The Ballad of Mona Lisa
"The Ballad of Mona Lisa" | ||||
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Single by Panic! at the Disco | ||||
from the album Vices & Virtues | ||||
Released | February 1, 2011 | |||
Recorded | Summer 2010 | |||
Genre |
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Length | 3:47 (Album Version) 3:34 (Music Video Version) | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
Panic! at the Disco singles chronology | ||||
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"The Ballad of Mona Lisa" (commonly referred to as simply "Mona Lisa") is a song by American rock band Panic! at the Disco, released February 1, 2011, as the first single from the group's third studio album, Vices & Virtues (2011). Vocalist Brendon Urie wrote the song to express personal struggles and convictions many years prior to its official production for Vices & Virtues. The song impacted radio on February 15, 2011.[1] The song has received positive critical reviews upon its release and reached number 89 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Background
"The Ballad of Mona Lisa", written by lead singer
Musically, the song is similar to those produced for the band's debut album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out (2005); however, Urie explained in a 2011 interview that the song represented more of a new beginning. Urie said "It was a new start when Spencer Smith and I started writing, so it was gonna end up sounding different, sonically."[4] The music has been described as a combination of buzzsaw riffs, punchy percussion and literate, multi-layered lyrics.[5] The song's title is an allusion to Mona Lisa, the famous Renaissance-era oil painting by Leonardo da Vinci. In a 2011 interview, Urie regarded the name and theme of the song as neither male nor female. “That whole thing with Mona Lisa was the idea that there is this character. For us, you look at the painting, and you can’t tell what this person is thinking. Not showing too much emotion, there’s this Mona Lisa smile masking what’s going on in that person’s head," he explained. "The song is about a battle in yourself […] an inner struggle in oneself. The duality in nature, where you see yourself as a bad person, and the good person trying to correct your bad habits. That’s what it was about. We thought that would be an easy way to describe how we were masking our own emotions and trying to figure out how we can solve the bad choices we make."[6]
Release
The single was announced in the December 2010 issue of singles chart, spending eleven weeks on it.
Critical reception
Stylistically, "The Ballad of Mona Lisa" has been labeled as
In the UK on BBC Radio 1, the song, which was not released until 27 March, was Scott Mills' record of the week and went on to make the Radio 1 A-list on Wednesday 23 March.
"The Ballad of Mona Lisa" re-entered the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart at #142 upon the release of Vices & Virtues.
Music video
The video of "The Ballad of Mona Lisa" was directed by Shane Drake (who previously directed the video for the band's breakthrough hit "I Write Sins Not Tragedies")[25] and produced by Brandon Bonfiligo.[26] The video was released on February 8, 2011, on MTV's website shortly after midnight.[5] In a review of the video, MTV News' James Montgomery remarked, "In a lot of ways, "Mona Lisa" is as much about saying goodbye to the band's past as it is about embracing its future ... which sort of makes sense, and not just because the video takes place at a wake."[27]
The steampunk-themed video bears many similarities to the video for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies", from the church setting to various camera shots (The top hat used in the clip of the dusty pews, is the same one used years prior for the music video for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies").[25] The video documents the steps for preparing and displaying a body before burial in the Victorian era, from shutting the windows and covering up mirrors to laying the body out in white so loved ones could mourn. This also serves as a way to stop communication between the dead and the living. The similarities to "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" were not lost on Smith and Urie. "When we were talking about the concept, somebody had the idea to kind of tie in to the beginning of the "Sins" video, and we realized it would work with it", Smith said. "It was a nice homage to some of the first stuff that we had done with Shane", Urie added. "And also, for us, mostly, it was closure."[27]
The video’s main feature was Urie encouraging a little girl to open the dead body’s hand and find a note. She picks it up and opens it, exposing it to the others at the funeral. The note says, “Mary did it,” saying that one woman from the crowd who had been trying to stop communication with Urie had murdered the man and she is captured by a net.
