# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/81 "2010-03-03T14:09:47Z")
I never understood why it was so vain of whomever to think the song was about him. It _was_ about him after all, wasn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/82 "2010-03-03T15:14:49Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I never understood why it was so vain of whomever to think the song was about him. It _was_ about him after all, wasn’t it? It was a rare pre-Alanis Morissette use of irony in popular music. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/83 "2010-03-03T15:34:46Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I never understood why it was so vain of whomever to think the song was about him. It _was_ about him after all, wasn’t it? IIRC, the classic explanation is that she’d seen _ **one** _ guy wearing an apricot scarf check himself out in the mirror upon walking into a party like he was walking onto a yacht – and that some _ **other** _ guy had once bedded her with that “we’d make such a pretty pair” line before casually breaking things off – and that she once listened to a vapid conversation from yet _ **another** _ guy who hangs out with the wife of a close friend and recently pocketed some winnings before dashing off to see a total eclipse – such that, whoever you are, most of the time she’s singing about someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/84 "2010-03-03T15:42:58Z")
I think whomever came up with that is over-analyzing what is basically a joke. That lyric is akin to Yogi Berra saying, “no one eats at that place anymore, it’s too crowded.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/85 "2010-03-03T16:08:16Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > I think whomever came up with that is over-analyzing what is basically a joke. Problem is, Carly Simon is the one who uses the word “composite” when fielding questions about who the song is about. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/86 "2010-03-03T16:59:10Z")
Yes, the inspiration for the character in the song is drawn from several individuals, but the character is supposed to be one person, or at least that seems to me the simplest interpretation. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/87 "2010-03-04T00:02:34Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I never understood why it was so vain of whomever to think the song was about him. It _was_ about him after all, wasn’t it? I think of it as a joke similar to “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you”. The mystery man could be so vain that he thinks all his ex-girlfriend’s songs were written with him in mind. This time he’s right, but that doesn’t make him any less vain. We could even imagine that the songwriter had heard that the mystery man was claiming to be the inspiration for a love song she’d written about someone else. She decided that a fitting punishment for his arrogance would be to write a song that actually was about him, and that revealed what she _really_ thought of him. ETA: I’m not claiming that the last paragraph actually explains Carly Simon’s motives, just that it’s one way to interpret the song – the (fictionalized) narrator wrote the song to get back at a vain ex who liked to claim a sort of credit for her success. ---
**Author:** ![flano1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f14d63/32.png) [@flano1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flano1)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/88 "2010-03-04T00:58:12Z")
apricot scarf, eh? i always thought it was: " apres cot ". ( don’t s got no idea how to put the accent in \* sigh \* ). ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/89 "2010-03-04T02:25:34Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Other entertainment revelations out this week: > > [ul] > [li]The horse’s name was actually “Jeff” all along. [/li][li]2 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar,1 tsp baking soda,1 tsp salt,1 tsp cocoa powder, 1 1/2 cups oil, 1 cup buttermilk, 2 eggs, 2 tbls red food coloring, 1 tsp white distilled vinegar, 1 tsp vanilla. Bake at 350 deg. Keep dry. [/li][li]It refers to the odd feeling you get during a simultaneous fart/hiccup, a condition often associated with being in love. [/li][li]The hotel was a particularly high income/rent earner when built on a novelty Monopoly game set put out by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.[/li][/ul] Please, for the love of god, someone needs to tell me what #2 is. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/90 "2010-03-04T02:27:02Z")
Presumably the lost recipe for the cake in MacArthur Park. It doesn’t say how long it’ll take to bake it, though. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/91 "2010-03-04T04:07:12Z")
Heh. Consider my ignorance fought. I always (mis)heard the lyric as “wife of a postman.” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/92 "2015-11-19T15:23:41Z")
Bumped. Carly Simon says that Warren Beatty was definitely an inspiration for the song - at least the second verse: [http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/19/entertainment/carly-simon-warren-beatty-youre-so-vain-feat/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/19/entertainment/carly-simon-warren-beatty-youre-so-vain-feat/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/93 "2015-11-19T16:20:34Z")
Wow, she’s really good at PR. Who else could get media attention for 40 years by revealing the same “secret” over and over? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/94 "2015-11-19T21:05:16Z")
Interesting that Jagger is one guess–he sang backup on the song, uncredited. That should be 2 tbls \*green \*food coloring. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/95 "2015-11-19T21:08:57Z")
I thought it was about me ☹ ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/96 "2015-11-19T21:20:18Z")
Can somebody explain #4? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/97 "2015-11-19T22:01:45Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > I think whomever came up with that is over-analyzing what is basically a joke. That lyric is akin to Yogi Berra saying, “no one eats at that place anymore, it’s too crowded.” Five years later, I’m vindicated. 😉 ---
**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:** [November 19, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/98 "2015-11-19T22:21:09Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > I still don’t believe the song is literally about one person. Me too. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/99 "2015-11-19T22:27:50Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > Can somebody explain #4? Hotel California, I assume. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/100 "2015-11-20T01:02:01Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Wow, she’s really good at PR. Who else could get media attention for 40 years by revealing the same “secret” over and over? Wait about a month, and Paul McCartney will reveal that Yoko didn’t really break up the Beatles, and that they are, actually, good friends. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536.md?page=6)