Dog & Butterfly (song)

"Dog & Butterfly"
Single by Heart
from the album Dog & Butterfly
B-side"Mistral Wind"
ReleasedJanuary 1979
Recorded1978
Genre
Length4:48 (Single Version)
5:21 (Album Version)
LabelPortrait
Songwriter(s)Ann Wilson
Nancy Wilson
Sue Ennis
Producer(s)Mike Flicker
Heart singles chronology
"Straight On"
(1978) 		"Dog & Butterfly"
(1979) 		"Even It Up"
(1980)

"Dog & Butterfly" is a song recorded by the rock band Heart. It is the title track to the band's fourth studio album Dog & Butterfly and was released as the album's second single.

Description and origin

The song is a more subdued effort from the band, differing from past hard rock-oriented hits, as Ann and Nancy Wilson pulled from their folk music influences. The song charted moderately in the US in 1979, peaking at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1]

Ann has said she was inspired when she looked out a window and saw a dog relentlessly chasing a butterfly. She saw the song as an inspiration when things get tough to "keep going after it."[2]

Cash Box called it a "gentle acoustic ballad which rides a melodic verse and acoustic guitar and easy beat backing."[3] Record World called it a "a light romantic ballad that should suit adult and pop playlists."[4]

Although it enjoyed only moderate chart success, the song has remained a setlist staple for Heart consistently through the years.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Dog & Butterfly.[5]

Chart performance

Chart (1979) Peak
position
Canada RPM Top Singles[6] 51
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[7] 36
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[8] 34
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary[9] 33
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 31

References

  1. ^ "Heart - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  2. ^ "The Story Behind the Song". chickensoup.com. Chicken Soup for the Soul. Archived from the original on 2016-12-01. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  3. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. January 27, 1979. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  4. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. January 27, 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  5. ^ Heart (1978). Dog & Butterfly (liner notes). Portrait Records. FR 35555.
  6. ^ "Results". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2012-06-23 – via Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  7. ^ "Item Display". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 1979-04-07. Retrieved 2019-07-11 – via Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  8. ^ "Heart - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  9. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 108.


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