Butterfly (Danyel Gerard song)
Encyclopedia
"Butterfly" is a pop
song
, written
and recorded
by the French
singer-songwriter
, Danyel Gérard
(born Gerard Daniel Khertakian, 7 March 1939, Paris
http://www.bardotagogo.com/bagglog/?p=8 http://www.discogs.com/artist/Danyel+G%C3%A9rard?anv=Danyel+Gerard) in the late 1960s. It was firstly a hit
in the French language
.
In the early 1970s English language
words were written, and Gerard recorded it again in the United States
. In 1971 he also did a german, spanish and italian version. So it was a very popular song internationally, selling over five million copies. Many other musician
s recorded it, both in instrumental
and vocal
versions. In the U.S.
, that list included Eydie Gormé
, Goldie Hawn
and Eddy Arnold
.
The single
was 15 weeks the Number 1 in Germany for the hole summer of 1971. It reached Number 11 (and spent 12 weeks) in the UK Singles Chart
in October 1971. Lack of further chart
activity in the UK
saw both singer and song branded as a one-hit wonder
. It was a similar story in the U.S., where the Gerard's single peaked at #78 in the Billboard Hot 100
.[] In Germany he had some more songs in the charts, like "Isabella" or "Meine Stadt".
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
by the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, Danyel Gérard
Danyel Gérard
Danyel Gérard is a French pop singer and composer.Gérard was born in Paris to an Armenian father and an Italian mother, but grew up mainly in Rio de Janeiro. In 1953 he returned again to Paris and became a choir boy at Notre Dame. Following this he played in the rock and roll band The Dangers...
(born Gerard Daniel Khertakian, 7 March 1939, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
http://www.bardotagogo.com/bagglog/?p=8 http://www.discogs.com/artist/Danyel+G%C3%A9rard?anv=Danyel+Gerard) in the late 1960s. It was firstly a hit
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
in the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
In the early 1970s English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
words were written, and Gerard recorded it again in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1971 he also did a german, spanish and italian version. So it was a very popular song internationally, selling over five million copies. Many other musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s recorded it, both in instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
and vocal
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
versions. In the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, that list included Eydie Gormé
Eydie Gormé
Eydie Gormé is an American singer, specializing, with her husband, Steve Lawrence, in traditional pop music, in the form of ballads and breezy swing. She has earned numerous awards, including the Grammy and the Emmy...
, Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
and Eddy Arnold
Eddy Arnold
Richard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...
.
The single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
was 15 weeks the Number 1 in Germany for the hole summer of 1971. It reached Number 11 (and spent 12 weeks) in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in October 1971. Lack of further chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
activity in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
saw both singer and song branded as a one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
. It was a similar story in the U.S., where the Gerard's single peaked at #78 in the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.[] In Germany he had some more songs in the charts, like "Isabella" or "Meine Stadt".
External links
- [ "Butterfly" page] at Allmusic websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...