In 1983, acclaimed American jazz pianist Keith Jarrett asked bassist Gary P… Read Full Bio ↴In 1983, acclaimed American jazz pianist Keith Jarrett asked bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette (the latter his colleague in the Charles Lloyd Quartet of the late 1960s) to record an album of jazz standards that was released simply entitled Standards, Volume 1. The three had previously worked on Peacock's 1977 album Tales of Another.

Standards, Volume 2 and Changes, both recorded at the same session in New York, followed soon after. The success of these albums and the group's ensuing tour, which came as traditional acoustic post-bop was enjoying an upswing in the early 1980s, led to this new "Standards Trio" becoming one of the premier working groups in jazz, and certainly one of the most enduring, continuing to record and perform live over more than twenty years.

The Jarrett/Peacock/DeJohnette trio has also produced recordings that consist largely of challenging original material, most notably 1987's Changeless. (These recordings are noted above.) Several of the standards albums contain an original track or two, some attributed to Jarrett but mostly group improvisations. The live recordings Inside Out and Always Let Me Go (both released in 2001) marked a renewed interest by the trio in wholly improvised free jazz. By this point in their history, the musical communication between these three men had become all but telepathic, and their group improvisations frequently take on a complexity that sounds almost composed. The Standards Trio undertakes frequent world tours of recital halls (the only venues in which Jarrett, a notorious stickler for acoustic sound, will play these days) and is one of the few truly lucrative jazz groups to play both "straight-ahead" (as opposed to smooth) and free jazz.

Mona Lisa
Keith Jarrett Trio Lyrics

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Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa men have named you
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

Are you warm, are you real Mona Lisa?
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.

Overall Meaning

The song "Mona Lisa" by Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette is a musical tribute to Leonardo da Vinci's famous portrait of the same name. The lyrics express the fascination and mystery that the painting evokes, questioning whether the subject's enigmatic smile is a deliberate attempt to seduce or a way to conceal a broken heart.

The song also probes the nature of art itself, wondering if the Mona Lisa's beauty is simply a façade or if she is truly warm and authentic. The repeated use of her name throughout the song emphasizes her iconic status and underscores the power that art can hold over our imaginations.

Overall, "Mona Lisa" is a haunting and introspective song that perfectly captures the enduring appeal of one of the most famous works of art in history.

Line by Line Meaning

Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa men have named you
Oh, Mona Lisa, people have given you a name and you are famous now.

You're so like the lady with the mystic smile
Your smile, Mona Lisa, has become legendary, like that of women with mystical powers.

Is it only cause you're lonely they have blamed you
People blame your strangeness, Mona Lisa, on your loneliness.

For that Mona Lisa strangeness in your smile
Your smile, Mona Lisa, is considered strange by many.

Do you smile to tempt a lover Mona Lisa?
Mona Lisa, is your smile a way of attracting a lover?

Or is this your way to hide a broken heart?
Or is it that you are trying to hide a broken heart with your smile, Mona Lisa?

Many dreams have been brought to your doorstep
Mona Lisa, people have come to you with many dreams and hopes.

They just lie there, and they die there
But those dreams, Mona Lisa, just wither away unfulfilled.

Are you warm, are you real Mona Lisa?
Mona Lisa, are you a warm and genuine person or just a lifeless artwork?

Or just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art.
Or are you nothing more than a beautiful yet cold and lonely piece of art, Mona Lisa?

Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa.
Oh, Mona Lisa, everyone knows your name and your smile.