Yes, Carly Simon's 1972 hit "You're So Vain" is about actor Warren Beatty, Simon admits in a new autobiography, Boys in the Trees. But only the second verse ("You had me several years ago when I was still quite naïve/Well you said that we made such a pretty pair/And that you would never leave..."). There are three verses to the song, so who are the other two guys? She won't say. Why not? "I haven't told either of them that it's about them, so it would be too much of a shock, too much of a cold, calculated thing to put it in the book without them knowing," Simon told USA Today.
That means that Beatty has known for years that the song is, in fact, at least partly about him. ("Warren thinks the whole thing is about him!" she told People.) As for the guy who wore an apricot scarf and a "hat strategically dipped below one eye," or the fellow who flew his Lear jet to watch an eclipse in Nova Scotia and dallied around with "the wife of a close friend," well, before Simon's marriage to James Taylor (the focus of the book) in 1972 she was linked to a pretty famous roster of men, including Jack Nicholson, Kris Kristofferson, Cat Stevens, and Mick Jagger, who sings backup on "You're So Vain." You can try to figure out if any of them fit the bill for verse one or two in the video below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - December 21, 2024Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - losing it, pedal to the metal, and more
-
Three fun, festive activities to make the magic happen this Christmas DayInspire your children to help set the table, stage a pantomime and write thank-you letters this Christmas!
-
The best books of 2024 to give this ChristmasThe Week Recommends From Percival Everett to Rachel Clarke these are the critics' favourite books from 2024
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talksSpeed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tourSpeed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamationSpeed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box officeSpeed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appealSpeed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
