BTS “Butter” debuted at #1

Butter BTS

Writer(s): Jenna Andrews, Rob Grimaldi, Stephen Kirk, RM, Alex Bilowitz, Sebastian Garcia, Ron Perry (see lyrics here) Released: May 21, 2021 First Charted: May 29, 2021 Peak: 110 BB, 118 DG, 25 AC, 14 A40, 3 UK, 2 CN, 6 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.4 UK, 6.44 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 2091.10 video, 1295.66 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: South Korean boy band BTS formed in 2010. They consist of Jin, Sugar, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook. They released their first album, 2 Cool 4 Skool, in 2013. Four years later, they crossed into the global market and led a Korean Wave when their single “Mic Drop” became the first from a Korean group to be certified gold in the U.S. From 2018 to 2022, they landed four #1s on the Billboard album chart. “Butter” was the group’s second English-language single but fourth to top the Billboard Hot 100. It made them the fastest act since Justin Timberlake to achieve four #1’s when it became their fourth chart topper in less than nine months. WK It debuted atop the chart and spent a whopping ten weeks there. It reached the top 10 in more than thirty countries worldwide. The song’s 11 million streams in its first day on Spotify set a record. WK The video set records for reaching 10 million views in its first thirteen minutes and 100 million views in the first 24 hours. WK Forbes called the song an “infectious disco-pop track.” WK NME’s Rhian Daly called it “a clean and crisp piece of dance pop that’s undeniably cool without sacrificing immediacy or memorable hooks.” WK Stereogum’s Tom Breihan said it was “a full-on retro disco strutter, a song built for parties.” WK Band member RM said it came about because they group felt they needed another summer song in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. WK They received a demo of the song that was already very good and they didn’t need to do much to it. SF Member J-Hope said he thought the song showed more of the individual members’ charms than “Dynamite.” WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for BTS SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 3/24/2024; last updated 10/14/2024.