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Youre So Vain Lyrics

Artist: Carly Simon

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
And all the girls dreamed that they'd be your partner
They'd be your partner, and

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

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

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



I had some dreams they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and

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

Well, I hear you went up to Saratoga
And your horse naturally won
Then you flew your Lear jet 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, you're with
Some underworld spy or the wife of a close friend
Wife of a close friend, and

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

Comments/Interpretations

by scott on 5/10/2008 6:56pm
rerference to the undeworld spy or the wife
by beth on 5/14/2008 12:58pm
I love this song and know every word
by LLL on 5/18/2008 2:49pm
HI
by peepoo on 5/23/2008 8:37am
peepoo?
by yahoo!!!thisismyname! on 5/28/2008 9:29pm
I love this song so much! I sing it every chance I get! One thing, gavotte? I thought it was "...as you watched yourself go by." It's go by, not gavotte, right?
by carly on 5/28/2008 11:55pm
that coffee must taste pretty bad. ew icky clouds
by BRITNEY SPEARS on 5/29/2008 12:14pm
this is my favorite song...i am going to record this song and put it on my new album.
by Shark9629♥ on 5/29/2008 5:50pm
This is my all-time favorite song... I grew up listening to Carly, now I know every word to almost all of her songs!
by Marsie on 6/2/2008 1:18am
Gavotte = Dance..an old style dance, and yes its Gavotte
by holli on 6/5/2008 3:00am
I love this song but i prefer it by john barrowman, i know every word but i did think it was go by :S
by shawna on 6/11/2008 2:43pm
i love this song :]
by Olivia on 6/17/2008 2:59pm
me and my sister jam to it in the kitchen while doing the dishes
by Michelle on 6/20/2008 7:59am
John Barrowman sings it lovely, fantastic.
by latanya taylor savannalh on 6/21/2008 3:45am
carly simon your the est singer and im 12 years of age and your the one xxxxxxxxxx my favourite songs are why your so vain nobody does it better thanks for the good song love.
by Monica on 6/22/2008 3:43pm
Carly sang this song live for Howard Stern the other day I heard it an loved it it took a min. But now i know all the words to this song " I Love It "
by brimer on 6/23/2008 7:12pm
loved and sung this song for years, thought it was 'go by' but looked up 'gavotte' and it is a dance, makes sense now.
by Sexie Chekxie on 6/29/2008 11:00am
Hmmm. the song is about him!!
by colin on 7/12/2008 7:52pm
glad to have found these lyrics, they finally make sense - love the song
by Jazmine on 7/13/2008 12:01am
I love this song
by Austin F on 7/14/2008 7:24pm
poop in my coffee dang ol shift work
by gus, lee's, jacks wife on 7/14/2008 9:20pm
brilliant lololololololol
by how2loseaguyi10days on 7/17/2008 6:04pm
i love this song! especailly in how 2 lose a guy in 10 days movie.
by none ya on 7/17/2008 8:00pm
love this song<3
by laughs a lot~Victoria on 7/24/2008 9:46pm
This song is the shit!!!
I love it!!!!
by haha so you think on 7/25/2008 2:14pm
LOVE THIS SONG!!!
by Bevan Lance on 7/26/2008 3:29am
Brings back so many good memories.Love the song to bits!
by chloe on 8/7/2008 12:16am
i love you you go girl
by brian in the falls on 8/20/2008 6:59pm
this song is great .
by Kat on 9/16/2008 8:50pm
I love this song so much!!!!!!
by Kathy in TN on 9/23/2008 9:26am
John Barrowman rocks this song. I loved it when Carly did it. Love it even more since hearing JB sing it.
by 20 Strength on 9/24/2008 2:15pm
Its supposedly written about her relationship with Warren Beatty
by T1000 on 10/10/2008 10:01am
This song recall me a big great lot of superextra memories from my childhood.
by pop1 on 10/14/2008 1:03pm
Warren Beatty or James Taylor or Mick Jagger
by Ozalynn on 10/23/2008 12:55pm
Im going to sing this song with my band!!!!!!!!!!I've been lovin'it since I was a young girl many years ago!
by lindey on 10/24/2008 5:13am
a masterpiece. lyrically and musically. love the intro.
by blahblah on 10/27/2008 1:37pm
i like this song-who doesn't????
by 50 Year Old Soccer Mom in Milwaukee on 10/27/2008 4:43pm
It couldn't be James Taylor ......He's too nice. IDK who warren beatty is, but he sounds mean, But Mick Jagger's Beast
by SKL on 10/28/2008 4:00pm
Can't be Jagger. He sings backing vocals on the track
by thomas walsh on 10/28/2008 6:06pm
this song is in reference to Warren Beatty , or she is trying to confuse evereybody, Beatty dabbled in thoughroughbred racing and raced his horses at Saratoga springs NY. Mick Jagger would'nt know a horse's ass.
by catherine on 11/12/2008 8:34pm
this is such an adorable song<3 i love itt :D
by Sam on 12/5/2008 7:23pm
This song reminds me of myself when i was younger growing up.I can relate to it.Its one of the best songs ever!!Its got to be Warren Beatty its fits him to the T.
by jonny paxton on 12/7/2008 2:08pm
i love this tune, it reminds me of my swedish ex girlfriend, biatch
by jc on 12/10/2008 11:36pm
best song ever, a friend dedicated it to me she said I remind it her of the guy in the son, but I must admit I can never live up to it. way too good of song
by chloe on 12/21/2008 2:19pm
i sing this song in my school i love it
by jesse on 12/31/2008 5:23pm
why only one song --i think shes awsome --she needed more hits
by Sonny on 1/14/2009 2:44pm
"Lear jet" is one word ("Learjet").
by geoge on 2/9/2009 8:25am
i love this song and i am singing it atm (:
by Sarah on 2/10/2009 7:17am
I just listened carefully, it is DEFINATLY gavotte, also gavotte does make more sense as it rhymes with the way she says Apricot. Great song
by che on 2/19/2009 12:58am
perfect to define a guy so vain....he's so vain..worthless.
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
YOU'RE SO VAIN!!!!
by mya on 2/24/2009 12:54pm
this song rocks thy sig it on how to lose a guy in ten days
by Curious on 3/5/2009 5:36pm
Who is the song about? I have a bet on it and need solid proof.
by liz on 3/5/2009 9:04pm
I love it! it reminds me of my ex, except that he is not into horse racing and he has never been to saratoga or nova scotia! ha ha so I guess loosely based around the idea that guys can't get enough of themselves ha ha ha they are flattered when chicks write songs even like this about them. so I love this song!
by cheri on 3/6/2009 7:44am
i sing this to my man you're so vain and it become r song
by LINZI on 3/17/2009 5:23am
I <3 this song!!!
ITS GOING TO BE MY FIANCE AND MY FIRST DANCE!!!
XX
by rocel on 3/25/2009 10:10am
when the first time i hear this song,i surely like it...thats the reason im going to sing this song..
by me on 4/4/2009 11:04pm
For years I thought it said "your scopic was Africa"...
by OkieSteve on 6/12/2009 10:23am
I love this song and knew someone like that.
by filmFanatic on 8/9/2009 2:18pm
i love this song because it reminds me of 'how to lose a guy in 10 days' which is an amazing film!
by Tsgreek2me on 8/18/2009 7:13pm
by me on 4/4/2009 11:04pm
For years I thought it said "your scopic was Africa"...

