While not every song that shoots to the top of the charts goes on to be remembered as a classic, the tunes that do are often among the most relatable, capturing an emotion that just about everyone feels at some point or another. Others might be more ambiguous but manage to keep listeners guessing for generations, wondering exactly what (or who) inspired the songwriter. In the case of Carly Simon's biggest hit ever, "You're So Vain," both of those things are true.
Released in November 1972 on the album No Secrets, "You're So Vain" hit #1 on the Billboard chart on January 6, 1973, and spent 17 weeks on the charts overall. It's no wonder: Simon, who won the Best New Artist of the Year Grammy in 1971, penned some of the most intriguing lyrics of all time for the song, while still expressing a sentiment anybody who's ever been in a relationship with an exasperating self-involved partner can understand.
In the first verse, Simon recalls the first time she spotted her ex-lover, singing, "You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht / Your hat strategically dipped below one eye." The second verse, meanwhile, slammed the man in question for the way he ended the romance: "You had me several years ago when I was still quite naive / Well you said that we made such a pretty pair and that you would never leave / But you gave away the things you loved."
The chorus, as fans know, echoed something countless women have felt about an ex: "You're so vain / You probably think this song is about you / You're so vain, you're so vain / I bet you think this song is about you / Don't you don't you, don't you?"
Of course, the vague chorus has left people wondering for decades: Who exactly was the vain man who did Simon wrong?
As Biography reported, since Simon's famous romantic partners included such celebrities as Warren Beatty, Kris Kristofferson, Terrence Malick, Jack Nicholson, Cat Stevens, James Taylor and John Travolta, speculation has run rampant over the years about the mystery man's identity.
Warren Beatty thought 'You're So Vain' was about him
In a 1983 interview with the Washington Post, Simon revealed that even Beatty thought he was the guy at the center of the soft rock hit.
“It certainly sounds like it was about Warren Beatty. He certainly thought it was about him — he called me and said thanks for the song," Simon said, but didn't confirm Beatty's suspicions at the time. Later, in 2015, she told the BBC that the second verse was indeed about the actor, but pointed out that didn't mean the other two were, as well. In separate interviews over the years, she clarified that "You're So Vain" was not about Taylor or Mick Jagger (another rumored inspiration).
Alas, it seems fans might never know the whole story, but maybe that makes it even easier for listeners going through a bad breakup to sing along with. And they're still singing along: At the time of this writing, "You're So Vain" has been streamed 678,779,934 times on Spotify.
Related: This 1977 Classic Ranked the 'Best Breakup Song' of All Time
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