Youre so vain who is she singing about

Simon has said in the past that the song refers to three men, but only one of whom she has named publicly is actor Warren Beatty. In , she said it is not about Mick Jagger , who also contributed uncredited backing vocals to the song. In , Warren Beatty said: "Let's be honest. That song was about me. Simon has also given "letter clues", and has claimed that the subject's name contains the letters A, E, and R.

Shortly before she wrote the song, Simon was married to singer James Taylor. However, she has said that he was "definitely not" the subject of the song. In August , Simon agreed to reveal the name of the song's subject to the highest bidder of the Martha's Vineyard Possible Dreams charity auction. However, a condition of the prize was that Ebersol would not reveal the name. And I've given out two letters already, an 'A' and an 'E.

I'm going to add an 'R' in honour of you. In her book Girls Like Us , author Sheila Weller includes an account of Simon's love affair with musician Dan Armstrong, and ponders that he was the inspiration for the song. Armstrong's full name, Daniel Kent Armstrong , contains all three letters of Simon's clue. In November , Simon said: "I have confirmed that the second verse is Warren" and added that while "Warren thinks the whole thing is about him," he is the subject of that verse only.

For the latest songwriting tips, reviews, podcasts, and more. Facebook Twitter instagram pinterest youtube. Search Search for: Search. Cart 0. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Only members can comment. Remember Me. He certainly thought it was about him — he called me and said thanks for the song.

For decades, Simon remained mum on the subject. But 31 years after the song came out, she finally gave up her secret in — but only to one person, then-NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol.

An odd recipient of such coveted information, the television executive had good reason to be the co-secret keeper. Simon proceeded through life, teasing and dropping hints, but keeping the identity of the arrogant subject to herself. But in , when she was promoting her memoir, Boys in the Trees , she used her secret as ammunition for publicity.

And she added more mystery to her loophole. A popular target was Taylor, who she was married to from to — including during the release and popularity of the song. But Simon quickly denied it was about him during an interview the couple did together for Rolling Stone in I heard it played on the piano and sung.