"Mono" is the debut single released by

Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, Love has had a career spanning four decades. She rose to promi ...

, as a solo artist. Released the week after its parent album, ''

America's Sweetheart "America's Sweetheart" is an unofficial title used by the American media to describe a public figure who is widely admired and beloved by the public. The title is typically bestowed upon a young woman publicly perceived as wholesome, charming, ...

'', the single was overshadowed by issues Love was undergoing in her personal life – namely her drug addiction and legal problems – and was a subsequent commercial failure. A promotional music video for the song was also created.

Background and production

"Mono" was one of the first songs recorded during the sessions for ''America's Sweetheart'', and was written by Love,

Linda Perry Linda Perry (born April 15, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. She is the lead singer and primary songwriter of 4 Non Blondes, including their 1993 hit " What's Up?". She has since founded two record label ...

, former

Hole A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid Body (physics), body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in m ...

bandmate,

Patty Schemel Patricia Theresa Schemel (born April 24, 1967) is an American drummer and musician who rose to prominence as the drummer of alternative rock band Hole from 1992 until 1998. Born in Los Angeles, Schemel was raised in rural Marysville, Washington, ...

and her brother, Larry Schemel. The song was recorded at Studio Miraval, a chateau in the south of France, in 2003. The alternate version of "Mono" – featured on the maxi single release – contains a sample of

dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American and British English spelling differences, American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literature, literary and theatrical form that depicts suc ...

from the 1963 movie ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

'' as spoken by actors

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

and

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

Music video

Directed by Chris Milk, the promotional music video for "Mono" received major airplay on British music channels such as The Box,

The Hits The Hits was a music video Television channel, channel broadcast in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland, owned by Box Television. On 15 August 2008 it was rebranded as 4Music. Overview and availability The channel showcased a ra ...

, TMF and Chart Show TV during Summer 2004. The music video featured a "sleeping beauty" theme.

Track listings and formats

*CAN / EU CD Single / EU 7" Vinyl #"Mono" – 3:39 #"Fly" – 2:56 *EU Maxi / UK CD Single #"Mono" – 3:39 #"Fly" – 2:56 #"Mono" (Alternate Version) – 3:41 #"Mono" (Video) – 3:39

Charts and sales

References

2004 singles Music videos directed by Chris Milk Songs written by Linda Perry Courtney Love songs Songs written by Courtney Love 2004 songs Virgin Records singles Song recordings produced by Josh Abraham {{2000s-rock-song-stub