The
Track listing
All tracks are written by Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Ballad of Mona Lisa" | 3:48 |
Total length: | 3:48 |
Charts
Charts (2011) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[29] | 21 |
43 | |
US Billboard Hot 100[31] | 89 |
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[32]
|
24 |
US Rock Songs (Billboard)[33]
|
50 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[35] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ "AllAccess.com Alternative eWeekly". AllAccess. February 8, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ James Montgomery (February 3, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco Have 'That Feeling Again' On Vices & Virtues". MTV News. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ Bill Palmer (March 21, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco – the Beatweek interview: Vices & Virtues & more". Beatweek. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
- ^ James Montgomery (February 2, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco Move Forward, Address The Past On Vices & Virtues". MTV News. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ a b Kyle Anderson (February 9, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco's 'The Ballad Of Mona Lisa' Video: The Key Scene". MTV News. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
- ^ Valerie Nome (March 22, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco Frontman Moves Forward". OK!. Archived from the original on March 24, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
- ^ a b Tyler Common (December 20, 2010). "Panic! At The Disco say new album is "nearly finished", reveal title and single details". Nova 96.9. Archived from the original on December 26, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
- ChartAttack. January 19, 2011. Archived from the original on January 22, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2011.)
{{cite magazine}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link - Idolator. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ Mitch Michaels (January 25, 2011). "Check Out Panic! At The Disco's New Song". 411Mania. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Panic! At The Disco Respond to Public Demand; VICES & VIRTUES to Be Released on March 22nd". Marketwire. February 15, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
- ^ Ross, Jenay (January 30, 2011). "Panic at the Disco! unveils "The Ballad of Mona Lisa"". Daily Trojan. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ "Panic! at the Disco are back with dark pop punk at HMV". Tamworth Herald. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Corner, Lewis (March 24, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco: 'The Ballad of Mona Lisa'". Digital spy. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ Grischow, Chad (March 29, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco: Vices & Virtues Review: Shrinking the band does not necessarily mean shrinking the sound on new album". IGN. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
- ^ Antonsson, Katie (May 25, 2014). "Best of the B Sides: "Hurricane"". rockonphilly.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ Lemeshow-Barooshian, Rae (October 23, 2018). "The Best Emo Song of Every Year Since 1998". Loudwire. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- ^ William Goodman (January 31, 2011). "Panic! at the Disco Grow Up for New Album". Spin. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
- ^ John MacDonald (February 2, 2011). "Panic! at the Disco Unveil New Tunes in NYC". Spin. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ Jon Pareles (February 3, 2011). "A Return to Power, Properly Punctuated". USA Today. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ "New Panic! at the Disco single "more like debut album."". Nova 96.9. January 9, 2011. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
- ^ Wendy Rollins (January 6, 2011). follow up to all those asking...the song i heard from #panicatthedisco is called "the ballad of mona lisa". Twitter. Retrieved on January 20, 2011.
- ^ Emily Tan (February 2, 2011). "Panic! At the Disco Cry at 'Vices & Virtues' Live Debut". AOL. Archived from the original on February 22, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ Annie Zaleski (January 24, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie opens up about Vices & Virtues". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on July 13, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
- ^ a b James Montgomery (February 8, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco's 'The Ballad Of Mona Lisa' Video: A Steampunk Wake". MTV News. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
- ^ Jillian Mapes (January 19, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco Sets Mar. 29 Release for 'Vices & Virtues'". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e James Montgomery (February 8, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco's 'Mona Lisa' Video: Go Behind The Scenes". MTV News. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
- ^ William Goodman (February 8, 2011). "Panic! Talk "Eerie" New Video". Spin. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
- ^ "Panic! At the Disco – The Ballad of Mona Lisa". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ ""The Ballad of Mona Lisa" Chart Performance on the Billboard charts". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/artist/panic-at-the-disco/chart-history/
- ^ "Billboard". Billboard.
- ^ "British single certifications – Panic At the Disco – The Ballad Of Mona Lisa". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "American single certifications – Panic At the Disco – The Ballad of Mona Lisa". Recording Industry Association of America.