Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Part Two)
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| "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Part Two)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Elton John | ||||
| from the album Reg Strikes Back | ||||
| B-side | "A Word in Spanish" | |||
| Released | November 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 British musician Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, performed by John. It is from John's 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!".
