a music video was not made to promote the song. Composition "Butterflies" is a midtempo love ballad song with groove musical influences. Vaughn Watson of the Providence Journal noted that the track is a "velvety old-school soul ballad" with "elegiac horn riffs" and "simple '70s-style David Ruffin soul." Stephen Thomas Erlewine, a writer for AllMusic noted that "Butterflies" had "Bacharach-styled horns." Lonell Broadnax, Jr., a contributing writer to the Daily Helmsman Online felt that "Butterflies" is a soulful song which takes Jackson back to his "rhythm and blues roots". Ben Rayer of the Toronto Star felt that the song had a "oozy slow jam". "Butterflies" is written in the time signature of common time. Throughout the song Jackson's vocal range spans from E3 to F5. The track is played in the key of A major. "Butterflies" has a moderately slowly tempo and its metronome is ninety-two beats per minute. Critical response The track received generally positive reviews from music critics. Ken Barnes of USA Today described the song as being a "hopelessly sappy ballad oozing with fuzzy sentiments. I'd say it's more like caterpillars." Frank Kogan of The Village Voice, citing the lyrics, "I would give you anything baby, just make my dreams come true/Oh baby you give me butterflies" wrote "so, would he give her, like, caterpillars in exchange? birds?" and added that what grabs his attention about a song like "Butterflies" is not the "melody but the weirdly ringing wrench-against-faucet clang on the backbeat." Christie Leo of the New Straits Times gave the track a more positive review, calling the song a "luxuriant" ballad. Pop music critic Robert Hilburn, writing for the Los Angeles Times, described "Butterflies", and another song from Invincible ("Speechless"), as being "as woefully generic as their titles". A journalist of the same publication felt that track was about romantic "jitters". Darryl Frierson of University Wire felt that songs like "Butterflies" can set the "mood for any romantic interlude". Joel Rubinoff of The Record said that "Butterflies" was one of the "only good songs" from Invincible, while a writer for The Atlanta Journal cited the song as being a "decent track". A writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution viewed "Butterflies" as being "laid-back". Mark Anthony Neal of PopMatters wrote in his music review for Jackson's 2002 album, entitled Love Songs, that in song's such as "Butterflies", it shows the "essence" of Jackson's "genius has been in