"You're So Vain" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Carly Simon | ||||
from the album No Secrets | ||||
B-side | "His Friends Are More Than Fond of Robin" | |||
Released | November 8, 1972 | |||
Recorded | 1972 | |||
Studio | Trident | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:19 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Songwriter(s) | Carly Simon | |||
Producer(s) | Richard Perry [3] | |||
Carly Simon singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"You're So Vain" on YouTube |
"You're So Vain" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released as a single in November 1972. The lyrics describe a self-absorbed lover. The subject's identity has long been a matter of speculation. Simon said the song refers to three men, one of whom she has named publicly: the actor Warren Beatty. The bass guitar intro was played by Klaus Voormann. [4] The strings were arranged by Simon and orchestrated by Paul Buckmaster.
In early 1973, "You're So Vain" reached No. 1 in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In 1994, it was ranked 72nd in the Billboard 50th anniversary all-time chart. [5] At the 16th Annual Grammy Awards in 1974, it was nominated for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It was voted No. 216 in RIAA's Songs of the Century, and in August 2014, the UK's Official Charts Company named it the ultimate song of the 1970s. In 2021, the song was ranked 495th on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Simon wrote "You're So Vain" over the course of a year. She had already written the chorus lyric, "‘You’re so vain / You probably think this song is about you". A year later, she saw a man wearing a scarf arrive at a party and study himself in a mirror; a friend of Simon said "he looks like he's walking onto a yacht", inspiring the rest of the lyrics. [6]
Simon used the word "gavotte", a French dance, as it provided a necessary rhyme and "that’s what a pretentious, vain man would do". [6] The line "clouds in my coffee" was inspired by a comment from her piano player, Billy Mernit, who observed that clouds were reflected in a cup of coffee she was drinking. [6] Before Simon rewrote the lyrics, the song was titled "Bless You, Ben". [6]
In 1972, Simon told an interviewer that the song was about "men", not a specific man. [7] In 1983, she said it was not about Mick Jagger, [8] who contributed uncredited backing vocals to the song. [9] In a 1993 book, Angie Bowie said she was the wife of a "close friend" mentioned in "You're So Vain", and that Jagger had been "obsessed" with her. [10]
Simon appeared as a guest artist on Janet Jackson's 2001 single "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)", which sampled "You're So Vain". In the song, Simon recites: "The apricot scarf was worn by Nick / Nothing in the words referred to Mick." [11] "Nick" refers to the novelist Nicholas Delbanco, whom Simon dated in the 1960s. [11]
Simon denied that the song referred to her ex-husband James Taylor. [12] David Bowie, David Cassidy and Cat Stevens have been cited by the press as possibilities. [13] [14] [15]
In August 2003, Simon agreed to reveal the subject to the highest bidder of the Martha's Vineyard Possible Dreams charity auction. The highest bid was $50,000 from Simon's friend Dick Ebersol, the president of NBC Sports. A condition of the prize was that Ebersol not reveal the name. [16] Ebersol said Simon allowed him to divulge a clue, and said the person's name contained the letter E. [17] In 2004, Simon said the name also contained the letters A and R. [18] In 2005, Simon's ex-husband, Jim Hart, said he was sure the song was not about anyone famous. [19]
In her 2008 book Girls Like Us, Sheila Weller includes a detailed account of Simon's love affair with the musician Dan Armstrong, and suggests that he was the inspiration. Her heartbreak over losing him inspired the song "Dan, My Fling", which appears on her first album. [20]
The radio host Howard Stern said Simon had privately revealed the identity to him after her 2014 interview on his radio show; Stern said, "There is an odd aspect to it... He's not that vain." He also said she said it was a "composite of three people". [21] Simon confirmed that she had given the names to a few people, including Stern. [22]
In an interview for WNYC in November 2009, Simon said she had hidden the name of the subject in a new recording of the song. The next day, WNYC crew detected the name "David" concealed in a back-played whisper. [23] However, Simon said she had spoken "Ovid" both forwards and backwards, and that this sounded like David. [24] In February 2010, Simon reiterated that the name was whispered in a rerecording of "You're So Vain": "There's a little whisper—and it's the answer to the puzzle." [25] A representative for Simon said the name was "David". [25]
