# 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:** 8\ **Page:** 6
**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:** [November 20, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/101 "2015-11-20T01:31:51Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Five years later, I’m vindicated. 😉 Well I didn’t disagree with your suggestion that the song was inspired by multiple people (I said so in our little back-and-forth). I was disagreeing with the notion that there are supposed to be multiple characters in the song. In other words I believe she’s singing to one character, a fictional character who is a composite of real people she knows. I may have misinterpreted your post in that regard, I’m not sure. But congratulations on being right about the multiple inspirations. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/102 "2015-11-20T04:03:05Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > That lyric is akin to Yogi Berra saying, “no one eats at that place anymore, it’s too crowded.” Wait, are you saying that Carly Simon wrote “You’re So Vain” about Yogi Berra? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/103 "2015-11-20T04:33:37Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Wait, are you saying that Carly Simon wrote “You’re So Vain” about Yogi Berra? Yogism: I’m very proud of being so humble. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/104 "2015-11-20T07:41:38Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > 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) I think that was a common conclusion long ago. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/105 "2015-11-26T02:46:58Z")
I think we know who the song is really about! [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/09zKoHUlhDY/hqdefault.jpg "Golden Throats - Tony Randall / Jack Klugman") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09zKoHUlhDY) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/106 "2015-11-26T13:11:00Z")
I just read a review of her memoir _Boys in the Trees_ in the NYTimes. The reviewer, Janet Maslin, basically says that Simon tries to dispel the notion that she was a child of privilege, and was really a victim of parental dysfunction which extended to her relationships. The bookflap refers to her as a “feminist icon” and yet her whole book is structured around men and her relationships with them. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2015, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/107 "2015-11-27T02:07:54Z")
> [@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? Seems maybe she’s the vain one. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2015, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536/108 "2015-11-27T02:19:37Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I just read a review of her memoir _Boys in the Trees_ in the NYTimes. The reviewer, Janet Maslin, basically says that Simon tries to dispel the notion that she was a child of privilege, and was really a victim of parental dysfunction which extended to her relationships. The bookflap refers to her as a “feminist icon” and yet her whole book is structured around men and her relationships with them. Her childhood, not to mention her marriage to Taylor and her many other romantic relationships, is detailed at disturbing length in Girls Like Us, mentioned above, and nothing in the Maslin review added anything to that. If people haven’t read [Girls Like Us](http://www.amazon.com/Girls-Like-Us-Simon---Generation/dp/0743491483/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448590738&sr=1-2&keywords=girls+like+us), it’s worth getting. Really three mini-biographies, but mini is often better than maxi biographies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carly-simon-reveals-youre-so-vain-inspiration/530536.md?page=5)