# Carly Simon reveals "You're So Vain" inspiration **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 26, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536 "2010-02-26T17:38:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/1 "2010-02-26T17:38:40Z")
[Story here](http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/music/2071942,carly-simon-so-vain-david-geffen-022610.article). Who could it be? Warren Beatty? Mick Jagger? Cat Stevens? Nope… The answer is… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Geffen. Kind of a letdown after all that build-up. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/2 "2010-02-26T17:43:50Z")
> [@HelloNinja](#): > > [Story here](http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/music/2071942,carly-simon-so-vain-david-geffen-022610.article). > > Who could it be? Warren Beatty? Mick Jagger? Cat Stevens? Nope… > The answer is… > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > . > > David Geffen. > > Kind of a letdown after all that build-up. 10-4 ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/3 "2010-02-26T17:44:58Z")
Lame. I can see why she kept it a secret. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/4 "2010-02-26T17:48:23Z")
"You’re so lame; you prob’ly think you’re like David Geffen"… Hey, she might get another song out of that… ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/5 "2010-02-26T18:14:24Z")
Now if we can just find who really shot JFK! ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/6 "2010-02-26T18:21:32Z")
So the question is: did he think that song was about him? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/7 "2010-02-26T18:25:16Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > So the question is: did he think that song was about him? Probably. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/8 "2010-02-26T18:28:19Z")
But David Geffen is gay. So how does that make sense with Carly accusing the subject of being with “the wife of your best friend, wife of your best friend?” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Facts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@The\_Facts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Facts)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/9 "2010-02-26T18:44:13Z")
Won’t this just make him more vain? I thought that was the point of not telling. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/10 "2010-02-26T18:45:45Z")
Maybe it’s a big giant whoosh. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/11 "2010-02-26T18:50:57Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Maybe it’s a big giant whoosh. My vote. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/12 "2010-02-26T18:57:11Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > But David Geffen is gay. So how does that make sense with Carly accusing the subject of being with “the wife of your best friend, wife of your best friend?” So probably David Geffen never thought the song was about him. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/13 "2010-02-26T18:58:39Z")
I’m thinking that Warren Beatty STILL thinks it’s about him. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/14 "2010-02-26T19:09:41Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > I’m thinking that Warren Beatty STILL thinks it’s about him. Hell, _I_ still think it’s about Warren Beatty. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/15 "2010-02-26T19:11:12Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > But David Geffen is gay. So how does that make sense with Carly accusing the subject of being with “the wife of your best friend, wife of your best friend?” I still don’t believe the song is literally about one person. Maybe it’s primarily inspired by Geffen, but I suspect she mixed in some other characters and/or fictional details. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/16 "2010-02-26T19:17:26Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > But David Geffen is gay. So how does that make sense with Carly accusing the subject of being with “the wife of your best friend, wife of your best friend?” Simon has claimed all along that the subject of the song was a composite of a few people she knew. It’s the Apocalypse, I tells ya! First Deep Throat comes forward, then Carly Simon reveals the subject of “You’re So Vain.” Looks like the world might really end in 2012, after all. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/17 "2010-02-26T19:18:16Z")
Not long ago on NPR I heard where some guy paid big bucks for some sort of fundraiser to find the answer to that. She supposedly told him and apparently he would not tell anyone the answer. I wonder if he is still alive and if so what he has to say about it. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/18 "2010-02-26T19:18:34Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > It’s the Apocalypse, I tells ya! First Deep Throat comes forward, then Carly Simon reveals the subject of “You’re So Vain.” Looks like the world might really end in 2012, after all. Next: American Pie revealed?? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/19 "2010-02-26T19:21:15Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Next: American Pie revealed?? And then they find the body and Easter gets cancelled. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/20 "2010-02-26T19:21:41Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > But David Geffen is gay. So how does that make sense with Carly accusing the subject of being with “the wife of your best friend, wife of your best friend?” Or “You had me several years ago, when I was still quite naive” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536.md?page=2)