Elusive Butterfly

Bob Lind wrote "Elusive Butterfly" around sunrise while pulling an all-nighter in 1964: at that time he was living in Denver, performing at local folk clubs. Lind credits the song's inspiration as the W. B. Yeats' poem "The Song of Wandering Aengus", stating: "I wanted to write something that [like Yeats' poem] had the sense we feel of being most alive when we're searching or looking or chasing after something. That expectation is more life affirming than getting the thing you're after." The song was originally five verses long and, with the instrumental passages Lind included, its performance time approximated ten minutes: (Lind quote:) "I played it for everybody I knew but I didn't [think] 'Man, this is my best song: it's going to be a hit [that] millions of people [will] hear...It was just another [Bob Lind] song. I was thrilled [then] by everything I wrote." Lind elsewhere stated that World Pacific head Richard Bock had originally intended to himself produce Lind's recordings; however: "there were some technical difficulties that had nothing to do with the music itself. So they were trying to find another producer. They were talking to Chad Stuart and Sonny Bono. Then they said: 'Let's try Jack Nitzsche'." (Bock was credited as producer on the "Elusive Butterfly" single which cited Nitzsche as arranger.) Lind recalls Nitzsche saying "I don't think there are any hits [among Lind's compositions]. But we're going to make a beautiful album", The choice of single was the track "Cheryl's Goin' Home" with "Elusive Butterfly" – (Lind quote:)"[which] we thought was the weakest song" Debuting at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated January 22, 1966, "Elusive Butterfly" rose to the top ten in six weeks with its Hot 100 peak of number 5 attained on the chart dated March 12, 1966. In January or February 1966 Lind recorded eight tracks at Sunset Sound with the same personnel as previously including Nitzsche as producer-arranger; with the four tracks from Lind's 1965 session these tracks made up Lind's debut album released in February 1966 and entitled ''Don't Be Concerned'' after the opening lyric of the chorus of "Elusive Butterfly". ==Rival cover versions==

The song was also recorded and released, in 1966, in the British Isles by Val Doonican, with both the Lind and Doonican versions reaching a UK chart peak of number 5 - Doonican's subsequent to Lind's - in March/April 1966; in Ireland only Doonican's version was a major hit, peaking at number 3. Lind later said of Doonican's cover: "When you write a song, you can't claim ownership of it. Val Doonican’s version was different from mine, but I kinda liked that." In South Africa a local cover of "Elusive Butterfly" by Judy Page (af) debuted at number 20 in the Top 20 chart of 22 April 1966, a week before the number 19 debut of the Lind original: although the Page cover initially retained ascendance, the Lind original ultimately rose higher, to a number 4 peak on 20 May 1966, when the Page cover held at its number 5 peak. ==Other charting versions==

Jane Morgan released a version on her 1966 album Fresh Flavor, and the song reached number 9 on the Easy Listening chart. Carmen McRae released a version as a single in 1968 that reached number 35 on the Adult Contemporary chart. ==Other versions==

• Petula Clark on her 1966 album ''I Couldn't Live Without Your Love'': Lind has cited Clark's version of the song as his favorite, adding: "nobody believes me when I say that – she wasn’t considered cool in the 60s – she was considered mainstream and very vanilla but I love her version of 'Elusive Butterfly.'" Clark's version omitted the second verse of the Lind original, instead featuring the two stanzas of the original's first verse as two verses separated by the chorus. • Cher on her 1966 album The Sonny Side of Chér: the track subsequently served as B-side for Cher's international 1968 single "You Better Sit Down Kids" (the original US pressing of "You'd Better Sit Down Kids" featured "Mama (When My Dollies Have Babies)" as B-side, with "Elusive Butterfly" subsequently substituted). • Billy Walker on his 1966 album A Million and One: the track subsequently serving as the B-side for Walker's 1969 number 12 C&W hit "Smoky Places". • Richard Anthony as "Un Papillon Qui Vole" French on his 1966 EP ''It's Hits Francais''. • The Bachelors on their album ''Hits of the 60's'' in 1966. • South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela on his 1966 album ''Hugh Masekela's Next Album''. • Graham Bonney on his 1966 album Super Girl. • Lou Christie on his 1966 album Painter of Hits. • Johnny Mathis on his 1966 album So Nice. • Bobby Vee as part of a medley "A Hundred Pounds of Clay"/"Elusive Butterfly" on his 1966 album ''30 Hits Of The 60's, Vol. 2''. • Glen Campbell on his 1968 album Hey Little One. • The Lennon Sisters on their 1968 album The Lennon Sisters Today!! • Gary Lewis & the Playboys on their 1968 album Now! • Stanley Turrentine on his 1968 album Easy! - Stanley Turrentine Plays the Pop Hits • Aretha Franklin on her 1969 album ''Soul '69''. • The Lettermen on their 1969 album Hurt So Bad. • The Four Tops released a version on their 1970 album Still Waters Run Deep. • Judy Lynn on her 1971 album Parts of Love: the track also served as B-side of the single "When the Love Starts to Come". • Susan Jacks on her 1980 album Ghosts. • Dolly Parton on her 1984 album The Great Pretender: the track also served as B-side for the single "Save the Last Dance for Me". • Jane Olivor on her 2001 album Songs of the Season. • Livingston Taylor on his 2006 album Unsolicited Material. • Marc Almond released it as a single in March 2024 to promote his covers album ''I'm Not Anyone''. • They Might Be Giants at some live shows during performances of "Particle Man" from their 1990 album Flood. ==In media==

• Florence Henderson performed "Elusive Butterfly" on the first season of The Muppet Show. ==References==