Who is "So Vain"?

[kalogrias]

Who do you think Carly Simon is talking about in "You're So Vain"? I've read a couple of recent interviews with her, and that question STILL comes up! And she still won't answer it...LOL.

That, and I'm bored...

[Standrea]

I always thought it was James Taylor, but who knows?

[jnettie]

I've heard it's Mick Jagger.

[Sophia]

I've always heard Warren Beatty.

[snowzilla]

I'd always heard it was Mick Jagger - and that's who I imagine now everytime I hear that song (which I love, btw). :)

[Kate&Joey]

DH says it's about him...he can be a little, ahem, full of himself sometimes. ;)

Mick Jagger sings background in the song. You can hear him towards the end. I'm 99% sure that she did admit (fairly recently) that it was written about Warren Beatty, but now I'm second guessing myself. :confused:

[LeslieR]

Didn't she auction off the answer for charity? We may never find out!

I always thought it was Mick Jagger.

[Fenway]

DH says it's about him...he can be a little, ahem, full of himself sometimes. ;)
Mick Jagger sings background in the song. You can hear him towards the end. I'm 99% sure that she did admit (fairly recently) that it was written about Warren Beatty, but now I'm second guessing myself. :confused:

That can't be possible, because my DH insists it's about him. :p

I always thought it was JT.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Didn't she auction off the answer for charity? We may never find out!

I always thought it was Mick Jagger.
Yes! I remember seeing a story in the news about that, and the guy who won the auction had to sign something saying he wouldn't give away the information.

I personally always thought it was Warren Beatty. Although I don't know why. Not like I have any insider information. ;)

[alisong]

Wikipedia has an impressively comprehensive entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27re_so_vain)on the subject, but reaches no conclusions. It does give details about the auction winner:Dick Ebersol, president of NBC Sports and a friend of Simon, was the highest bidder for a Martha's Vineyard Possible Dreams charity auction offering in which the prize was the revelation of the person whom "You're So Vain" was about. A condition of that prize is that Ebersol would not reveal to anyone the actual subject. Later, Ebersol revealed that he was allowed by Simon to divulge a clue about the person's name:

"Carly told me that I could offer up to the entire world, a clue as to what she'll tell me when we have this night in about two weeks. And the clue is: the letter 'E' is in the person's name."

[KK812]

DH told me it was Hugh Hefner. :confused:

[brenda]

I think she's singing about a type of guy, not a specific one - so I say all three, along with any other self-absorbed guys she knew.

[akacharlotte]

I've always thought it was James Taylor. :)

[Sophia]

I doubt it's James Taylor. She married him a month before the song hit #1, and one of the lyrics is "You had me several years ago when I was still quite naive."

[mkvh]

I always have heard Warren Beatty as well. And now I'm singing in my head.... ;)

[gayle]

Warren Beatty

[AttyGrl74]

Men, in general.

[ginastorm]

I've always thought it was Warren Beatty too.

[Phen]

Warren Beatty.

~ Phen

[akacharlotte]

I doubt it's James Taylor. She married him a month before the song hit #1, and one of the lyrics is "You had me several years ago when I was still quite naive."

I did not know that. I've never heard the Warren Beatty connection...just James Taylor. :)

[pontmarie]

Add me to the "I've always thought it was Warren Beatty" club :D

[ginadc]

Another Beatty voter here. I had never actually heard Jagger or Taylor before.

[jellybeany]

There are a bunch of interview blurbs on her website about this http://www.carlysimon.com/vain/vain.html . :)

[bookworm]

I thought it was Beatty as well. I don't think it's about men in general b/c she did agree to reveal the name to the highest bidder (and even though it was for charity, that would seem not quite ethical if it wasn't about a specific person).

[GoCougs]

Another Beatty voter here. I had never actually heard Jagger or Taylor before.

That's funny. I had never heard Warren Beatty or Mick Jagger before. I always thought it was about James Taylor.

[Katy]

I"m in the WB camp. It never occurred to me that it would be JT since they were married and the song was out prior to the marriage.

Sidenote: have you guys heard their son, Ben Taylor sing? He sounds just like his dad.

[Dally]

I've always thought it was Beatty, too. He had a reputation as a womanizer, so it fits.

[whos that girl]

I'll bet that Warren Beatty is so vain that he probably does think the song is about him, whether it is or not.

I always heard that it was about Warren Beatty.

[jnettie]

I'd rule out James Taylor, just because he seems like such a nice guy to me. But I'd believe Beatty or Jagger.

[Lizard]

Funny, I've always heard it was Mick Jagger.

[Nikker]

I've always heard it was James Taylor. I've never even heard anything about it being Mick or Warren. :dunno:

[NotDesperate]

Standrea, is that your daughter in your avatar? She is sooo cute!!!

[Standrea]

Standrea, is that your daughter in your avatar? She is sooo cute!!!


Yes, it is! Thank you! :D