| Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Part Two) | |
| Cover: | Cover_ML&MH2.jpeg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Elton John |
| 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 |
| Producer: | Chris Thomas |
| Prev Title: | A Word in Spanish |
| Prev Year: | 1988 |
| Next Title: | Through the Storm |
| Next Year: | 1989 |
"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!".