About The Song
“You’re So Vain” is a song written and performed by American singer and songwriter Carly Simon and released in November 1972. It is one of the songs with which Simon is most identified, and in early 1973 reached No. 1 in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In 1994, it was ranked 72nd in Billboard magazine’s 50th anniversary all-time chart.
For years, fans and media pressed the artist about the infamous hook: You’re so vain / You probably think this song is about you. Guesses ranged from Warren Beatty, Mick Jagger, Kris Kristofferson, Jack Nicholson, and Cat Stevens—all previous flings.
Finally, after 43 years, Simon admitted to People Magazine in 2015 that “the second verse is Warren.” Their fleeting New York City romance is summed up in the following lines: 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.
In her 2015 memoir, Boys in the Trees, Simon shares an intimate anecdote to illustrate Beatty for her readers. After staying over with the award-winning actor, Simon told her therapist about the evening to which the therapist responded “All I’ll say is, you’re not the only patient of mine who spent the night last night with Warren Beatty.”
In addition to that clarity, Simon also revealed that Beatty isn’t the only sorry subject of the song. But remaining on brand, she told People, “Warren thinks the whole thing is about him!”
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Lyric
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You walked into the party
Like you were walking onto a yacht
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye
Your scarf it was apricot
You had one eye in the mirror
As you watched yourself gavotteAnd all the girls dreamed that they’d be your partner
They’d be your partner, and…You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You’re so vain, I bet you think this song is about you
Don’t you, don’t you?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…You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You’re so vain, I bet you think this song is about you
Don’t you, don’t you?I had some dreams they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and…You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You’re so vain, I bet you think this song is about you
Don’t you, don’t you?Well, I hear you went up to Saratoga
And your horse, Naturally, won.
Then you flew your Lear jet up to Nova Scotia
To see the total eclipse of the sun.
Well, you’re where you should be all the time
And when you’re not you’re with some underworld spy
Or the wife of a close friend
Wife of a close friend…You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You’re so vain, I bet you think this song is about you
Don’t you, don’t you?You’re so vain
You probably think this song is about you