Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile

"Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile" is a song written by Johnny Cunningham and recorded by David Allan Coe. It was the first single from Coe's 1984 album Just Divorced, and was released to radio in early 1984. The song is Coe's highest-charting single, with a peak of number two on the U.S. country music charts.

"Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile"
Single by David Allan Coe
from the album Just Divorced
B-side"Someone Special"[1]
ReleasedMarch 1984 (1984-03)
FormatSingle
GenreCountry
Length3:38
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Johnny Cunningham
Producer(s)Billy Sherrill
David Allan Coe singles chronology
"Ride 'em Cowboy"
(1983)		 "Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile"
(1984)		 "It's Great to Be Single Again"
(1984)

Content

The song is a mid-tempo ballad about a young blonde girl, featuring allusions to the iconic Da Vinci painting.

Critical reception

Thom Jurek of Allmusic described the song favorably in his review, saying that "[t]he layered strings and organ work are slick, but they add such warmth and depth in contrast to Coe's voice that it works to devastating effect."[2]

Chart performance

The song spent twenty-two weeks on the Billboard country singles charts, reaching a peak of number two and accounting for Coe's highest peak there.[1] In Canada, it reached Number One on the RPM Country Tracks charts dated for June 30, 1984.[3]

Chart (1984) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 2
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 1

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 98. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
  2. Jurek, Thom. "Just Divorced review". Allmusic. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  3. "RPM Country Tracks for June 30, 1984". RPM. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
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