Carl

"You're So Vain" is like Carly Simon's Thanksgiving turkey that is still providing leftovers. Whenever she has something to promote, she drops a clue or two about the identity of the mystery man, guaranteeing a few inches of press. Her latest project is a memoir called Boys in the Trees. To stir up interest, she dropped this nugget: The second verse is about Warren Beatty. As for the other verses, those are about two different men she will not name at the moment. It took a while for the song to build a legend; Simon was fairly forthcoming about it early on, explaining that it was based on different people, and the specific scenarios ("Your scarf it was apricot," "You went up to Saratoga and your horse naturally won") were made up. Over time, she began playing up the mystery of the song, implying that it was about one of the famous men in her life, perhaps Beatty or Mick Jagger. In 2003, Simon drummed up interest in a charity auction by offering the secret to the winning bidder, which turned out to be Dick Ebersol of NBC Sports. For, $50,000, Ebersol got the scoop, but had to keep it a secret. Simon offered a hint to the public: the man's name has an "E" in it. This ploy got plenty of attention, so she revealed more letters in ensuing years: "A" and an "R." In 2010, she used the mystery to promote her album Never been Gone, which included a new version of the song where she whispers a clue, "David." Speculation was that this was David Geffen, but she denied that. As long as there is interest in the mystery, Simon is happy to keep it going, and we can't blame her: drumming up publicity isn't so easy when you're 70. Perhaps the song's most profound influence on pop culture, however, is its impact on Taylor Swift, who aroused interest with songs that were seemingly about famous guys she dated. Like Simon, she keeps coy about revealing the identities of these guys, and feigns incredulity when asked, all the while drumming up more interest in her work. Swift, incidentally, supposedly knows who "You're So Vain" is about - she says Simon told her after a 2013 concert when Swift brought Simon on stage to sing it as a surprise guest. Like Swift, we also owe a debt to Simon, as many folks have stopped by Songfacts to learn more about the enigma. "You're So Vain" Songfacts

I got a little churlish about The Peanuts when the movie came out this year. The comic strip was pretty lame, but it always got the top spot in the funny papers, even after Charles Schulz died. To me, it represented the worst in anodyne mediocrity - something that was there just because it always was there. But when I watched Great Pumpkin this year, I realized that this thing is a lot more charming than I thought. It was clever and funny and entertaining. So, I look forward to A Charlie Brown Christmas, and won't be a Scrooge about it.

Had no idea the song was so wordy. Was thrilled to see "Imagine" as our top song the last few days. That's exactly the song we need right now along with "La Marseillaise."

Wow. That reminds me of the rare vocal version of the NBC basketball theme:

But not Abbott and Costello, Ron? That movie where they go to Mars holds up surprisingly well (even if it is not scientifically accurate), and "Who's On First" might be the most perfect comedy routine ever devised.

That's what Bettye LaVette said in our recent interview. In one stop on her musical journey, LaVette toured with Brown and Otis Redding, so Roger asked what she learned from the experience. Her reply: This isn't surprising: James Brown was never considered a nice guy, and even his most flattering bios concede this point. It is rare when someone points this out in such a blunt manner, however. Many music legends are notoriously bad characters: Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis are classic examples. When it comes to legacy, however, bad behavior is offset by musical accomplishment. Brown is such an important artist that his personal indiscretions are merely asides to his story. Contrast this with Ike Turner, whose headline typically includes mention of his abusive nature. Bettye LaVette has no reason to canonize Brown, so she didn't.

Great find Kevin. Got that added to the Songfacts entry.

What do I have to do!!! 7 freaking touchdowns from Brees and I still lose! Guess it's a team game, and if there's nobody catching TDs, you're still vulnerable.

We've had some nice mentions on the Howard Stern Show lately, thanks to Fred and Gary (both fine gentlemen). Our writer Greg Prato was on the Wrap Up Show recently, and when he mentioned Songfacts, Gary gave us some love: "You write for Songfacts? That's a big website in the office, we all love that." Check out the 9:21 mark:

A very early Hall & Oates song that would sound great at a Renaissance faire.

"Black Tie White Noise" - David Bowie

"Werewolves of London" and of course, "Thriller"

"Lunatic Fringe" - Red Rider

This was 40 years ago. It's from the DVD Queen - A Night At The Odeon, Live At Hammersmith ’75

From the Queen in Montreal 1981 concert. Not sure if Freddie was drinking the keg beer, the Heineken or the coffee.

Love the rug! I would think being three feet from Gordon would have a lasting imprint. Glad you pulled this off. Ken, to get the image to display, I grabbed the URL from Tinypic and selected "insert other media>insert image from URL"

Let us know where you left that comment and we'll delete it.

This got Jimi Hendrix banned from the BBC and inspired Elvis Costello to do something similar 8 years later: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xu6fyo_jimi-hendrix-lulu-show-1969_music

Vick is fun to watch, but the numbers show he was never as good as we thought he was.

A reminder that tomorrow is the day Doc and Marty visited in Back To The Future 2. Thought they would have had those self-lacing sneakers by now.

I think that song was a B-side before it was released as its own single, so that might be the version you heard.

Yes! Where Chrissie Hynde plays a waitress and the rest of the band are customers.

Every now and then, a very literal shot shows up in a video to match a lyric. This one is probably my favorite. Do you know where it comes from?

Tasmin Archer (you know - "Sleeping Satellite")

Sounds like one of her late '70s tunes, probably written by Ashford & Simpson. That key change shows up in a lot of those tracks. I can't recall one with those specific lyrics though.