"Butter" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band BTS. It was released as a digital single on May 21, 2021, through Big Hit Music and Sony Music Entertainment, as the band's second English-language single. A disco-pop, dance-pop, and EDM track, the song was written by Jenna Andrews, RM, Alex Bilowitz, Sebastian Garcia, Robert Grimaldi, Stephen Kirk, and Ron Perry, with production handled by the last three.
Upon release, "Butter" received positive reviews from music critics, with praise towards its catchiness. It was a commercial success, topping charts in Hungary, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, the United States, and Vietnam, as well as Billboards Global 200 chart. The song also reached the top 10 in over 30 other countries worldwide. A remix featuring American rapper-songwriter Megan Thee Stallion was also released on August 27, 2021, which peaked at number three on the Global 200.
Recording Speaking on how "Butter" came about, Variety quoted RM in an interview with Apple Music as saying that "[the band] never expected to release another single, but the virus is getting longer and longer so we thought we need another summer song. We thought we needed another summer number, and 'Butter' was perfectly fit for that. And now we're here". J-Hope described the recording process as "smooth" and the song as "focus[ed] more on showing each of the members' charms compared with 'Dynamite.
Composition and lyrics Initial reports about "Butter" called it "a dance pop track brimming with the smooth yet charismatic charm of BTS". Rolling Stone described it as "a pure, swaggering dance-pop celebration in the retro vein of Bruno Mars, with layers of Jam and Lewis-style synths", and RM told the outlet that the song "[is] very energetic" and "very summery". Forbes called it an "infectious disco-pop track" similar to "Dynamite", with a "pulsating, bass-heavy beat and delectable chorus". Following its release, "Butter" was categorized as a 1980s and 1990s-influenced dance-pop and EDM song with elements of pop rap. The song is in common time in the key of A-flat major with a tempo of 110 beats per minute. BTS's vocal range span from A♭3 to E♭5.
At a press conference held on the day of the song's release, RM revealed that while the band wanted to participate in the writing of their next single, they believed "Butter" already sounded "pretty good" and "pretty complete" when they received it, so they chose it out of "many, many songs" that had been sent to them for consideration. He further explained however, that he "changed or added to about half of the song's original rap sections" because "some of the parts like the rap were not fully compatible with our style", and despite there still being "some gaps" in his fluency with English "it came together really quickly since there weren't that many rap sections in the song". Suga also tried writing for the song, as he had actively been studying English during the year prior, but the language barrier was still a problem, so his suggestions were "immediately dropped. No questions, no consideration — just immediately binned". Lyrically, like "Dynamite", "Butter" has "no heavy message"; Jimin noted that there was no profound meaning behind the track and that the goal was for it to be "easy to listen to".
A video teaser released on May 18 offered the first preview of the song's lyrics; the line "Get it! Let it roll!" was briefly heard at the end of the clip. Korean news media later reported that the lyrics to "Butter" "cutely confess a sweet, romantic love", and had "BTS' smooth-like-butter unrivalled charms melted into the song".
Release and promotion On April 5, 2021, days after the release of their Japanese single "Film Out", it was revealed that BTS would release a new song in May. However, Big Hit Music announced that "we will reveal our artists' plans after they are finalized". On April 26, the single's title and release date were announced in an hour-long YouTube live stream of an animated stick of butter melting. The video featured a countdown with kitchen sounds in the background, and the text "Butter" and "May 21, 2021" appeared at the end of the stream. The livestream amassed over 12.8 million views. Concept photos and video teasers for the song, set to be BTS's second English-language single, were shared through the band's official social media in the weeks following. They held a global press conference one hour after the single's release.
BTS appeared as the first guests on Big Hit's new exclusive Melon Station radio series, BigHit Music Record, on May 21 to introduce "Butter" and participate in a Q&A with fans. The single impacted American contemporary hit radio stations on May 25. On May 27, Big Hit announced the release of a house bass electro-dance remix of the song, "Butter (Hotter Remix)", as a thank-you to fans for their support. The announcement was accompanied by new teaser photos for the remix—seven solo shots and one group—featuring a different concept to the original teasers. The remix and its music video premiered globally on all streaming platforms at midnight on May 28. New remixes succeeded the release of the "Hotter" version in the weeks following.
The CD single of "Butter" includes "Permission to Dance", a song written by Ed Sheeran, Johnny McDaid, Steve Mac, and Jenna Andrews and produced by Mac, Stephen Kirk, and Andrews. Released on July 9, it also includes instrumental versions of both songs.
Megan Thee Stallion claimed that her label 1501 Certified Entertainment attempted to block the remix release which featured her. Stallion stated that the label's CEO Carl Crawford did not approve of the track because "it would not be good for her career." Stallion sought help from a Texas court. The remix was ultimately released as planned on August 27.
