I LOVE that she changed the styling of her voice for this song to sound like her her voice is fluttering like a butterfly. She is not only creative but her voice is gift that can reflect her musical styling.
i totally get this. i've become so used to her hitting E5's, F5's, F#5's so effortlessly live that i forget that these notes are high and hard for others to belt, let alone phrase it like how she usually does.
I think this is the point where Mariah truly mastered her style of singing: her whispery voice, her intricate melismas, sustained chest voice, intentional vocal breaks, and her whistle register. I love her voice at this point. It sounded more mature, sultry, whereas her Daydream era voice sounded girlish and sweet.
IMO this is her voice at its prime. Not to mention the silky breathy voice, and how her whistle register can be heard occasionally without her permission. Lol.
I've never noticed until hearing this acapella, but she literally flutters her voice through every phrase on this song. Even the belts like "I I I (will know you're mine)" @ 3:04 but it's literally [e v e r y w h e r e]. It's not even just vibrato but an undulation. "It's e-e-easy to-o-o su-u-cumb to o-o-overhwhelming fears i-i-ins-i-i-i-i-ide." Beautifully executed.
Mariah’s voice is in constant vibrato. I don’t even think she realizes it. I noticed this about ten years ago. They are very very subtle and very quiet, but she doesn’t ever produce a straight flat sound.
Navyforeveryoung Jean-Philippe I find that she does tend to now. For example when she sings "I'll Be There" and sings the "juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust call name" the sustained note is much flatter than when she used to sing it.
Exactly. Her voice is building up at this point in the song towards the bridge, where she truly unleashes vocal gymnastic skills, namely her sustained notes, intricate runs, and the whistle register. She truly showed all the layers and texture of her voice here.
At 3:47 you can hear her whistle slightly come through when she sings falsetto!!! Even the rasp, breaks and slight cracks in her voice are heavenly! A gift from God and a once in a lifetime kind of voice! What other singer possesses the ability to sing in every register and actually execute them, plus the effortless runs and melismas! My God Mariah's voice is truly an angelic instrument and the fact that she writes and cowrites and coproduces most of her own music makes her a true artist/musician! Her songs are timeless classics that touch the heart and soul! There will never be another Mariah Carey❤️
Christine Donley yassss! She started doing that technique a lot during and after this era. Almost like when she does to runs like she partially singing through her nose
her voice was super polyphonic in this recording due to her vocal nodules. I'm sure she used her nodules to her advantage to sing this song. Further proof of her musical genius
ZoeyRush I agree I can hear the effect of the nodules but idk how she belted so clear without strain with the nodules present! It seems she uses the effect the nodules have on the voice to help her whisper since nodules usually make a persons voice more quit. I hear the effect of the nodules most in her falsetto. I feel bad that she has them!
I think this song has the simplest background vocal arrangement. Knowing Mariah's skills in arranging music, and comparing this song to others which had complex arrangement (i.e. Fly Like A Bird, Without You, Anytime You Need A Friend, to name a few) I think she intended the background vocals to Butterfly that way, which allowed her voice to truly flutter and soar in this song, and it did. She truly showcased all the layers and texture of her voice here, and IMO, I think her voice truly shone in Butterfly, and I think her emotions were truly highlighted in the way she sang the song: her quiet longing which was apparent in her ethereal voice in the First and Second Verses, and her strong resolve to carry on in her belts, sustained chest voice, and ornate runs throughout the Bridge and the Last Chorus, and finally her resignation and optimism in her whispery tone in the last few remaining lines of the song. In one of her interviews she did mention that this is one of her most personal songs, so I think its only appropriate to hear her voice above the background vocals. After all, this is her story she's telling in a song.
Her voice sounds like an orchestra, so melodious and I can hear like a harp and a flute, there are so many different colours and textures in her voice and when she hit that flyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy note it was just so perfect and effortless WOW! 🤗💖
It's like she's doing a run within a run, right? Like there's the main run and in between those runs, she layers another run underneath it, only they're like two separate runs but executed together flawlessly at the same time.
