You’re So Vain Lyrics

[Intro]
Son of a gun

[Verse 1]
You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye
Your scarf it was apricot
You had one eye in the mirror, as you watched yourself gavotte

[Pre-Chorus]
And all the girls dreamed that they'd be your partner
They'd be your partner and

[Chorus]
You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you

You're so vain (you're so vain)
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you?


[Verse 2]
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
And one of them was me

[Pre-Chorus]
I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee and

[Chorus]
You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain (you're so vain)
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you? Don't you?


[Instrumental Break 02:01-02:27]
[Guitar Solo]

[Pre-Chorus]
I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee and

[Chorus]
You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain (you're so vain)
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you?

[Verse 3]
Well, I hear you went up to Saratoga
And your horse naturally won

Then you flew your Learjet up to Nova Scotia
To see the total eclipse of the sun

Well, you're where you should be all the time
And when you're not
[Pre-Chorus]
You're with some underworld spy or
the wife of a close friend
Wife of a close friend and

[Chorus]
You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain (so vain)
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you? Don't you now?

[Outro]
You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you

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About

Genius Annotation

“You’re So Vain” is an infamously mysterious song about someone’s arrogance. It was inspired by several subjects — Simon told People in November 2015 that the second verse is about American actor and director Warren Beatty, who she dated in the 1970s.

Each verse is directed at a unique subject, but the remaining two muses are unknown. Some unsuccessful guesses have included Mick Jagger, who sings backup vocals on the song, and James Taylor, who Simon was married to for eleven years.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Did Carly Simon ever reveal who the song is about?
Genius Answer

Carly Simon auctioned off the answer to who “You’re So Vain” is about in 2003. The winner was Duncan “Dick” Ebersol, but he signed an agreement to never tell anyone.

Simon also told pop superstar Taylor Swift, who recalled to Rolling Stone:

It was the shot heard ’round the world that left everyone debating and wondering, ‘Which famous ex-lover did she write it about?’ [In 2015] I sat in my dressing room in Boston. Carly Simon had just performed ‘You’re So Vain’ with me in front of 65,000 fans. She leaned over and whispered to me who the song was written about — me, the one person who hadn’t asked her.

Credits
Produced By
Written By
Recorded At
Backing Vocals
Arranged By [Strings]
Orchestrated by
Release Date
November 16, 1972
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