Simon hints at who might be 'so vain' ...

Tim Jonze guardian.co.uk, Friday 26 February 2010

For decades it's been belted out in karaoke bars across the world, but nobody has ever been sure as to the subject behind Carly Simon's You're So Vain.

Certainly, the list of potential suspects was long, with Simon's ex-lovers including Mick Jagger, Cat Stevens and Warren Beatty. Now the 70s singer has given a pretty big hint as to who it might be on a new acoustic version of the song, which contains the memorable line, "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you". She told Uncut magazine: "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." The singer went on to confirm that the whispered name – which is recorded backwards for added confusion – is "David".

Admittedly, "David" only narrows things down so far and a frantic guessing game has broken out in the press. Commentators have suggested David Cassidy, David Crosby and David Bowie as potential suitors. All fit happily into the "David" category although, if we're being technical here, that means we can't yet rule out former England goalkeeper David Seaman, either.

A frantic guessing game has broken out. The Daily Mail claims to have solved the mystery by declaring that the song is about music mogul David Geffen. Rather than an ex-boyfriend, the Mail suggests Simon was in a rage at Geffen's decision to promote Joni Mitchell over her own work.

This latest revelation won't please Warren Beatty, who went along with the song's sentiments by thinking it was, well, about him. As Simon has said herself in the past: "[Warren] certainly thought it was about him. He called me and said: 'Thanks for the song.'"

Now the mystery is closer to being solved. But we still haven't quite arrived at the point where the song's subject can turn around and say: "Well yeah, but it is about me!"