A true gifted woman. What a voice! What a talent! God bless you, Mariah. No matter how your voice may be today, you have done so much for music and so much for mankind that you will always be a legend. ❤️
When you love someone so deeply They become your life It's easy to succumb to overwhelming fears inside Blindly I imagined I could Keep you under glass Now I understand to hold you I must open up my hands And watch you rise Spread your wings and prepare to fly For you have become a butterfly, oh Fly abandonedly into the sun If you should return to me We truly were meant to be So spread your wings and fly Butterfly I have learned that beauty Has to flourish in the light Wild horses run unbridled Or their spirit dies You have given me the courage To be all that I can And I truly feel your heart will Lead you back to me when you're Ready to land Spread your wings and prepare to fly For you have become a butterfly, oh Fly abandonedly into the sun If you should return to me We truly were ment to be So spread your wings and fly Butterfly, butterfly I can't pretend these tears Aren't over flowing steadily I can't prevent this hurt from Almost overtaking me But I will stand and say goodbye For you'll never be mine Until you know the way it feels to fly Spread your wings and prepare to fly For you have become a butterfly, oh Fly abandonedly into the sun If you should return to me We truly were meant to be So spread your wings and fly Butterfly Spread your wings and prepare to fly For you have become a butterfly, oh Fly abandonedly into the sun If you should return to me We truly were meant to be So spread your wings and fly Butterfly So flutter through the sky Butterfly Fly Spread your wings and fly Butterfly
3:45-49 Love the restrain she put on her voice, but her voice won't have it, 'cause you could perfectly notice how her whistle register peeps through the melisma.
Thank you for this wonderful video. Mariah is the best Singer forever. The best singer off the all time. 💗💫💥🙌🏻🙏🏻💝 Fly like a bird acapella? It's a dream! 💗💫💥🙌🏻🙏🏻💝
[Verse 1] When you love someone so deeply They become your life It's easy to succumb to overwhelming fears inside Blindly I imagined I could Keep you under glass Now I understand to hold you I must open up my hands And watch you rise [Chorus] Spread your wings and prepare to fly For you have become a butterfly Oh, fly abandonedly into the sun If you should return to me We truly were meant to be So spread your wings and fly Butterfly [Verse 2] I have learned that beauty Has to flourish in the light Wild horses run unbridled Or their spirit dies You have given me the courage To be all that I can And I truly feel your heart will Lead you back to me when you're Ready to land [Chorus] Spread your wings and prepare to fly For you have become a butterfly Oh, fly abandonedly into the sun If you should return to me We truly were meant to be So spread your wings and fly Butterfly [Bridge] I can't pretend these tears Aren't overflowing steadily I can't prevent this hurt from almost overtaking me But I will stand and say goodbye For you'll never be mine Until you know the way it feels to fly [Chorus] Spread your wings and prepare to fly For you have become a butterfly Oh, fly abandonedly into the sun If you should return to me (I will know you're mine) We truly were meant to be So spread your wings and fly, butterfly (My butterfly) Spread your wings and prepare to fly For you have become a butterfly Oh, fly abandonedly into the sun If you should return to me We truly were meant to be So spread your wings and fly Butterfly (Fly) So flutter through the sky Butterfly Fly Spread your wings and fly Butterfly SHARE THE LYRICS “BUTTERFLY” TRACK INFO Produced ByMariah Carey & Walter Afanasieff Written ByWalter Afanasieff & Mariah Carey Release DateSeptember 16, 1997 EXPAND TRACK INFO MUSIC VIDEO  GENIUS VIDEO  Iconic Moments From Mariah Carey’s Genius Level Interview NEXT UP My All MARIAH CAREY  Butterfly (1997)MARIAH CAREY 1. Honey 2. Butterfly 3. My All 4. The Roof (Back in Time) 5. Fourth of July 6. Breakdown 7. Babydoll 8. Close My Eyes 9. Whenever You Call 10. Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise) 11. The Beautiful Ones 12. Outside 13. Honey (So So Def Radio Mix) 14. Honey (Def Club Mix) 15. Mi Todo COMMENTS StevenAguilar 210 4 years ago I love her voice on this song… It always makes me cry #Butterfly
One could argue that her real talent lies in her ability to arrange the music and her voice into whatever she likes I’m not trying to discredit her vocal cord here but it’s her brain that’s can came out with such a truly masterpiece of music like this.
You've inadvertently solved a mystery for me - 3.10 has always sounded like a stutter to me ("sp-spread") but it's actually just very clearly enunciated ("sp-read") and just sounded funny with the fully-layered version. Now I don't have that nagging thought of "did the cd skip?" in my head anymore when I listen to this song. Thank you!
