Simon reveals "Who's so Vain" (really Carly?)

[Lucky]

AP:

One of pop music's biggest mysteries now has a clue. For almost 40 years, the identity of the mystery man of Carly Simon's hit "You're So Vain" has remained a secret. Until now. In a new version, Simon whispers roughly two and a half minutes into the tune. Play it backwards and you'll hear the first name of the man: "David."

One of pop music's biggest mysteries now has a clue. For almost 40 years, the identity of the mystery man of Carly Simon's 1972 hit "You're So Vain" has remained a secret. Until now.

In a newly-recorded version, Simon whispers roughly two and a half minutes into the tune. Play it backwards and you'll hear the first name of the man: "David."

Simon, 64, confirms the clue in an interview with Uncut magazine. "I'm just going to tell you this," she said. "The answer is on the new version of 'You're So Vain.' There's a little whisper -- and it's the answer to the puzzle."

With lyrics like "You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht..." the public has long guessed who it could be. Many speculated it was Warren Beatty, Mick Jagger, Kris Kristofferson or even Cat Stevens.

The British tab The Sun, however, claims it's none other than music and movie mogul David Geffen.

While the song was long thought to be about a failed relationship, the new whisper (that you can hear on The Sun's site) may be a hint at Simon's resentment of Geffen signing then-music rival Joni Mitchell for his own label Asylum Records. Simon was on Elektra (which Geffen ran) and in 1972 the two labels merged with Geffen at the helm.

But Simon's publicist disputed the theory to CNN. Both David Cassidy of "The Partridge Family" and rock star David Bowie, have been recently dismissed as other clues point away from them.

one of many sources

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Really Carly? Geffen? That's totally not fun, when compared to the other rumored possiblities. And haven't we just been reading about Carly's bad financial state? I guess this is the hook she needs, because really after all these years this one song, and it's mystery is pretty much all she's got.

[skybluesky]

I was just going to post this story. She sold the secret years ago at a charity auction but the buyer, Dick Ebersole, promised never to reveal the secret. David Geffen disappoints me as the song's subject, especially since he's the subject of Joni Mitchell's "Free Man In Paris."

[Shawna]

the way I look at it is: at the time she wrote it, she felt it. So to me, it doesn't make any difference who it's about, or whether or not it was a romantic thing. It's what she was going through in her life at the time...

When I write stuff, and then go back years later and read it and remember who it was about, I'm usually disappointed. And in some instances, thoroughly disgusted.

[Lucky]

**********update***********

Carly Simon Says 'You're So Vain' Mystery Not Solved

"Posted Mon Mar 1, 2010 11:00am PST by Lindsay Robertson in Stop The Presses!"

Late last week a 38-year guessing game seemed to have come to its end when Carly Simon released a re-worked version of her hit song "You're So Vain." Fans, media outlets, mystery lovers, and even people who weren't alive when the song was first released all joined the conversation when it was revealed that the subject of the song is music mogul David Geffen..

Or was it?.

Over the weekend, Simon, who was en route to the U.K. to promote the album that contains the new version of "You're So Vain, dashed off an email to Showbiz 411's Roger Friedman, exclaiming: "What a riot! Nothing to do with David Geffen!" Friedman, who is a writer for The Hollywood Reporter blog, says Carly didn't even know Geffen in 1971, which is when she wrote the song..

The whole "So Vain" brouhaha began when British newspaper The Sun jumped to conclusions after playing the new version backwards and hearing what they claim is the singer clearly saying "David." That David, according to The Sun's logic, had to David Geffen, the head of Elektra Records at the time. The announcement was easy fodder for bloggers, and the mystery was considered solved (after all, what other David besides David Geffen had a private jet in 1971?)..

Still, Carly's denial in and of itself is intriguing, as she also confirmed that the song is full of clues..

Simon told Friedman: "What a funny mistake! Someone got a clue mistaken for another mistake!".

So the hunt continues for the mystery jet-setting man, who may or may not have something to do with the name "David." Past guesses have included Carly's ex-boyfriends Mick Jagger, Warren Beatty, Cat Stevens, and Kris Kristofferson..

Yahoo Music News

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Good lord, isn't it time to give it up?

[TheLizard]

How else is she supposed to get attention?

She's so vain... she probably wrote this song about no-one.

[Kevin]

Agreed . The ongoing controversy and her lack of detail in order to resell this song yet again reveals her to be the one .

[chutzpah]

I've heard that it was about David Crosby, Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Joe Walsh? Whatever, it was a good song then...probably just a publicity thing for $$$

[edna]

No doubt. A great song. I never cared about or if it's dedicated to who...