Butterflies and Hurricanes

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"I found myself playing this paradiddle, that goes [imitates paradiddle] like that over and over again. And I started playing that on just two notes, constantly playing it, over and over again until I got to a point where extra notes were sort of finding their way in there, do you know what I mean? And it ended up building up to the point where I was playing five-note chords with each hand and playing these massive chords on the piano and it was sounding really fucking heavy, do you know what I mean? And a chord structure started to come out of that, and I was thinking, "This could be something"".

Matthew Bellamy also declared about the song: "It's about hope, about trying to find the strength to get through any given situation. I was trying to find a classical type of piano style that would be heavy and work with bass and drums. It had that sort of mechanical paradiddle thing all the way through, and then it breaks down into this kind of romantic, flowing weird bit in the middle".

Recording

There are several versions of "Butterflies and Hurricanes". For the original studio recording, the song's introduction, verse and choruses were harmonically driven by piano and keyboards. The single version contains both guitar and keyboard, but the interlude is slightly shorter, reducing the song from 5:01 to 4:48. The vinyl single includes a full-length version with guitars in the mix. Finally, the radio edit of the single goes further by omitting the entire piano interlude, bringing the song down to 4:10.

Live performances

The song was reworked with a more prominent electric guitar sound during the Absolution tour, including some extended guitar solos before the piano interlude (and a bass fill to segue Matt Bellamy's transition from guitar to the piano). This version was also performed live during the Black Holes and Revelations tour, and can be heard in the Wembley Stadium concerts. The song was played at most shows from 2003 to 2008, and made occasional appearances during The Resistance Tour, The 2nd Law Tour, and the Drones World Tour. The song was last performed on the 27th September 2023, during the Will of the People tour in Dublin, for the first time since 2017.

Music video

The music comprises stock footage of the band playing "Butterflies and Hurricanes" at different venues during their Absolution tour with some effects added, and images of the Colosseum in Rome serving as the main backdrop.

Media

The song has also been featured in several BBC sports programmes. Most notably an orchestral version of the song was used as the main theme for the BBC's Sports Personality of the year award back in 2005, and also on the BBC's 2010 Six Nations championship coverage. [3] This song is also featured in the introduction sequence of the 2012 video game Need for Speed: Most Wanted , as well as Formula One 05 .

Track listing

CD

  1. "Butterflies and Hurricanes" (Remix With Additional Guitars Full Length) – 5:02
  2. "Sing for Absolution" (Live Acoustic Radio 2) – 4:28

Clear Vinyl 7"

  1. "Butterflies and Hurricanes" (full length) – 5:01
  2. "Butterflies and Hurricanes" (Glastonbury 2004)

DVD

  1. "Butterflies and Hurricanes" – 4:48
  2. "Butterflies and Hurricanes video" – 4:48
  3. "The Groove in the States video" – 9:51
  4. "Raw video footage"

Promo CD

  1. "Butterflies and Hurricanes" (radio edit) – 4:10
  2. "Butterflies and Hurricanes"

Charts

"Butterflies and Hurricanes"
Muse butterfliesandhurricanescd.jpg
CD cover art by Storm Thorgerson
Single by Muse
from the album Absolution
Released20 September 2004 (2004-09-20) [1]
Recorded2003
Studio AIR (London)
Genre
Length
  • 5:01 (album version)
  • 4:48 (single version)
  • 4:20 (radio edit)
Label
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s) Matt Bellamy
Producer(s)
  • John Cornfield
  • Muse
  • Paul Reeve
Muse singles chronology
"Apocalypse Please"
(2004)		"Butterflies and Hurricanes"
(2004)		"Supermassive Black Hole"
(2006)
DVD single
Butterflies and Hurricanes 2.jpg
The "Butterflies and Hurricanes" DVD cover.
Chart (2004)Peak
position
France (SNEP) [4] 70
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [5] 29
Scotland (OCC) [6] 19
UK Singles (OCC) [7] 14
UK Rock & Metal (OCC) [8] 2

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References

  1. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . 18 September 2004. p. 31.
  2. ↑ "Drummer's father dies at festival". BBC News. 29 June 2004.
  3. ↑ "Q: What song was played on Sports Personality of the Year when the viewers were reminded of the contenders and voting options? A: It was "Butterflies and Hurricanes" by Muse". BBC.co.uk. 2 January 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  4. ↑ "Muse – Butterflies & Hurricanes" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  5. ↑ "Muse – Butterflies & Hurricanes" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  6. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
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