The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
(Son of a gun)
He walked into the party
Like you were walking on to 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 (you're so vain)
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you?
Don't you?
Oh, you had me several years ago
When I was still quite naive
When 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 (you're so vain)
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't 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 (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 Learjet 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 (so vain)
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you?
Don't you?
Don't you? Now
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
He walked into the party
Like you were walking on to 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 (you're so vain)
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you?
Don't you?
Oh, you had me several years ago
When I was still quite naive
When 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 (you're so vain)
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't 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 (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 Learjet 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 (so vain)
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you?
Don't you?
Don't you? Now
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
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"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
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"Some and now none of you"
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This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
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Alright, I don't know WHO the song is about; but "clouds in my coffee" makes me think of the swirls that you get when you pour cream into coffee. They're fleeting but cool to watch. And in response to Sarou Booboo: I think that's the entire point. The song could be about anyone, but when this person hears it, they will immediately think that it is about them.. because they are vain. It's like when you put something in your Profile.. and everyone thinks that it was for them, like lyrics or a quote, but it wasn't for any of them.
I agree totally! I see that all the time. People read into coincidences. One morning a friend posted on Facebook that she was sick of arrogant people. I commented "Coffee STAT!" then after me about 8 people commented apologizing and asked if it was about them. She was just being cranky, like I assumed, but everyone's reactions showed how much people tend to internalize other people's behavior that has nothing to do with them.
The song is about HER!
@Princess1786 Check out this article about a few of her songs: washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2015/11/20/these-six-tragic-revelations-from-carly-simons-memoir-will-make-you-ashamed-to-be-a-man-if-you-are-a-man/
i love the fact that no one knows who the song is about, it adds to its intrigue. its giving a message out and i'm sure a number of men are wondering whether it's about them. everyone knows a man who this song applies to. carly is getting her own back on a number of men and i think this song would make them feel stupid. it makes the men feel bad for wondering whether the song is about them.
I think its about all of them or none of them at all, and i think the part "you probably think this song about you" is saying all of you will think this song is about them, and its not, but they'll all think this because they're so vain. I love this song, its sooo good :)
so i think it's a mix between Mick Jagger and Jack Nicholson... the reason i do not think that it is about Mick is because he sang background vocals in this song if you listen closely, or even recognize what his voice sounsd like...So I don't think she'd write this song and ask him to sing in it unless she knew he was completely fucking retarded.
i think it's about Jack...i don't know they're history, but they had one. and i bet that they KNOW that this song is about him..why would she write stuff such as "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..." if it had never happened? not for a good rhyme or song, but it has meaning. and when he heard it, i bet he knew it was him.
i believe she has only told ONE person who this song is about...my mom told me about it, so did my dad, that some man, i forgot his name, paid her like millions for her to tell him. i think it was even on national tv, and she whispered it to him? or maybe that was a rumor, but he paid and she told him. and he knows. and so does she.
and whoever this song is about is probably very vain, they think the song is about them because it is...and thats just her excuse for writing it.
@amyflavoredtrash were you very high when you wrote this or does this actually make some sort of sense to you? WTF does the lyric about the lear jet have to do with Jack Nicholson? Three other nitwits upvoted your comment, so maybe I’m the one who doesn’t know WTF they’re talking about...but your comment makes absolutely no sense to me
I have always loved this song, and especially the line, "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you." My interpretation is that this song is written for one person, and NOT that that person is necessarily vain, but that there is an irony here. In a sense, the singer is saying, "You think this song is about you," and the singer is trying to delude herself into thinking that the song is NOT about you, but it really is about you, so therein lies the irony. It's like a husband and a wife having a heated argument, and the wife says, "You think that I care what you think? Well, I don't!" But the emotion behind the comment proves that the person really does care and is trying to convince not just the other person but herself that she doesn't care. So it is a wonderful example of irony of speech, which is what I believe is at the heart of this song.
@solarpons Check out this article about a few of her songs: washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2015/11/20/these-six-tragic-revelations-from-carly-simons-memoir-will-make-you-ashamed-to-be-a-man-if-you-are-a-man/
Lots of men fit this song.
Whomever the song is about - if it is, indeed, about a specific person - I think the lines 'You're so vain. I bet you think this song is about you, don't you?' encapsulate a brilliant and satisfyingly provocative irony. This is because should the adressee(s) attempt a rebuttal - by claiming that even if the lyrics are not entirely about them, they are at least in part; due to the very encompassing nature of the song, which incorporates anyone who belives that Simon is referring to them - then they merely confirm how vain they are. It's like goading people into behaving arrogantly, and then taking that as testament to their true colours. I love how inflammatory that is!
@stringofpearls<br /> <br /> not me!
I think TFFMO got it right. The song ultimately is about her and how she was used. The irony is that the vain person is only going to hear how it's about him because that's the essence of vanity-that everything revolves around "you." I still think that vain person's a single guy. If so, couldn't someone just figure out who owned a horse that raced at Saratoga or went to see an eclipse in Nova Scotia unless that's altered.
it does not have to be mick jagger or warren beatty,it could be anybody(leaving out the parts about wealth,of course). the guys like the guy described in this song walk amongst us,unfortunately..
I first got to know this song in that movie; how to loose a guy in 10 days
just love the song, hate the movie
the fact that you think it's about you, tells you're vain, it's brilliant!
I could see it being about Mick Jagger. After all, he did try to sleep with Angie Bowie, his best friend's wife.
"And when you're not you're with Some underworld spy or the wife of a close friend Wife of a close friend, and..."