“Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” – Elton John
(Words/music: Elton John and Bernie Taupin, available on Honky Chateau, Uni / MCA 1972)

“Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” was always one of my favorite Elton John songs in part because it speaks to a very specific part of my personality.  Every so often – either when I have a deadline approaching and I’m woefully behind or just when I’m overloaded in general – I shutdown and ignore the outside world.  While this might be my body’s way of telling me to stay home and get caught up, I’m rarely productive when I’m in this mood.  Instead, I lose motivation for anything – getting work done, making plans, or doing anything generally active.  These are the moments that I feel very lonely, and because I’m stressed out, my brain shuts off the logical solution; I know that I need to get off the couch, but I lack any willpower to do it.  Eventually, I snap out of it and feel better and deal with whatever caused the stress in the first place, and often it’s spurred on by some innocuous act from someone else. I’m usually too tired to accept plans, so these are usually subtle, unintended acts or correspondences.  These are the moments where I simultaneously accept that I need these solitary moments, if for no other reason than to appreciate my friends.

Both musically and lyrically, “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” focuses on the necessary details.  John holds off on the sappy strings that make some of his other ballads a little too sentimental for my taste.  Instead, he relies on piano and electric bass for most of the song (and I’m surprised I haven’t heard more of this combination), only occasionally indulging in a couple excellent guitar fills and backing harmonies (and an amazing mandolin bit that Club Rob reminded me about and I was foolish to overlook).  With this minimal arrangement, Bernie Taupin’s lyrics seem scaled back as well, consisting of a few key descriptions of the protagonist’s experiences in the city, explicit thanks to his friends, and his description of the people he sees caught in the rat race.  We often think of John as a model of excess (specifically for his lavish stage costumes later in his career), but songs like “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” show how John achieves success with the bare essentials – relying on beautifully simple songs to connect with his audience.  Also, it’s a reminder of the balance many of us struggle with – we want to work hard and be successful, and sometimes it wears us down to exhaustion.  However, without our supporting core there to help bring perspective, we’re liable to lose entire days with our heads focused down.  Just as John and Taupin took a moment to step back and appreciate simplicity, we need to take time and appreciate those who keep us sane when the rest of the world feels like it’s moving too fast.

More on Elton John: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm