the boy's uncanny ability to perform, even the mundane, outside of the box." Elliot Sylvester of The Independent felt that ballads on Invincible such as "Speechless and "Butterflies" are "almost to a formulaic fault." Chicago Tribune rock music critic Greg Kot said that Jackson is not "convincing as the vulnerable ladies' man on drippy ballads" such as "Butterflies". Stephen Thomas Erlewine, a writer for Allmusic, commented that Invincible was "highlighted" by "lovely ballads" such as "Break of Dawn" and "Butterflies". David Browne of Entertainment Weekly wrote in his review for Invincible that, "The ballads are a squishy bunch with glaringly banal lyrics, pleasantries like 'Butterflies' and 'Break of Dawn' that could emanate from just about" anyone. A journalist for The Philadelphia Inquirer called the track "gorgeous" and Bomani Jones of Salon.com called "Butterflies" a "sparkling" track. Ben Rayer of the Toronto Star wrote that Jackson "fares best" on "Butterflies". Catherine Halaby of the Yale Daily News said that songs on the album like "Heaven Can Wait", "Butterflies", and "You Are My Life" "fulfill the quota for sugary ballads". Jon Pareles, writing for The New York Times, said that tracks on Invincible like "Butterflies"' and "Don't Walk Away" are "melting love ballads". Pareles noted in his review for the album that songs on it are recurring themes present on Jackson's albums, such as love ballads, as well as tracks pertaining to making the world a better place. Tim Perzyk of the Duke Chronicle wrote, "By the time 'Butterflies' spins on track seven, it's unclear why Michael didn't record a collaborative boxed set with Mariah Carey, whose 'Heartbreaker,' 'Breakdown' and 'Butterfly' would fit quite nicely" into Jackson's Invincible album. Pop music critic Craid Seymour of the Buffalo News wrote that "another winning tune" on the album is the "dreamy 'Butterflies,' which flows along at a groovy midtempo pace." Kevin C. Johnson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch described "Butterflies" as being about the "feeling that special someone gives him." Music critics writing for the South Florida Sun Sentinel said that the track shows the "shy, loving, gentle side" of Jackson. Chart performance "Butterflies" entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early November 2001, at number sixty. The single eventually peaked at number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 the week ending January 26, 2002. The track also charted within the top ten, peaking at number two, on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart