Butterfly Fly Away facts for kids

"Butterfly Fly Away" is a sweet, acoustic pop song. It's sung by American actors and singers Miley Cyrus and her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus. You first heard this song in the 2009 movie Hannah Montana: The Movie. Both Miley and Billy Ray starred in the film. The song was later put on the movie's soundtrack. There's also a longer version on Billy Ray's album, Back to Tennessee. It's a gentle country song that talks about growing up.

Even though it wasn't released as a single, the song became quite popular. It did well in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Its highest spot on a music chart was in Ireland, where it reached number forty-six. Miley and Billy Ray also performed the song live in different places. One performance at an Apple Store in England was recorded and released as an extended play.

The Story Behind the Song

"Butterfly Fly Away" is a lot like Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus's earlier song, "Ready, Set, Don't Go" (2007). Both songs talk about a child growing up and becoming an adult. Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri wrote and produced "Butterfly Fly Away" for the 2009 movie Hannah Montana: The Movie.

In the movie, the main character, Miley Stewart (played by Miley Cyrus), remembers something her dad, Robby Ray Stewart (played by Billy Ray Cyrus), used to tell her. When she was little, he would say that a caterpillar might not move much, but it can still dream of becoming a beautiful butterfly. This idea became a big part of the movie.

The song's lyrics use the idea of a caterpillar changing into a butterfly as a way to describe a child's transformation into an adult. In Hannah Montana: The Movie, Miley and Billy Ray sing the song as their characters. They perform it in a touching scene under a gazebo while it's raining.

Billy Ray Cyrus said that filming this scene was "a pretty special moment." He also mentioned that Glen Ballard, who wrote famous songs like "Man in the Mirror" for Michael Jackson, wrote this song. Billy Ray felt it was a very special song that fit perfectly in the movie.

The song is a modern country duet. It has a gentle tempo of 69 beats per minute. This means it's a slow and calm song. The singers' voices cover two octaves, from C♯₃ to B₄. The song is written in the key of B major.

How the Song Did on Music Charts

"Butterfly Fly Away" first appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States on April 25, 2009. It started at number seventy-two. The next week, on May 2, 2009, it reached its highest spot on that chart, at number fifty-six. The song stayed on the chart for three weeks.

In Canada, "Butterfly Fly Away" also appeared on the Canadian Hot 100 chart on April 25, 2009, at number seventy-six. The next week, it reached its highest position at number fifty. The song stayed on the Canadian chart for four weeks, which was longer than in the U.S.

The song also did well in other countries. In the United Kingdom, it debuted and peaked at number seventy-eight on May 16, 2009. Its highest international spot was in the Irish Singles Chart. It started at number forty-seven on May 7, 2009, and then reached number forty-six. The song also peaked at number fifty-six in the Australian Singles Chart.

Live Performances

Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus performed "Butterfly Fly Away" on the TV show Good Morning America on April 8, 2009. They also sang other songs like "Full Circle," "Hoedown Throwdown", and "The Climb".

They also included the song in their AOL Sessions, which were recorded on April 13, 2009. Another performance took place in London at an Apple Store. During this show, they also sang a duet version of Billy Ray's song "Thrillbilly" and some of their own popular songs. This performance, along with some songs by Billy Ray, was later sold only on the United Kingdom iTunes Store. It was released as an extended play called iTunes Live from London.

Charts

See also

In Spanish: Butterfly Fly Away para niños