CARLY SIMON CONFESSES WHO HER ICONIC SONG ‘YOU’RE SO VAIN’ IS WRITTEN ABOUT
The 1970s marked the rise of many iconic rock and roll musicians, including Carly Simon, who penned the timeless classic “You’re So Vain.” Simon and her family resided in Greenwich Village, New York, but she preferred spending her time at their Stamford, Connecticut, estate. It was during this era that she formed a close bond with baseball legend Jackie Robinson, a dear family friend. Robinson often took her to his games, where fans affectionately regarded her as the team’s mascot.
In her 2015 memoir “Boys in the Trees,” Carly Simon recalled, “Jackie taught me how to bat left-handed, though I never quite got the hang of it. He always had this charming little smirk, as if he were pondering his words just before sharing them.”
Carly Simon’s passion for music blossomed early, and she soon formed a duo with her sister Lucy after teaching themselves to play guitar. They performed in Greenwich Village as The Simon Sisters and released three albums. Carly later embarked on a solo career, achieving significant chart success. Her debut single, “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be” from her 1971 album, reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Among her most notable hits are “Anticipation,” “Haven’t Got Time for the Pain,” “You Belong to Me,” “Coming Around Again,” “Mockingbird,” “Nobody Does It Better” from the James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me,” and “Jesse.”
Carly Simon famously penned the hit “Anticipation” in just 15 minutes while waiting for Cat Stevens at her home. As a newcomer to the music industry, her rapid release of two highly successful albums earned her a Grammy Award for Best New Artist of the Year and a nomination for Best Pop Female Vocalist.
However, it was the third track from her third album that truly made history. “You’re So Vain” is not only ranked No. 92 on Billboard’s list of the Greatest Songs of All-Time, but it also holds the No. 216 spot in the RIAA’s Songs of the Century. In August 2014, the UK’s Official Charts Company named it the definitive song of the 1970s.
To this day, the true subject of the iconic song “You’re So Vain” remains shrouded in mystery. While Carly Simon was recording it at Trident Studios in London, both Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger were present, with Jagger even contributing vocals to the chorus, though he was not credited. Interestingly, it later emerged that the song was partially about Mick Jagger himself, contrary to popular belief that it was about Warren Beatty.
Simon recounted in her memoir that Jagger made his way to the studio as soon as he heard she was there. “It was just after midnight. Mick and I were so alike—same height, same coloring, same lips. I felt as though I was enveloped in a pink gravity beginning to lose its hold on me. The closeness thrilled me, bringing back memories of all the times I’d mimicked him in front of my closet mirror,” she wrote.
Simon also disclosed that the song was about two other individuals, but she chose to keep their identities a secret, noting that it was sufficient that they themselves were aware. “Perhaps, if we were at dinner and I mentioned, ‘remember that time you walked into the party and…’ I’m not sure if I’ll ever bring it up. I never thought I’d admit it was about more than one person,” she added.
Simon was married twice. She met her first husband, James Taylor, in 1971, a moment she vividly describes in her memoir. “He was dressed in dark red, loose, wide-wale corduroys and a long-sleeved Henley, slightly unbuttoned. In his hand, he clutched a self-rolled cigarette. His hair, glossy yet tousled, fell symmetrically around his face, complemented by a modest, fashionably scruffy mustache of the early 1970s. He appeared both meticulous and casual. Even reclining on the floor, there was an unmistakable aura about him, as if he were the gravitational center of something—like the core of an apple, or the heart of a musical note.”
Together, they had two children but divorced in 1983 after 11 years of marriage. In 1987, Simon married writer James Hart, but their union also ended in divorce in 2007.
Simon shares that her daughter has read her memoir, but her son has yet to do so. In 1994, Simon’s contributions to music were recognized by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She continues to write songs and remains a significant figure in music, having been the first singer to win an Academy Award, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe for a single song, “Let the River Run,” created for the 1988 movie *Working Girl*.
Now at 80, Carly Simon is considered a legend whose impact on the music world is profound, and she continues to inspire her fans.
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