About The Song

“Mona Lisa” is a timeless song performed by Nat King Cole, written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston for the 1950 Paramount Pictures film “Captain Carey, U.S.A.”. “Mona Lisa” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, showcasing its enduring cultural significance.

The song compares the subject’s mystique to the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, known for its enigmatic smile and iconic status in art history. The lyrics evoke themes of loneliness and fascination with the subject’s allure, contributing to the song’s universal appeal.

Video

Lyrics

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