Media outlets speculated that the subject was the Elektra Records executive David Geffen; [26] Hart denied this the following day. [7] Simon said that when she wrote the song, she had not met Geffen. [27] Simon's publicist confirmed the song was not about Geffen, but that there was "a David who is connected to the song in some way, shape, or form". [7] Vanity Fair noted that in addition to "David", "Warren" and an unintelligible name are whispered during the recording. [28] After her performance of the song with Simon in July 2013, the songwriter Taylor Swift said that Simon had revealed the identity of the subject to her in confidence. [29]
In 1983, Simon said that the actor Warren Beatty "certainly thought it was about him—he called me and said thanks for the song". [8] In 2007, Beatty said, "Let's be honest. That song was about me." [30] In November 2015, Simon, promoting her memoirs, said, "I have confirmed that the second verse is Warren ... Warren thinks the whole thing is about him ... Now, that doesn't mean that the other two verses aren't also about Warren. It just means that the second one is." [31] The song originally had a fourth verse, possibly including another subject. [32]
Reviewing the single, Record World called it Simon's "most commercial song yet", praising the lyrics, melody and string arrangements. [33] At the 16th Annual Grammy Awards in 1974, "You're So Vain" was nominated for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
In 1994, "You're So Vain" was ranked 72nd in the Billboard 50th anniversary all-time chart. [5] It was voted No. 216 in RIAA's Songs of the Century, [34] and in 2014 the UK Official Charts Company named it the ultimate song of the 1970s. [35] In 2021, it was ranked 495th on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. [36]
The song was a No. 1 hit in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and reached No. 4 in Ireland and South Africa. [37] Entering at No. 99 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 2 December 1972, the song took five more weeks to rise to the top of the chart, where it stayed for the first three weeks of 1973. It was replaced by Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" and spent the next month in the runner-up spot. It also spent two weeks at the top of the Easy Listening chart in early 1973, her first No. 1 on either chart. "You're So Vain" was Simon's breakthrough hit in the United Kingdom, reaching No. 3 on the UK chart on its original release in 1973. The song was re-released in the UK in 1991 to cash in on its inclusion in a commercial for Dunlop Tyres, peaking at No. 41.
From the No Secrets album liner notes:
The Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger contributed uncredited backing vocals. Simon said she invited him to join the recording as he happened to be in the studio. [38]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
All-time charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Italy (FIMI) [65] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
Japan | — | 187,500 [49] |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [66] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [67] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [68] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Year | Award | Category | Work | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1974 | Grammy Awards | Record of the Year | "You're So Vain" | Carly Simon | Nominated | [69] |
Song of the Year | Nominated | |||||
Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female | Nominated |
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American musician, singer, songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation" (No. 13), "The Right Thing to Do" (No. 17), "Haven't Got Time for the Pain" (No. 14), "You Belong to Me" (No. 6), "Coming Around Again" (No. 18), and her four Gold-certified singles "You're So Vain" (No. 1), "Mockingbird", "Nobody Does It Better" (No. 2) from the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, and "Jesse" (No. 11). She has authored two memoirs and five children's books.
"Killing Me Softly with His Song" is a song composed by Charles Fox with lyrics by Norman Gimbel. The lyrics were written in collaboration with Lori Lieberman after she was inspired by a Don McLean performance in late 1971. Denied writing credit by Fox and Gimbel, Lieberman released her version of the song in 1972, but it did not chart. The song has been covered by many other artists.
Another Passenger is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Elektra Records, on June 5, 1976.
"Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)" is a song by American singer-songwriter Janet Jackson with Carly Simon from Jackson's seventh studio album, All for You (2001). It was written and produced by Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with additional lyrics by Simon. The R&B and hip hop song is built around a sample of 1972's "You're So Vain" by Simon, who also added some new spoken parts into the song; it talks about an unidentified man who attempted to extort money from Jackson. A remix featuring Missy Elliott was released as the third and final single from the album on November 6, 2001, by Virgin Records.
