ButterFly cover art

  Studio Album · No. 5

ButterFly Songwriting Credits by Barbra Streisand

1974 Columbia Records 10 tracks 36 min

Produced by Jon Peters  ·  Engineered by Hank Cicalo, Michael Lietz

Columbia Records PopSoft Rock
0%
Authorship
Singer / Performer

Holds writing credit on 0 of 10 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 0 / 10 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Barbra Streisand carries a lyricist or composer credit.

0%
0 trackswritten by Barbra Streisand 10 tracksoutside writers
Barbra Streisand's roles on this album

Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist0%
Composer0%
Producer0%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

10
Tracks
20
Lyricists
1
Producers
500,000+ (Gold)
US Copies Sold
1974
Released
Data Insight

ButterFly is a pure covers album, so no track carries a Streisand writing credit. The song choices reach across early-1970s pop, rock, soul, and country: David Bowie's 'Life on Mars?', Bob Marley's 'Guava Jelly', Bill Withers' 'Grandma's Hands', Graham Nash's 'Simple Man', and Buck Owens' 'Crying Time'. Jon Peters produced the whole record despite little studio background, and arranger Tom Scott carried much of the musical weight. The composer and lyricist columns therefore list the original writers of each song rather than Streisand, from Bowie and Marley to the seven-member Skyliners credit on 'Since I Don't Have You'.

ButterFly is a 1974 studio album by Barbra Streisand, released on Columbia Records in October 1974. It was produced solely by Jon Peters, Streisand's then-boyfriend, whose limited music experience left saxophonist and arranger Tom Scott functioning as the album's real musical director. The record is built entirely from covers of contemporary pop, rock, soul, and country songs, including David Bowie's 'Life on Mars?', Bob Marley's 'Guava Jelly', Bill Withers' 'Grandma's Hands', and Graham Nash's 'Simple Man'. Bowie reportedly dismissed her version of his song, and Streisand herself later named ButterFly her least favorite album. It reached number 13 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the RIAA in January 1975.

Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Love in the Afternoon
Ben WeismanEvie SandsRichard Germinaro Ben WeismanEvie SandsRichard Germinaro Jon Peters Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)
2
Guava Jelly
Bob Marley Bob Marley Jon Peters Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)
3
Grandma's Hands
Bill Withers Bill Withers Jon Peters Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)
4
I Won't Last a Day Without You
Paul Williams Roger Nichols Jon Peters Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)
5
Jubilation
Paul AnkaJohnny Harris Paul AnkaJohnny Harris Jon Peters Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)
6
Simple Man
Graham Nash Graham Nash Jon Peters Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)
7
Life on Mars?
David Bowie David Bowie Jon Peters Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)
8
Since I Don't Have You
Lennie MartinJoseph RockJackie TaylorJames BeaumontJanet VogelWally LesterJoe Verscharen Lennie MartinJoseph RockJackie TaylorJames BeaumontJanet VogelWally LesterJoe Verscharen Jon Peters Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)
9
Crying Time
Buck Owens Buck Owens Jon Peters Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)
10
Let the Good Times Roll
Shirley GoodmanLeonard Lee Shirley GoodmanLeonard Lee Jon Peters Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 23 contributors

More from Barbra Streisand

Frequently Asked Questions ButterFly

Who produced ButterFly?
It was produced solely by Jon Peters, Barbra Streisand's then-boyfriend. Because Peters had little music-industry experience, arranger and saxophonist Tom Scott handled much of the actual musical direction.
Did Barbra Streisand write any songs on ButterFly?
No. ButterFly is entirely an album of covers, so every song was written by other artists. It includes David Bowie's 'Life on Mars?', Bob Marley's 'Guava Jelly', Bill Withers' 'Grandma's Hands', and Graham Nash's 'Simple Man'.
What covers are on ButterFly?
The album features 'Life on Mars?' (David Bowie), 'Guava Jelly' (Bob Marley), 'Grandma's Hands' (Bill Withers), 'Simple Man' (Graham Nash), 'Crying Time' (Buck Owens), 'Let the Good Times Roll', 'Since I Don't Have You', 'I Won't Last a Day Without You', 'Jubilation', and 'Love in the Afternoon'.
How did ButterFly perform commercially?
It reached number 13 on the Billboard 200 and spent 24 weeks on the chart. The RIAA certified it Gold on January 6, 1975 for over 500,000 US copies sold.
What did David Bowie think of Streisand's 'Life on Mars?'
Bowie was unimpressed. In a 1975 interview he called her rendition of his song 'bloody awful'.
Why is ButterFly considered an outlier for Streisand?
Streisand herself named ButterFly her least favorite album, once saying she barely remembered recording it. Its all-covers format and its production by her boyfriend Jon Peters made it an unusual chapter in her catalog.

Sources