Who was Carly Simon referring to in her song, Your so vain??

Answer 1

no-one knows but probably warren beattie

Answer 2

Who is it about?
Despite these guesses and many interviews asking who it was, to this day Carly Simon has never publicly acknowledged in full whom the song is about. She commented in an interview that it was about "many vain men I've known in my life". This may make the line "you're so vain, you probably think this song is about you" more logical than if it were about any single man.

In a 1989 interview, Simon acknowledged that the song is a little bit about Beatty but said that the subject of the song is a composite of three men from her L.A. days. [1]

Simon made another comment about the subject's identity as a guest artist on Janet Jackson's 2001 single "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)", which sampled "You're So Vain". In the song, Simon says "The apricot scarf was worn by Nick/there's nothing in the words that refer to Mick".

Dick Ebersol, president of NBC Sports and a friend of Simon, was the highest bidder for a Martha's Vineyard Possible Dreams charity auction offering in which the prize was the revelation of the person whom "You're So Vain" was about. A condition of that prize is that Ebersol would not reveal to anyone the actual subject. Later, Ebersol revealed that he was allowed by Simon to divulge a clue about the person's name:

"Carly told me that I could offer up to the entire world, a clue as to what she'll tell me when we have this night in about two weeks. And the clue is: the letter 'E' is in the person's name." Dick Ebersol on NBC's Today Show - August 5, 2003

In 2004 she told Regis Philbin "If I tell it, it's going to come out in dribs and drabs. And I've given out two letters already, an "A" and an "E". But I'm going to add one to it. I'm going to add an "R", in honor of you." (If Simon was not being flip, then of the above guesses, Jagger, Beatty, and Taylor would remain as potential candidates; Stevens, Kristofferson, and Donaldson are all missing one or more of the requisite letters.)

Shortly before the writing of the song, she was married to James Taylor. She later admitted that he was not the subject of the song. Several days after the identity of Watergate-era press source Deep Throat was revealed during the summer of 2005, a USA Today reporter asked Simon to name the subject of her song. Simon exclaimed with a laugh that it was "about Mark Felt!", who had claimed to be the legendary Watergate source. [2]

Most recently during a short interview for the Sunday 'Life' Magazine insert, she was asked what music she would pack for a long, presumably secluded vacation. Her response was that it would be something by The Rolling Stones, "I'd want something like 'Angie'." In Backstage Passes (1993), Angela Bowie claims to be the subject of both the song Angie as well as the 'wife of a close friend' in You're So Vain, that the two had been very close and Mick had, for a time, been 'obsessed' with her.

The speculation continues, yet many fans of the song continue to consider it more of a general, rather than specific, indictment of vanity.

You're So Vain was voted #216 in Rolling Stone's Songs of the Century

Answer 3

Only a few people knows who she is referring to. A few years ago she auction off the information and some really rich guy bought it. So you have to be a close friend of Carly or some really rich person to find out.

Answer 4

Many believe it was about actor Warren Beatty, whom was her lover before James Taylor, but the truth has only been brought up once. She once sold the secret to charity as long as the winner never told anyone. So far, the winner is good as gold.

Answer 5

Nobody knows for sure but her and Dick Ebersole. Ebersole won a contest in which the prize was a meal with Carly where she'd reveal the person. He says he'll never tell.

She's also given a few clues as to the person. She says there's an "A" and an "E" in the person's name.

Answer 6

Warren Beatty who is well known to have an ego that is the stuff of legend.

Trent Reznor used the lyric in his song Starf***ers in reference to Marilyn Manson.

Answer 7

The list goes on (from the link):

"Was it Mick Jagger? Cat Stevens? Warren Beatty? Kris Kristofferson? It was common knowledge that she had been involved with each of them in the past."

Bottom line: no one knows for sure, because she's not telling!

Answer 8

Its been a toss up between James Taylor, and Warren Beatty,,,

Answer 9

The rumor I always heard back in the day was that she was singing about Warren Beatty.

Answer 10

James Taylor

Answer 11

Like the guy above me said I think it was Warren Beatty.