Butterfly Fly Away

As with Miley and Ray Cyrus's last duet, "Ready, Set, Don't Go" (2007), "Butterfly Fly Away" describes a child's transition to adulthood. This comment became a recurring motif in the film and provided the basis for the lyrics to "Butterfly Fly Away", which use a caterpillar's metamorphosis as a metaphor for a child's coming of age. In Hannah Montana: The Movie, the Cyruses perform the song as their characters in "a tender movie scene under a gazebo in the rain". Billy Ray said filming the scene was "a pretty special moment. The song itself was written by Glen Ballard, a masterful songwriter who wrote 'Man in the Mirror' for Michael Jackson. I knew it was a pretty special song [...] and it certainly comes at a nice spot in the movie." The song's vocals range two octaves, from C3 to B4. The song is written in a key of B major and features the chord progression, Esus2—B—C7. == Critical reception ==

Reviewers gave the song moderately positive reviews. Warren Truit of About.com found it "sentimental" while Scott Mervis of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called it "a sweet duet". Stephen Thomas Erlewine, also of Allmusic, was more negative, calling it a "syrupy, icky" song on which Billy Ray never sounds quite right. Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "[Miley's] delicate duet with dad Billy Ray, 'Butterfly Fly Away,' is quietly lovely." Billboard reviewer Ken Tucker stated that it "is an airy and flowing song about family on which father and daughter's voices blend nicely". Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter called "Butterfly Fly Away" a "tender Glen Ballard/Alan Silvestri ballad". The song was included on the short list for Best Original Song at the 82nd Academy Awards, but did not achieve a nomination. == Chart performance ==

"Butterfly Fly Away" debuted at number seventy-two on the Billboard Hot 100 the week ending April 25, 2009. The following week, May 2, 2009, the song reached its peak on the Hot 100 at number fifty-six. The song spent a total of three consecutive weeks on the chart. "Butterfly Fly Away" reached its highest international peak in the Irish Singles Chart. It debuted at number forty-seven on the week ending May 7, 2009. It also peaked at number fifty-six in the Australian Singles Chart. == Live performances ==

The Cyruses performed the song on Good Morning America on April 8, 2009, along with performances of "Full Circle", "Hoedown Throwdown" and "The Climb". They included the song in their set for the AOL Sessions, recorded on April 13, 2009. They also performed the song in London in an Apple Store, along with a duet version of Billy Ray's "Thrillbilly" and several of their own singles. The set, along with some songs by Cyrus's father, was sold exclusively by the United Kingdom iTunes Store as an extended play titled iTunes Live from London. == Charts ==