This song was written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston for the movie Captain Carey, U.S.A... It won an Oscar for Best Song.
Before this big hit Nat King Cole was better known as a pianist. As a result of the success of this recording he became recognized as a vocalist.
This soundtrack version by Nat King Cole spent 8 weeks as #1 in the Billboard chart in the USA in 1950.
In 1987, this was used as the theme of the British film Mona Lisa.
Livingston told American Songwriter Magazine July/August 1988 the story behind this song: "There was a picture called OSS, which took place during World War II, and Alan Ladd was in a little Italian town where the clandestine radio was, and they needed a song to warn them that the German patrol was coming. There was this blind accordion player who wasn't blind playing on the street and every time he saw the Germans coming he would play a certain melody, so we wrote 'Mona Lisa' and they said that it sounded Italian and they liked it. Then they called us and said they had changed the title from OSS to After Midnight and we had to write a song with that title. They loved title songs because it sold their picture. So we threw away the lyrics of 'Mona Lisa' and wrote 'After Midnight.' A month later we picked up Variety and read where Alan Ladd's new picture was going to be called Captain Carey, USA.
We went back to the studio and asked for 'Mona Lisa' back, and then pitched it to Nat King Cole and he liked it and recorded it on the back of 'The Greatest Inventor of Them All.' So we went on a junket for Paramount about that time, and we took the records with us and we must have been on 25 or 30 radio shows, and when we got back the song was a hit. But the original ads for the record didn't even mention 'Mona Lisa,' just 'The Greatest Inventor.' I think us pushing it really made the difference in that song being a hit."
Mona Lisa
Nat King Cole 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
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
, men have named you, you're so like the lady with the mystic smile. These opening lyrics of Nat King Cole’s classic song ‘Mona Lisa’ beautifully capture the wonder and mystery surrounding the subject of the famous Leonardo da Vinci portrait, and indeed all women who seem to embody an enigmatic quality that draws men in. The song asks whether the subject of the painting, Mona Lisa, is lonely or brokenhearted, or if her enigmatic smile is simply meant to charm and tempt lovers. It also muses on the dormant dreams and desires of those who have been drawn to her beauty but left without fulfilling them.
The song paints a picture of a timeless beauty frozen in time, a woman whose undying allure has captivated generations of men. It suggests that she might be more than just a painting, that men have ascribed a kind of life and meaning to her that transcends her artistic value. The lyricist questions whether there is more to Mona Lisa than just an enigmatic smile, whether she is “warm” and “real” or whether she is simply a “cold and lonely lovely work of art”.
Overall, the song is a tribute to the power of enigma, the mystery that surrounds beauty and the way it touches the human heart. It is a poignant reminder of the complexity of love and the power of art to capture a moment in time and preserve it for posterity.
Line by Line Meaning
Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa, men have named you
You are a representation of art, admired and sought after by many.
You're so like the lady with the mystic smile
Your enigmatic smile is similar to that of the mysterious lady.
Is it only 'cause you're lonely they have blamed you?
People often blame your mysterious smile on your loneliness.
For that Mona Lisa strangeness in your smile?
Your smile has a strange, mysterious quality to it that is often talked about.
Do you smile to tempt a lover, Mona Lisa?
Do you use your captivating smile to attract a potential love interest, Mona Lisa?
Or is this your way to hide a broken heart?
Perhaps your smile is simply a way for you to hide a broken heart.
Many dreams have been brought to your doorstep
Countless people have come to see you and your smile, hoping to fulfill their own dreams of love and happiness.
They just lie there and they die there
However, those dreams often go unfulfilled and wither away in your presence.
Are you warm, are you real, Mona Lisa?
Are you a living, breathing person with warmth and emotion, or simply a cold and lifeless work of art?
Or just a cold and lonely lovely work of art?
Perhaps you are just a beautiful painting, admired from afar by countless admirers but ultimately alone and cold.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ray Evans, Jay Livingston
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
john
on A Blossom Fell
i want the song" I'll never settle for less" lyrics,would somebody be so kind to give it to me?