If Warren Beatty was narcissistic enough to think Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” was about him, he can rest assured he wasn’t wrong.
The 70-year-old songwriter behind the 1972 hit that still resonates with listeners today finally revealed the “Dick Tracy” star was at least one of the men she was alluding to in the personal lyrics.
“I have confirmed that the second verse is Warren,” she told People ahead of the release of her memoir, ‘Boys in the Trees.’ “Warren thinks the whole thing is about him!”
Other suspects over the last 44 years have included Mick Jagger, Cat Stevens, David Geffen, former husband James Taylor and Kris Kristofferson.
Beatty seemed pretty sure in a 2007 interview that he inspired the lyrics. “Let’s be honest. That song was about me.”
The actor’s former flame has said in the past that “You’re So Vain” is actually about several men in her life. Here are the lyrics that Simon says definitely are Beatty:
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
I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and…
As far as whether or not Simon will reveal the other men the song is about, she said, “I don’t think so.”
“At least until they know it’s about them,” she added.
“You’re So Vain,” which topped numerous charts around the globe after it was released, has been hailed by Billboard as the 82nd Greatest Song of All-Time. Speculation of who the song is about has been fueled by the chorus, “You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you.”