You’re So Vain Cover
Most people know the story behind this week’s “Remake of a Classic”, Carly Simon’s 1972 hit “You’re So Vain”. Originally Simon claimed that it was about men in general, and not any particular person. That changed when she admitted that each verse is actually about three different men. Over the years people have speculated who the three men are, but Simon has only said that the men’s names contain the letters A, E, and R. She did finally reveal that the second verse is about actor Warren Beatty (who apparently thought the entire song was about him…which means that, yes, he’s pretty vain).
Others have thrown around the names James Taylor, Mick Jagger, David Cassidy, David Bowie and Cat Stevens, but Simon has only confirmed that it’s definitely not Taylor or Jagger. Jagger actually sings backup vocals on the song (he happened to be at the studio, and so she said “We’re doing some backup vocals on a song of mine, why don’t you come down and sing with us?” It’s funny: once you realize that Mick Jagger is singing backup, it’s hard not to hone in on it.
At the beginning of the tune Simon whispers “Son of a gun” in response to bass player Klaus Voormann’s opening riff (I always thought it was a reference to the three men the song is about). Because the verses are near the top of my range, I originally switched out “Son of a gun” for “This won’t be good”…but then changed it back.
In the first verse the line, “as you watched yourself gavotte” refers to a French dance, taking its name from a folk dance of the Gavot, the people of the Pays de Gap region of Dauphiné in the southeast of France, where the dance originated. The line “clouds in my coffee” came from pianist Billy Mernit during a flight he was on with Simon. She had ordered coffee, and when they brought it the clouds outside the window of the plane were reflected in the top of the cup. Mernit said, “Look at the clouds in your coffee”. The line “I hear you went up to Saratoga and your horse naturally won” refers to the Saratoga Race Course horse-racing season held in late July, August, and early September in Saratoga Springs, New York. And finally, the line “Then you flew your Learjet up to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun” could refer to one of two solar eclipses that were visible from Nova Scotia in the early 1970s; March 7 and July 10.
As for my version, purists (mainly real keyboardists) will no doubt pick up on the fact that I’m not a piano player…I’m just winging it. As for the Klaus Voormann bass riff at the beginning, I played it the way Simon’s bassist played it at the live concert at Martha’s Vineyard, which originally aired on HBO in 1987.
Klaus wouldn’t return my calls.