Critical reception
Writing for NME, Rhian Daly praised "Butter" as "a clean and crisp piece of dance pop that's undeniably cool without sacrificing immediacy or memorable hooks" and felt it was a strong, early contender for song of the summer. Tom Breihan of Stereogum described the song as "a full-on retro-disco strutter, a song built for parties. It's a big, slick party song that targets pleasure receptors with mathematical precision" and compared it to Daft Punk's Random Access Memories and works by Bruno Mars. Zach Seemayer of Entertainment Tonight felt that the song's hook, with its "truly catchy beat" and "fun" opening lyrics, "has the hallmarks of a real hit with legitimate song-of-the-summer potential". Rolling Stones Althea Legaspi called "Butter" a "feel-good, flirty dance track". Consequences Mary Siroky named "Butter" the song of the summer and "a synth-drenched, swaggering track sitting comfortably on an addictive bassline". Esquires Dave Holmes called the song "irresistible", saying that it "percolates with the joy we've deferred since last March". It was named Billboards number one Song of the Summer. The song was the seventh most searched song of the year for 2021 on Google. For the Megan Thee Stallion remix, Natasha Mulenga, writing for Teen Vogue, described the remix as "ear-melting" and that "Megan gave so much charisma to the song".
+ Year-end lists for "Butter" Publication List Rank Billboard 25 Best K-Pop Songs of 2021 Complex The 15 Best K-Pop and Rap Collaborations of All Time Consequence Top 50 Songs of 2021 The Guardian The 20 best songs of 2021 Insider The best K-pop songs of 2021 Los Angeles Times The 100 best songs of 2021 59 Music Y Top 10 Songs of 2021 2 NME The 50 best songs of 2021 Rolling Stone The 50 Best Songs of 2021 Uproxx The Best Songs of 2021
Music video Background and synopsis
The music video for "Butter" was preceded by a 23-second long video teaser published to Hybe Labels's official YouTube channel on May 18. The short monochromatic clip showed BTS dressed in "disco-inspired" suits "with shoulder pads, glitter, and satin galore", standing motionless in a line, while "a groovy percussion ensemble played in the background". The sound then "switched to a delightful Eighties-inspired, synth-bass fusion". The band matched the beat of the "throbbing, bass-heavy dance groove" with synchronized head tilts. The clip ended with a shot of a stack of syrup-covered pancakes with a square of butter on top. Billboard described the teaser's "funky beat" as "reminiscent of Queen's 'Another One Bites the Dust'". Rolling Stone India also noted the teaser's "strong sonic correlation" to the Queen song. The video teaser accumulated over 26 million views in its first 24 hours and surpassed 35 million views shortly afterwards.
Fifteen minutes prior to the music video's premiere, BTS appeared in a special countdown stream on the Hybe YouTube channel to discuss the song while making buttered sandwiches—it was simultaneously released with the single at midnight EST. The visual opens with a shot of vocalist Jungkook dancing into frame as he sings the introductory lines of the song. Interspersed are "striking black and white shots" of the band dressed in "slick suits" dancing together to a "strong percussion ensemble"—first heard in the May 18 teaser—and standing in a lineup while holding mugshot placards with their names on it. The video then "transitions into [a] rich and vibrant color palette" as the band perform "power-packed", "nimble dance moves" in several "dazzling locations with soft, full-color lighting...against an array of flamboyant backdrops" such as a gymnasium (while wearing "summery gymwear"), a mock press conference, an elevator, and "onstage under pulsating lights" in "black-and-yellow tuxedos". The video ends with a shot of J-Hope eating a large piece of butter.
The video's choreography "reflect[s] the upbeat, flirtatious vibe of the song", with J-hope saying that the band tried to put "a lot of those emotions" into it. Signature moves include "kissing your hands, [giving] a mischievous look, or brushing our hair back". The video also features a "TikTok-ready, technicolor elevator sequence" in which the individual members freestyle their dance moves, including "putting on imaginary cologne". At one point, the band use their bodies to form the word "ARMY" as a special homage to their fans.
Reception "Butter"s premiere garnered over 3.9 million peak concurrent viewers on YouTube, surpassing previous record holder "Dynamite"s over 3 million concurrents attained in August 2020, and set a new all-time record for the biggest music video premiere on the platform. It became the fastest YouTube video to reach 10–100 million views, achieving the former in its first 13 minutes—"Dynamite" did so in 20 minutes—and the latter in 21 hours—three hours faster than "Dynamite". It also became the most viewed YouTube video in the first 24 hours, amassing 108.2 million views—another all-time high on the platform, and set four new Guinness World Records. This gave BTS the top two spots for the biggest YouTube premieres and 24-hour music debuts in the platform's history. "Butter" crossed 200 million views on May 25, surpassing all milestone records up to that point in just four days and one hour, compared to "Dynamite"s four days and 12 hours. On June 28, it became the longest running #1 debut for a group in Hot 100 history, breaking the 23-year record held by Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (1998).
Entertainment Tonights Zach Seemayer wrote that the music video "takes fans on a spectacular journey in both set design, color schemes and outfits". On November 29, 2024, the visual surpassed one billion views, becoming BTS's seventh music video to do so.
Remix versions