you're so vain

Carly Simon had everyone guessing about the clouds in her coffee and the self-important subject of her signature song.  
'You're So Vain' was produced by Richard Perry at Trident Studios in London for her album 'No Secrets'.  The sessions for the song included:  Carly Simon on piano, vocals, and string arrangements; Jimmy Ryan on acoustic and electric guitar; Klaus Voormann on bass; Jim Gordon on drums; Richard Perry on percussion; and Mick Jagger on backing vocals.  Paul Buckmaster did the orchestration.  

Simon has said that “It doesn’t really matter who it’s about.”  Nevertheless, the subject of the song has been a continuing source of speculation over the years.  Simon has said that the song is based upon a composite of three ex-boyfriends.  Former lovers such as Cat Stevens, Warren Beatty, Kris Kristofferson, and Mick Jagger have all been considered.  Some have suggested that she tricked Jagger into singing the background vocals for a song actually written about him; but Simon explains how he came to be involved:   "I guess it was kind of chance in a way. I was in London, it was 1972 and he happened to call at the studio while I was doing the background vocals with Harry Nilsson. Mick said 'Hey, what cha doin'?' and I said 'We're doing some backup vocals on a song of mine....why don't you come down and sing with us?'  So Mick and Harry and I stood around the mike singing you're so vain and Harry was such a gentleman - he knew the chemistry was between me and Mick; in terms of the singing, so he sort of bowed out saying 'The two of you have a real blend - you should do it yourselves.' And that's how it happened." 

Simon said that she had already come up with much of the song when a person she knew came into a party in Los Angeles:  "I said to myself, 'This is exactly the person that 'You’re so vain, I bet you think this song is about you' is about!' I envisioned him looking in the mirror and the scarf twirling, and the imaginary gavotte, and all the women wanting to be his partner.”

Simon describes the origin of the evocative line about "clouds in my coffee":  "It came from an airplane flight that I took with Billy Mernit, who was my friend and piano player at the time. As I got my coffee, there were clouds outside the window of the airplane and you could see the reflection in the cup of coffee. Billy said to me, 'Look at the clouds in your coffee'."

'You're So Vain' went gavotting up to number three in the UK, and number one in Australia, Canada, and on both the US pop and adult contemporary charts.  Simon has given hints as to the subject of the song (specifically, that their name contains the letters A, E, and R) over the years, but continues to dodge the question:  "Well, you know people have always asked me this. I don't know why people are so interested in that. I suppose it was at a time in my life in which I was garnering a great deal of sort of tabloid press - in terms of who I was going out with. It's the kind of thing that if I actually tell, it'll lose the whole mystique. What's the point of telling? Why bother to tell?"







http://www.carlysimon.com/
















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? 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








Simon re-recorded the song for her album 'Never Been Gone' with a whispered name which led to rumors that the song was about David Geffen:  "I said “Ovid” both front- and backward together on the CD, and it came out sounding like 'David’ to some, I guess. But I meant it as an allusion to metamorphosis, and that this group of songs was rechanneled into a different cockroach. Kafka? Coffee? Clouds? I know it’s boring, but that could be good!"



                     

american pie

Don McLean was killing us softly with this eulogy to his departed Rock and Roll heroes. 'American Pie' centers around the death of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper (Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr.) in a plane crash on February 3, 1959; and uses layers of metaphor to describe the changes in Rock and Roll music and the social upheaveal in the ensuing decade. It was a number one smash in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the US; and is considered one of the greatest songs of the past century.   It was on the top of the charts on the thirteenth anniversary of the crash.


McLean says, "Buddy's death, for me, an impressionable 13-year-old, delivering papers, was an enormous tragedy. The cover photo of the posthumously released 'Buddy Holly Story' and 'The Buddy Holly Story, Vol. 2,' coupled with liner notes written by his widow, Maria, created a sense of grief that lived inside of me, until I was able to exorcize it with the opening verse of 'American Pie.'" The lyrics makes veiled references to Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, and to numerous songs like 'The Book of Love', 'Do you Believe in Magic?', 'A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation)', 'Helter Skelter', 'Eight Miles High', 'Jumpin' Jack Flash', 'The Bible Tells Me So',and, most notably, 'That'll be the Day'.


"The growing urban legend that 'American Pie' was the name of Buddy Holly's plane the night it crashed, killing him, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper is equally untrue. I created the term." says McLean. "As you can imagine, over the years I've been asked many times to discuss and explain my song 'American Pie'. I have never discussed the lyrics, but have admitted to the Holly reference in the opening stanzas. I dedicated the album 'American Pie' to Buddy Holly as well in order to connect the entire statement to Holly in hopes of bringing about an interest in him, which subsequently did occur. This brings me to my point. Casey Kasem never spoke to me and none of the references he confirms my making were made by me. You will find many "interpretations" of my lyrics but none of them by me. Isn't this fun? Sorry to leave you all on your own like this but long ago I realized that songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence."

http://www.don-mclean.com/

A long long time ago
I can still remember how
That music used to make me smile

And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died

So
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey in Rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Now do you believe in rock and roll?
Can music save your mortal soul?
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that you're in love with him
Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singin'

Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey in Rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

Now, for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone
But, that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me
Oh and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lenin read a book on Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singin'

Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey in Rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

Helter skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?
We started singin'

Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey in Rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is the devil's only friend
And as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan's spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singin'

Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey in Rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most-
the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost-
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
And they were singing

Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey in Rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die