I thought the same exact thing "Me". And it has taken me 3 days of playing the song over and over to get me to sing the proper lyrics. I think I have it now.
by Someone on 9/6/2009 6:26am
in case anyone is questioning the word Gavotte it actually is a specific type of French dance.
by NOWLIN TUBBS on 10/1/2009 3:09pm
Great song...........she wrote the song about me........
by rivercat42 on 10/24/2009 8:45pm
she wrote the song about warren beatty
by michaela jovner on 11/5/2009 12:51am
I'm dedicating this song to George Hawnsbey
by Glory in Dixie on11/14/2009 2:22pm on 11/14/2009 2:34pm
I've heard YOU'RE SO VAIN off & on & luved the melody so much. Now I wrote the words down so I cud sing along. How much the words describes an old boyfriend I had (got rid of that booger)!!!!
by Creth on 11/28/2009 12:31pm
Love Carly what an awesome song how true just listen to the words and it all makes sense.
by Nick on 12/18/2009 5:23am
Mick Jagger sings backing vocals and wrote this song
by Heavy G on 1/22/2010 1:25pm
Main Entry: ga·votte
Pronunciation: gə-ˈvät
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Middle French, from Old Occitan gavato, from gavot Alpine dweller
Date: 1696
1 : a dance of French peasant origin marked by the raising rather than sliding of the feet
2 : a tune for the gavotte in moderately quick 4⁄4 time

— gavotte intransitive verb

by Esther Barton on 2/8/2010 1:01pm
""I LOVE THIS SONG" Its a known thing that is my song, when I was younger that song was all about me!!!!
by Beau on 2/26/2010 11:42am
David Geffen
by Karl on 2/26/2010 1:55pm
"She tells Uncut magazine, "You know what, I'm just going to tell you this. The answer is on the new version of You're So Vain, on my new record Never Been Gone. There's a little whisper and it's the answer to the puzzle."

The singer whispers Geffen's name backwards in the track, according to Britain's The Sun newspaper.

Geffen ran Simon's Elektra record label at the time of the song's release and instead of being about a failed relationship, the lyrics are now thought to hint at the singer's lingering resentment after Geffen allegedly put more effort into promoting rival star Joni Mitchell."

--World Entertainment News Network
by wildman on 2/26/2010 2:25pm
Now we know!
by anon on 2/26/2010 2:55pm
Carly Simon has ended nearly 40 years of speculation by finally naming the man who inspired her hit "You're So Vain" - her target was gay record label boss David Geffen.
by eric on 2/26/2010 8:04pm
"You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte", in this context it can be taken to mean a pretentious or egotistical style of dancing
by lou on 2/26/2010 8:11pm
DAVID GEFFEN!!
by me on 3/1/2010 2:28pm
the song aint about david geffen she didn't even know the guy in 71 and 71 was the yr she wrote it the song is full of cluess of who its about
by citikat7 on 3/2/2010 12:55am
how old would Frank Sinatra have
been...kind of sounds like a gangster type...lol
by mddg on 3/2/2010 9:28am
The song is about Hue Heffner, think about it....
by Marina on 3/2/2010 8:13pm
How about Howard Hughes?
by Gavott to be kiddin me on 4/11/2010 5:27pm
What the shuck does clouds in my coffee mean?
Long time listener first time commentor.
by Can you Handel my music puns? on 4/22/2010 1:45pm
I think this line is about how her dreams were gone. she had some big dreams for her and her beau but they disappeared after he was a jerk. Have you noticed how the milk looks like clouds after you pour it into your coffee mug before it all blends together? So the clouds are her dreams but then everything blends so you can't differentiate the milk from the coffee, therefore, the dreams are lost. At least thats my interpretation. This is a really great song :)
by Gene on 5/11/2010 11:10pm
The song isn;t about Warren Beatty, it's about Don Knotts
by Scooterdeal on 5/13/2010 1:32pm
you over censor your comments. Ive submitted several and i have to read about Don Knotts thats a joke
by bob beeman on 5/14/2010 9:45am
This song is in the top 10 of the "worst songs every sung" list of popfeeders.

