He was born in Glasgow, Kentucky, where his father was a barber who loved music and inspired Billy to teach himself to play the mandolin at age 3, while suffering a case of the measles. He went on to learn a number of other instruments.
In 1941, Vaughn joined the United States National Guard for what had been planned as a one-year assignment, but when World War II broke out, he was sent abroad till the war ended in 1945. He decided to make music a career when he was discharged from the army at the end of the war, and attended Western Kentucky State College, now known as Western Kentucky University, majoring in music composition. He had apparently learned barbering from his father, because he did some while studying at Western Kentucky to support himself financially, when he was not able to get jobs playing the piano at local night clubs and lounges. While he was a student there, three other students, Jimmy Sacca, Donald McGuire and Seymour Spiegelman, who had formed a vocal trio, The Hilltoppers, recruited Vaughn to play the piano with them. He soon added his voice to theirs, converting the trio to a quartet. As a member of the group, he also wrote their first hit song, Trying, which charted in 1952.
In 1954 he left the group to join Dot Records in Gallatin, Tennessee as music director. He subsequently formed his own orchestra, which had a big hit in that same year with Melody of Love. He went on to have many more hits over the next decade and a half, and based purely on chart successes, was the most successful orchestra leader of all time.
Mona Lisa
Billy Vaughn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're so like the lady with the mystic smile
Is it only cause you're lonely they have blamed you
For that Mona Lisa strangeness in your smile
Do you smile to tempt a lover Mona Lisa?
Or is this your way to hide a broken heart?
Many dreams have been brought to your doorstep
They just lie there, and they die there
Or just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art.
Do you smile to tempt a lover Mona Lisa?
Or is this your way to hide a broken heart?
Many dreams have been brought to your doorstep
They just lie there, and they die there
Are you warm, are you real Mona Lisa?
Or just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art.
Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa.
The song "Mona Lisa," originally from the movie Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950), is a beautifully melancholic song that speaks about the mystery surrounding one of the most iconic artworks in the world - the Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci. The singer begins by addressing the painting, naming it and relating it to the lady with the "mystic smile," who has entranced millions of people worldwide. Despite the painting's enigmatic expression, people have often interpreted it as a sign of loneliness, which the singer also acknowledges in the lyrics. People have named the painting after the woman it portrays and have blamed her for the strange sadness that appears to exist in the painting.
The lyrics then pose questions to the painting - questioning its motive for smiling and whether it is an attempt to seduce a lover or a way for the woman to cover up her own broken heart. The lyrics also mention the many dreams that have been brought to the painting's doorstep, only to die and lie there unanswered, further emphasizing the sense of loneliness and isolation that is believed to exist in the painting. The final line of the song, "are you warm, are you real, Mona Lisa?", is almost a plea for the painting to reveal itself, as though the singer were desperate to understand the woman behind the canvas' veil.
Line by Line Meaning
Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa men have named you
Men have given you the name Mona Lisa
You're so like the lady with the mystic smile
Your facial expression is similar to that of a mysterious lady
Is it only cause you're lonely they have blamed you
Are people only associating your mysterious smile with loneliness and blaming you for it?
For that Mona Lisa strangeness in your smile
People find your smile strange and mysterious
Do you smile to tempt a lover Mona Lisa?
Are you smiling to attract a lover, Mona Lisa?
Or is this your way to hide a broken heart?
Alternatively, are you hiding a broken heart behind that smile?
Many dreams have been brought to your doorstep
A lot of people have gone to you with their dreams
They just lie there, and they die there
However, their dreams seem to be dying as they come to you
Are you warm, are you real Mona Lisa?
Are you a warm and genuine person, Mona Lisa?
Or just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art.
Or are you just a beautiful yet distant work of art?
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ray Evans, Jay Livingston
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind