Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Part Two)
| "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters Part Two" | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||
| Single by Elton John | ||||||||||
| from the album Reg Strikes Back | ||||||||||
| Released | 1988 (U.S.) | |||||||||
| Format | vinyl record (12") | |||||||||
| Recorded | 1987 | |||||||||
| Genre | Rock | |||||||||
| Length | 4:12 (album version) | |||||||||
| Label | Rocket | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Elton John , Bernie Taupin | |||||||||
| Producer(s) | Chris Thomas | |||||||||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
"Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters Part Two" is a song by Elton John and Bernie Taupin for the album Reg Strikes Back.
It was released as a 12" single in 1988 (only in U.S.). The single did not include the basic version from Reg Strikes Back album.
The song is about New York City and is a continuation of the song "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" from the 1972 album Honky Château. Although the song follows the same meaning of its predecessor, it has a very different tempo and instrumental arrangement, and is in many ways a more complex song, with a variety of key changes and unusual chords throughout the song. There is also a brief homage to the Beatles' song "Drive My Car" that can be heard during the horn solo at 2:18, where Elton and the backup singers interject "beep beep, beep beep, yeah!".
Although not a particularly popular song, some critics judged it "most intriguing" song or "brightest moment" of the album.[1][2] Elton John played both versions of the song sequentially in concerts from the release of "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters Part Two" in 1988 through to 1993.
Track listing
- 12"
A.
- "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters Part Two (The Renaissance Mix)" — 6:15
- "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters Part Two (The Da Vinci Version)" — 4:47
B.
- "A Word in Spanish" — 4:35
- "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters Part Two (Self Portrait Instrumental)" — 4:55
Personnel
- Elton John: Roland RD-1000 digital piano, vocals
- Freddie Hubbard: trumpet, flugelhorn
- Davey Johnstone: guitars, backing vocals
- Fred Mandel: synthesizers
- Charlie Morgan: drums
- Dee Murray: backing vocals
- Nigel Olsson: backing vocals
- David Paton: bass
References
- ↑ Grein, Paul (3 July 1988). "Elton: Second Wind". articles.latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ↑ Holden, Stephen (17 July 1988). "RECORDINGS; Three Veteran Rock-and-Rollers Spin New Disks". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