I have to agree, this song should be banned it's so bad.
by Sarah Kramm on 5/21/2010 12:32pm
I LOVE THIS SONG! MY CHEMISTRY TEACHER AND I SING IT TOGETHER!
by Amy on 6/23/2010 7:45am
clouds in the coffee... sure, the clouds created in creamer swirls before you stir it... but also that the mornings alone are when she contemplates what might have been over her coffee taken alone
by Weedman on 7/5/2010 4:50am
great great song thumbs down to all the knockers!!!!!!!!!!!
by julie brewington on 7/15/2010 11:53pm
The best song ever!!!!
by Jean on 9/15/2010 6:25pm
I sing and dance to this at work ALL THE TIME, I think everyone else is a little scared of me :P
by Donnie on 10/1/2010 5:10pm
This song fits perfectly :}
by Carly Simon on 10/17/2010 10:45am
Aww. what a class. I miss these times:)
by "barnyard pimp" on 10/30/2010 10:45pm
who ever the song is about does not matter. I'm a truck driver and let me tell ya,this is the best driving sing along tune of all time.39 years later it can still hold its on,it's a masterpiece.
by lindy on 11/2/2010 9:10am
this melody just sticks in my head, i love it! i think the 'clouds in my coffee' means that her dreams (for their future together) were intangible and fleeting and evaporated - like clouds. all she really had was coffee - representing the tangible & ordinary life, clouded by her imagination? isn't it ironic that the song really IS about him tho, ha ha.
by soledad on 11/7/2010 1:04am
in español en chile esta cancion fue un hit en los años 70 y aunque yo era niña, simplemente me encantaba ahora adulta con hijos aun la escucho y me pone de buen humor y recuerdo algunos cuantos novios tarados que se creian modelos ,pero igual me gustaban esos tarados vanidosos.ahora la so vain¡¡¡soy yo¡¡¡ ja ¡¡¡
by Robert on 11/9/2010 2:28am
most people mistake clowns for clouds
by ian on 12/1/2010 7:46pm
This song is classic. I did not realise it was released so long ago. Every one at uni new song and artist. A fantastic song to sing along with
by Charles on 12/29/2010 8:52am
The song is about the sudden realization the writer had that the guy is totally consumed by himself and has been since well before she ever met him. She had an "ah ha" moment. The man is totally incapable of love because to love you must give of yourself and he is so consumed by himself he has no capacity to give anything real of himself. The song is about the writer's expanded understanding of herself gained through a changed comprehension of the man she has come to understand as he really is and not how he presented himself.
by captain nasrut on 1/5/2011 4:53am
song is OK
by Mr .T on 1/12/2011 5:10am
This is a good song Suckas
by Ruth on 2/7/2011 8:46pm
im 13 years old and i love her songs. hers and billy idol songs! :)
by youre so vain on 2/9/2011 12:53am
Everyone thinks You're So Vain is about Mick Jagger.
by lainy:) on 2/12/2011 4:49pm
shes a bamf!kick ass song lifts my spirits and reminds me of how to loose a guy in ten days lmao!:))))
by Megan on 2/27/2011 3:27am
Awwsum song lol i first heard it on 'how to lose a guy in ten days' lol
by Chuck on 2/28/2011 10:14am
Ain't it really funny,how everybody is still trying to figure it out, but only Carly, and her hair dresser really knows. Lol
by mikee domingo on 3/8/2011 9:47pm
me too! i love the song! its a GOOD SONG! i've been watching that movie (how to lose a guy in ten days) for ages & i never get tired of hearing the same song as kate sings it on the movie..=)
by Tony on 6/11/2011 6:56am
It should be "there" were clouds, not "they" were clouds in my coffee.
by Troy on 9/1/2011 9:51pm
"You had one eye in the mirror
As you watched yourself gavotte"

