Songs About Butterflies (From Falling in Love to Letting Go)

From describing nervousness when a person falls in love to big changes and letting go, many songs have used “butterflies” to express a feeling or experience. And these 16 songs about butterflies are the perfect examples. 

Bullet With Butterfly Wings – The Smashing Pumpkins

The song “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” is the first single of the ‘Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins.” It was a hit and received a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance. According to the lead singer of the band, the lyrics talk about the pain and problems that rock stars face. It describes a situation whereby performers give their all to the fans and music industry but face criticism.

Butterfly – Mariah Carey

One of the best songs about butterflies is Mariah Carey’s Butterfly. She wrote and released the song “Butterfly” in 1997 under the album “Butterfly.” According to Mariah Carey, her relationship issues with her ex-husband Tommy Motolla inspired the song. The song describes her flying away and being free from the dysfunctional marriage. Although the album debuted at number 1 in the United States, she lost the 1998 Grammy’s for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Butterflies – Max & Alie Gatie 

“Butterflies” is a beautiful R&B song released in 2022 under the album “WHO HURT YOU?” 

The clever lyrics and sultry sweet voices of Max Schneider and Ali Gatie complement the smooth instrumental. It is about falling in love for a long time and the relationship morphing into something as beautiful as a butterfly. 

Gatie’s lyrics describe his first time falling in love, while MAX’s lyrics depict him falling in love daily with his partner. 

Butterflies – Kacey Musgraves

Kacey Musgraves released “Butterflies” in 2017 under the album “Golden Hour.” According to Kacey, she wrote the song shortly after meeting singer Ruston Kelly and describes the feeling of being in love and floating. The lyrics show her Kacey’s world had been flipped around and gave her butterflies.

The song received a Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance in 2019. The album also won the Album Of The Year and Best Country Album.

Butterflies – Zendaya

The song falls under the R&B category and describes a situation whereby Zendaya has fallen in love with someone. She describes the feeling as butterflies and fears the emotion will go away in the line “floating in the air like butterflies.” 

The increase in the voice and tempo of the song illustrates how she is nervous about losing the guy and fears she is in a love spell.

The Crow & the Butterfly – Shinedown

The song is the fifth track on the “Sound of Madness” album and explains a mother’s pain in dealing with the death of a child. 

Band member Frontman Smith says the band wrote the song after he had a bad dream about a mom whose child died. From the title, the crow depicts death following something beautiful as a butterfly. 

Butterfly Fly Away – Miley Cyrus & Billy Ray Cyrus

The song is part of the soundtrack of “Hannah Montana: The Movie.” It also appears in Billy Ray Cyrus’s album “Back To Tennessee.” The song is slow country music that describes a girl who feels like she is being fooled by someone who wants her to go away. However, she does not plan to leave him no matter what happens because “I’ll always be there for you, no matter what you try to do.”

Butterfly Effect – Travis Scott

The song was recorded and released in 2017 in the album” Astroworld.” It follows the ideology that minor differences in the initial stage can have profound effects in the future. 

Travis Scott does not mention the butterfly effect in the song but replaces it with the lyrics, “For this life, I cannot change, Hidden hill, deep off in remain.” It describes how his life has changed since he became famous, as he is now interacting and living in Hollywood.

Butterfly Kisses – Bob Carlisle

The song is a country remix released as part of the album “Butterfly Kisses (Shades of Grace)” and charted number 10 on Billboard’s Airplay chart. 

Carlisle says the song is about his daughter and knowing that she will soon leave his house. The song describes the relationship between a daughter and her father. Additionally, it addresses the challenge father face, the inevitable change that comes with their daughters getting older.

Black Butterfly – Deniece Williams

The song continues to be a beacon of empowerment for Black Americans decades after its release in 1984. The New York Post even included it in their 10 Powerful Songs that Embody Black Empowerment in Music

The song touches on how the Black community has progressed despite the challenges and becomes free as a “black butterfly.”

Bad Kind of Butterflies – Camila Cabello

The song follows a medium tempo with a mixture of drums, guitar, and organ. Camilla sings about her running bad luck with people and how she feels uncomfortable being around these individuals. It is the perfect breakup song, and she hides her feelings about another person from her current partner.

Bad Kind of Butterflies was released in 2019 as part of the album “Romance.” 

Butterflies – Piper Rockelle

Butterflies by Piper Rockelle is a single released in 2021. The song describes how Lev Cameron stands out from all her previous relationships. 

Rockelle compares him to a beautiful butterfly that gives her anxiety and butterflies, “When I look into your eyes, You give me butterflies.” Rockelle says the song pays homage to her favorite Disney character, “Cinderella.”

Love Is Like a Butterfly – Dolly Parton

This popular song was released in 1974 and became an instant. The song compares how falling in love is beautiful, rare, and gentle to a butterfly. It is depicted in the lyrics, “Your touch is soft and gentle, your kiss is warm and tender. Whenever I am with you, I think of butterflies.”

Butterfly – Crazy Town

This rock song was released in 1999 on “The Gift of Game” album. In the song, Crazy Town acknowledges a partner’s significant impact on their life. Fans speculate that the song is about Shifty Shellshock, the lead singer’s lover, who is known to collect butterflies.

This song about butterflies was nominated for Best Song in the MTV Europe Music Award and Best Single of the Year in the Echo Award.

Butterflies – Michael Jackson

Ending our list of songs about butterflies is from the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. The song is the number three track on the “Invincible” album, with deep and meaningful lyrics attached. It peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Top 100. 

Michael sings about being in love for years with someone and expresses how he knows they will stick together no matter what.

Break Out of the Cocoon and Fly Away

Butterflies are attractive insects that create a profound subject that anyone could relate to someone or an event. The songs listed above have potent lyrics that elicit intense emotions for both the writer and the listener. Songs about butterflies are unique and transcend generations because love and butterflies are always relatable.

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