In 1972 Carly Simon released “You’re So Vain”, a wonderful song about the demise of a relationship with a self-absorbed individual. For over 40 years, the subject of the song has remained a secret, with Simon only dropping the occasional hint as to his identity. These hints have included that his name contained the letters A, E, and R, and she’s rebuked allegations that the song was about rumoured ex Mick Jagger (who actually sings back up vocals on the song).
Simon was recently interviewed by People Magazine while promoting her upcoming autobiography entitled Boys In The Trees. In the interview she confirmed that the song is actually about three people, not just one, making the refrain of “you’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you” that much more more poignant. Simon also confirmed that the second verse is about none other than actor, and one-time romantic partner, Warren Beatty, saying “I have confirmed that the second verse is Warren”. As a refresher, the lyrics to the second verse are:
You had me several years ago when I was still quite naive/Well you said that we made such a pretty pair/And that you would never leave/But you gave away the things you loved and one of them was me/I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee/Clouds in my coffee, and…
Simon asserts that the other two verses are about two other individuals, though she says that “Warren thinks the whole thing is about him!”. She is keeping the names of the other two people a secret, for now, or “at least until they know it’s about them”.
You can watch a 2009 live recording of Simon singing the now-classic song below.
