on March 22 2008 Retrieved October 13 2015 Albums Top 100 of 1997 Jam Archived from the original on March 20 2001 Jaaroverzichten Album 1997 in Dutch Hung Medien Archived from the original on March 12 2014 Retrieved October 13 2015 Eurochart Top 100 Albums 1997 PDF Billboard Archived PDF from the original on November 5 2021 Retrieved January 16 2020 Top 100 Album Jahrescharts 1997 in German GfK Entertainment Archived from the original on May 9 2015 Retrieved October 13 2015 1997年 アルバム年間TOP100 in Japanese Oricon Archived from the original on September 11 2009 Retrieved October 13 2015 Swiss Year end Charts 1997 Hung Medien Archived from the original on July 11 2002 Retrieved October 13 2015 End of Year Album Chart Top 100 1997 OCC Archived from the original on December 28 2016 Retrieved October 13 2015 a b 1997 Year end Charts PDF Billboard Retrieved October 13 2015 Albums Year end Top 200 Jam Archived from the original on August 17 2000 R n B Yearend Top 100 Jam Archived from the original on August 17 2000 a b 1998 Year end Charts PDF Billboard Archived PDF from the original on February 28 2015 Retrieved October 13 2015 ARIA Charts Accreditations 1998 Albums PDF Australian Recording Industry Association Retrieved September 1 2017 Ultratop Goud en Platina albums 1997 Ultratop Hung Medien Retrieved September 1 2017 Canadian album certifications Mariah Carey Butterfly Music Canada Retrieved September 1 2017 IFPIHK Gold Disc Award 1997 IFPI Hong Kong RIAJ 1997 million seller lists by year in Japanese Recording Industry Association of Japan Archived from the original on April 21 2004 Retrieved August 2 2010 Dutch album certifications Mariah Carey Butterfly in Dutch Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld en geluidsdragers Retrieved September 1 2017 EnterButterfly in the Artiest of titel box Select 1997 in the drop down menu saying Alle statussen New Zealand album certifications Mariah Carey Butterfly Recorded Music NZ Retrieved September 1 2017 Wyroznienia Zlote plyty CD Archiwum Przyznane w 1997 roku in Polish Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry Retrieved September 1 2017 Lim Rebecca January 27 1998 This Butterfly Knows Where She Is Flying To Life The Straits Times p 2 via National Library Board Fernando Salaverri September 2005 Solo exitos ano a ano 1959 2002 1st ed Spain Fundacion Autor SGAE ISBN 84 8048 639 2 The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community Awards Mariah Carey Butterfly IFPI Switzerland Hung Medien Retrieved September 1 2017 American album certifications Mariah Carey Butterfly Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved September 1 2017 IFPI Platinum Europe Awards 1997 International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Retrieved September 1 2017 Works cited EditNickson Chris 1998 Mariah Carey revisited her story St Martin s Press ISBN 978 0 312 19512 0 Shapiro Marc 2001 Mariah Carey The Unauthorized Biography ECW Press ISBN 978 1 55022 444 3 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Butterfly Mariah Carey album amp oldid 1150141135, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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