"Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Part Two)" | ||||
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Single by Elton John | ||||
from the album Reg Strikes Back | ||||
B-side | "A Word in Spanish" | |||
Released | November 26, 1988 | |||
Recorded | 1987 | |||
Genre | Rock, Latin jazz, dance | |||
Length | 4:12 (album version) 6:19 (12" Renaissance version) | |||
Label | Rocket | |||
Songwriter(s) | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | |||
Producer(s) | Chris Thomas | |||
Elton John singles chronology | ||||
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"Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Part Two)" is a song by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin from the album Reg Strikes Back. It was released as a 12" single in 1988 only in the United States. [1] The single did not include the basic version from Reg Strikes Back album.
Although not a particularly popular song, some critics judged it as a "most intriguing" song or the "brightest moment" of the album. [2] [3] John said: "That's probably my favorite track on the album. It just has a great New York feel". [4] He 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. [5]
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 trumpet solo, where Elton and the backup singers interject "beep beep, beep beep, yeah!".