She hasn’t kissed anyone, shown the lady bits off, or said anything particularly controversial in the past twenty four hours…Needless to say, I’m concerned. Therefore, a brief trip down memory lane is in order.
Back in the days of possibility, Britney ran over to KIIS FM in L.A. in 2005 to preview a song from her upcoming album, tentatively titled The Original Doll. The project was later scrapped, though recordings from the sessions remain (some still unheard).
“Mona Lisa” is undoubtedly a departure from her older material, as well as the first time that Britney showed any sort of “rebellion” within her material. It was later rerecorded and rewritten for the Chaotic DVD release, but the second version lacks the rawness of the original demo.
It’s a bit chilling to hear the song now as she sings about Mona Lisa’s downfall (she’s referred to “Mona Lisa” as her alter ego). The lyrics signaled the death of bubblegum Britney, and the start of something new: “She was taken under, drowning in her sea / Running like an angel, she was crying and could not see / See everyone’s watching as she starts to fall / They want her to break down, and be a legend of the fall.” The vocals are surely nothing to write home about, nor is her poetic expertise, but hey, she actually wrote this one. And the lyrics ring frighteningly true lately, now don’t they?