five singles were released from "butterfly"; some featured as airplay-only singles, while others were released only in certain territories. "honey" was released as the album's first single on august 26, 1997. the song became carey's twelfth number-one single on the "billboard" hot 100 and topped the chart in canada, while reaching the top-five in new zealand, spain and the united kingdom. it was certified platinum by the recording industry association of america (riaa), for shipments of one million units in the united states, and received a gold certification in australia. "honey" was well-received, with critics complimenting its catchy sound and clever fusion of pop and r&b sounds. the title track served as the album's second single, but it was released as an "airplay-only" single due to carey's conflict with sony. though not being released commercially by her label, "butterfly" reached number sixteen on the hot 100 airplay, as well as the top-twenty in new zealand.