Pop Archives

Matt Flinders - Butterfly (1971)

(Danyel Gérard - Ralph Bernet - Howard Barnes)
Australia Australia
#3 Sydney #4 Melbourne #5 Brisbane #3 Adelaide #17 Perth #20 NZ

Single on Fable.

Co-charted with the original by Danyel Gérard.

Matt Flinders: singer, bassist, band leader and TV entertainer, born in Egypt of French-Italian-British background, in Australia since 1951.

Formerly known as Louis Bonett, his adopted name would sound familiar to most Australians through the name of the explorer and chartmaker Matthew Flinders (1774-1814).

David Neale in Belgium points out: …the name “Flinders” is a corruption of the Dutch word “vlinders”, the plural of “vlinder” which means… butterfly!

Further reading: 1. Matt Flinders by Matt Flinders [archived] 2. Matt Flinders entry at Wikipedia.

Thanks to Terry Stacey.


Danyel Gérard - Butterfly (1971)

(Danyel Gérard - Ralph Bernet - Howard Barnes)
France France
Original version with these lyrics
#4 France [Lesueur*] #11 UK #78 USA #3 Sydney #4 Melbourne #5 Brisbane #3 Adelaide #17 Perth #7 NZ

Single on CBS (France).


*Gérard’s Butterfly appears in Daniel Lesueur’s French chart book at #8 for November 1971 and #4 for December. Other sources fail to record any chart placing for France, but as Lesueur himself puts it, le hit-parade n’est pas une science précise.
   Daniel Lesueur, Hit Parades 1950-1998 (1999), via Philippe.


This is Hélas trois fois hélas (1968: see below) with new lyrics and a somewhat altered melody in the chorus

Co-charted with the Australian cover version by Matt Flinders.

The Danyel Gérard discography at Wikipedia lists chart placings for Butterfly in several countries: this was a big hit worldwide

Singer-songwriter Danyel Gérard (Gérard Danyel Kherlakian b. 1941) was born in Paris but lived in Rio de Janeiro as a youngster until returning to France in 1953. His initial rock’n’roll and recording career began in the late-50s but was interrupted by service in the French army.

References, further reading: 1. Danyel Gérard biography at Wikipedia. 2. Usenet post by Raoul Verolleman (1998). 3. Danyel Gérard at French site Bide-et-musique.

Thanks to René Ferri for additional details.


Other versions: This is a much-recorded song. See, for example, the 68 “follow-up songs” listed at Cover.info.


Danyel Gérard - Hélas trois fois hélas (1968)

( Danyel Gérard - Vline Buggy )
France France
Original melody

Single on Disc AZ, lyrics by Vline Buggy (not the lyricist for Butterfly). The title means alas, three times alas.

The Originals website, for example, calls this as the original version, but it isn’t exactly Butterfly. As Second Hand Songs refines it: The melody of the verses [was] later recycled for… Butterfly.


Goldie Hawn - Butterfly (1972)

(Danyel Gérard - Ralph Bernet - Howard Barnes)
USA USA
Later version

Single on Reprise from 1972 album Goldie by star of TV’s  Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-in and the movies (b.1945).

This is mostly in French (see lyrics). There is a repeated phrase in the chorus, my butterfly, and a spoken interlude in English at around 1:45.

Arranged by the excellent Nick De Caro. [Listen here to my Spotify playlist of some of his arrangements].


Daisy Clover - Butterflies (1969)

(Guzzardi - Hammond)
Australia Australia
Red herring
#27 Melbourne

Similar title but not the same song as ‘Butterfly’ by Matt Flinders.

First single by Melbourne band, B-side of Tell Me. Follow-up single Penny Brown Girl/Barbara (1969) charted #38 in Melbourne. A later, re-formed line-up included Chrissie Amphlett, later of The Di-Vinyls. The credit A Hammard Production presumably refers to writers Hammond + Guzzardi.

Thanks to Alf Giarrusso of Daisy Clover.


Some other notable red herrings:

Andy WilliamsButterfly (Kal Mann – Bernie Lowe; also attributed to Anthony September)
USA 1957
#1 USA #1 UK #2 Sydney
Charlie GracieButterfly (Mann – Lowe)
USA 1957
#1 USA #12 UK
The HolliesButterfly (Allan Clarke – Tony Hicks – Graham Nash)
UK 1967 On album Butterfly

Mariah CareyButterfly (Walter Afanasieff – Mariah Carey)
USA 1997 #22 UK #21 Sydney #31 Melbourne #29 Brisbane #27 Adelaide #31 Perth

Crazy TownButterfly (Seth Binzer – Flea – John Frusciante – Anthony Kiedis – Bret Mazur – Chad Smith)
USA 1999 #3 UK #5 Melbourne #4 Perth