No Secrets is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Elektra Records on November 28, 1972.
Hotcakes is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Elektra Records, on January 11, 1974. Featuring the major hits "Haven't Got Time for the Pain" and "Mockingbird", the latter a duet with her then-husband James Taylor, Hotcakes became one of Simon's biggest selling albums. Her first concept album, the autobiographical songs portray Simon happily married and beginning a family.
Playing Possum is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Elektra Records, on April 21, 1975.
Come Upstairs is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Warner Bros. Records on June 16, 1980.
"Nobody Does It Better" is a power ballad and the theme song for the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). Composed by Marvin Hamlisch with lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, the song was produced by Richard Perry and performed by Carly Simon. It was the first Bond theme song to be titled differently from the name of the film since Dr. No (1962), although the phrase "the spy who loved me" is included in the lyrics. The song was released as a single from the film's soundtrack album, and became a major worldwide hit.
"Drive" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City (1984). It was released on July 23, 1984, as the album's third single. Written by Ric Ocasek, the track was sung by bassist Benjamin Orr and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange with the band. Upon its release, "Drive" became the Cars' highest-charting single in most territories. In the United States, it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart. It reached number five in the United Kingdom, number four in West Germany, number six in Canada and number three in Ireland.
"Clair" is a song by Gilbert O'Sullivan, released in 1972 as the first single from his second album Back to Front. It was written by O'Sullivan and produced by Gordon Mills, and is one of O'Sullivan's biggest-selling singles.
The discography of Carly Simon, an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author, consists of 23 studio albums, two live albums, 10 compilation albums, four soundtrack albums, two audiobooks, and 41 singles, on Elektra Records, Warner Bros. Records, Epic Records, Arista Records, Rhino Entertainment, Columbia Records, Hear Music, and Iris Records, with special releases on Qwest Records, Angel Records, Walt Disney Records, and Macmillan Audio. These lists include all live and studio albums, and the motion picture soundtracks list includes albums containing more than 50% of music by Simon.
"Round Here" is a song by American rock band Counting Crows, released as the second single from their debut album, August and Everything After (1993), on June 20, 1994, by Geffen Records. The song's origin predates the formation of Counting Crows, when the band's future frontman Adam Duritz wrote the song with The Himalayans members Dan Jewett, Chris Roldan and Dave Janusko.
"That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" is a song performed by Carly Simon, and the lead single from her self-titled debut album Carly Simon (1971). Her friend and frequent collaborator Jacob Brackman wrote the lyrics and Simon wrote the music. The song reached peak positions of No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 6 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song also earned Simon a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 14th Annual Grammy Awards in 1972, where she also won Best New Artist.
"The Right Thing to Do" is a song written and performed by Carly Simon that first appeared on her 1972 album No Secrets. The song was recorded at Trident Studios in London's Soho. It was released as the second single to the album, following "You're So Vain" and reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. It also reached No. 20 on the Canada Top Singles chart and No. 9 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart. It reached No. 17 in the UK.
"Jesse" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon. Produced by Mike Mainieri, the song served as the lead single from Simon's ninth studio album, Come Upstairs (1980).
"Attitude Dancing" is a song written by Carly Simon and Jacob Brackman, performed by Simon and produced by Richard Perry. The song served as lead single from Simon's fifth studio album, Playing Possum (1975).
"Haven't Got Time for the Pain" is a song written by Carly Simon and Jacob Brackman that was first released on Simon's 1974 album Hotcakes. It was also released as a single, reaching No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
"Legend in Your Own Time" is a song written and performed by Carly Simon, from her 1971 album Anticipation. It was issued as the second single from the album, following "Anticipation". It did not achieve the same level of popular success as its predecessor, reaching No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. It did however reach the top 20 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at No. 11.
The meta-pop song that keeps on giving, with a central mystery so all-consuming that it can take time to notice the subtler brilliances of its writing, production and performance.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)