"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 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!".
Frederick Dewayne Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives for modern jazz and bebop.
Nigel Olsson is an English rock drummer best known for his long-time affiliation with Elton John. A dynamic drummer and backing vocalist, Olsson helped establish the Elton John sound as a member of the Elton John Band alongside bassist Dee Murray.
Reg Strikes Back is the twenty-first studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1988. It was his self-proclaimed comeback album, and his own way of fighting back against bad press. The "Reg" in Reg Strikes Back refers to John's birth name, Reginald Kenneth Dwight.
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"Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was released on the 1972 album Honky Château. The lyrics conveyed Taupin's take on New York City after hearing a gun go off near his hotel window during his first visit to the city. The song's lyrics were partly inspired by Ben E. King's "Spanish Harlem," written by Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector, in which he sings "There is a rose in Spanish Harlem."
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"Town of Plenty" is a song by English musician Elton John from the album Reg Strikes Back and was released in 1988. The song was the first album track to be heard after John's throat surgery. Pete Townshend of The Who plays acoustic guitar on the track, while Davey Johnstone plays electric. Among the backing vocalists contributing to the track are John's former bandmates Nigel Olsson and Dee Murray. This would be the final album of John's that Murray would contribute to, prior to his death from a stroke in 1992.
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The Diving Board Tour was a concert tour by British musician Elton John taking place in North, South and Central America and Europe in promotion of John's 2013 album The Diving Board.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road Tour was a concert tour by English musician Elton John taking place in North America and Europe in promotion of the 40th anniversary re-release of 1973's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Elton John: The Classic Years was a remastering series of English musician Elton John's albums, covering most of the studio and live albums he released between 1969 and 1992. Many of the remastered studio albums included bonus tracks, some of which had been B-sides or unreleased tracks, or had previously appeared on compilations such as Rare Masters and the box set To Be Continued..., while the live album Here and There was greatly expanded from its original running time.
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Revamp: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin and Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin are two tribute albums to English musician Elton John and his frequent songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, both released on 6 April 2018. Revamp was described as John's project and features covers of the duo's back catalogue by pop, rock and R&B artists, whereas Restoration was seen as Taupin's project and features covers by country music artists. Revamp was released via Island Records and Restoration by Universal Music Group Nashville. The release of the albums coincided with John's 2018–2023 Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
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