Gavotte, your kidding me right
by fred bear on 9/4/2011 10:14pm
I used to make out to this song !
by Nowlin Tubbs on 12/10/2011 6:45am
She wrote the song about Mick Jagger!
by Kelly Dill on 12/12/2011 12:25am
I think she has most everyone fooled...I think this song is really about Charles William Donaldson who "jilted" on her when she was coming to Britain to marry him...the timeline doesn't add up for me for Beatty, Taylor, Jagger etc. Song came out in 72 I believe...she sings "several years ago" meaning probably mid-60's.
by Boo :) on 2/2/2012 1:36pm
This is the song that people should sing to me:) Hahaha:) Yeah, I'm vain baby!:)
by GayaSolo on 2/17/2012 5:34pm
Best song ever!!! Delicious to hear and sing! :D
by Mathieu on 3/25/2012 7:43am
Gavotte: "You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte". In this context it can be taken to mean a pretentious or egotistical style of dancing.
by Jessica on 4/5/2012 8:21am
I think the song is about more than one person, or relationship. She wanted to mix it up and confuse people and that way if they thought it was about them it was and it wasn't going on to show they were in fact vain. Why would you call someone vain for thinking you’re referring to them if you are? The art of vagueness lol Just saying... I do it all the time… it’s called fb.
by Ash on 5/16/2012 7:38am
"You probably think this song is about you"

Most anoying line in music history and she uses it 7 times in 3 minutes

Who the hell else is it about?
by Bkeen on 7/20/2012 9:03pm
Missing "son fo a gun" first 8 seconds
by waterman on 7/27/2012 2:08am
In Christopher Anderson's new book "The Wild Life and Mad Genius of Jagger" a scene is described where the Stones are about to tour and Mick has a melt down because Bianca is not letting him take his favorite scarf on tour...his apricot scarf.
by Ripd on 8/11/2012 12:23am
I had some dreams there were buds In my coffee , buds in my coffe!and
Your so baked
You probly think this song is about you!
by hjkl on 1/23/2013 6:25pm
this song is SOOOOOOO cool!!! NOT!!!!!
by chrissyx69 on 3/12/2013 3:27pm
" Son of a gun" was directed to the base player Klaus. It was the first time Carly heard him play and she was so impressed she said " son of a gun" after he opened up for the song and the director left it on the track.
by Lee on 3/19/2013 6:34pm
Personally, I doubt it's Mick Jagger. I have had the honor of meeting people who have known him. They had only good things to say about him; every one of them. . . Just saying.
by Sandy on 5/4/2013 6:56pm
Mick has an apricot scarf?...but can Warren gavotte? I think with all the talk about how many women, Mick has slept with and the history to the making of the song...It would be Mick!
by Siiiy's on 5/29/2013 7:06pm
I had some dreams THERE were clouds in my coffee, meaning the steam. The steam of an affair that He had with the underworld spy etc.
by Dudes on 5/29/2013 7:08pm
The song, which was rumored for years to be about one of her ex-boyfriends (like Warren Beatty or Mick Jagger), was actually written about gay record label boss David Geffen.

The answer came to fans after Carly admitted the name of the Vain person was whispered in the new acoustic version of the song off her upcoming album Never Been Gone. After listening to it, sources say the singer whispers Geffen's name backwards on the track.

So while for years the speculation was that song was intended to be an angry-bitter break-up song, now the lyrics take on a new meaning. Some suggest that Carly is signing about her resentment towards Geffen when he allegedly put more effort into promoting rival star Joni Mitchell.

And there you have it! Not as exciting as you thought it would be, huh?
by Dudes on 5/29/2013 7:20pm
The song, which was rumored for years to be about one of her ex-boyfriends (like Warren Beatty or Mick Jagger), was actually written about gay record label boss David Geffen.

The answer came to fans after Carly admitted the name of the Vain person was whispered in the new acoustic version of the song off her upcoming album Never Been Gone. After listening to it, sources say the singer whispers Geffen's name backwards on the track.

So while for years the speculation was that song was intended to be an angry-bitter break-up song, now the lyrics take on a new meaning. Some suggest that Carly is signing about her resentment towards Geffen when he allegedly put more effort into promoting rival star Joni Mitchell.

And there you have it! Not as exciting as you thought it would be, huh?

by Don Naught on 1/6/2014 11:29am
The Geffen theory has been dispelled. Simon didn't meet Geffen until 3 years after the song was written and 1 year after it was released. Numerous people in the know have already refuted it as well.
by that girl on 10/2/2015 6:33pm
Its about donn Knott's
by Toby Ames on 7/17/2023 4:37pm
Olivia rodrigo nini salazar roberts you're so vain
Super good musical series








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