Carly Simon - You're So Vain - Lyrics Meaning

Simon's release of "You're So Vain" topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts for three weeks in 1973. It also sent the world on a quest for the answer to one of the most intriguing pop music mysteries of all time: Who on earth did she write the song about?

You're so vain

You probably think this song is about you

Names that have been tossed into the hat include Warren Beatty, Mick Jagger, Kris Kristofferson and Cat Stevens, all men that she'd been involved with. It doesn't stop there, though. Throw in James Taylor - whom she married a month before the song's release - author and ex-fianc‚ William Donaldson, and former first baseman Keith Hernandez.

As far as Simon is concerned, "Mum's the word." In a 1973 interview with Rolling Stone Magazine she said the song was definitely not about James Taylor.

In a 2003 charity auction, Simon agreed to disclose the name of the person the song was about to the highest bidder, but only on the condition that they sign a confidentiality agreement. NBC Executive Dick Eberson, with his $50,000 bid, was the winner. Simon granted him permission to reveal one clue to the world: "The letter `E' is in the person's name."

The only person that eliminates is William Donaldson.