You’re so vain. I bet you think this song is about you.

Before Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez & Gwen Stephani, Carly Simon wrote the original “my-ex-sucks song” that piqued everyone’s interest–“You’re so Vain”.

Carly had many friends so there was a lot of speculation about who this could be written about. Is this song about Mick Jagger, David Geffen, Warren Beatty?  Wisely, she never answered. As years went by it almost became a myth of sorts. “American Pie” has a similar mystical quality because the author never revealed the intended meaning.

The difference between this song and American Pie is that Carly paints an extremely vivid (and clear) picture of the subject of the song. He is a lucky, rich, good-looking, pompous, womanizing
ass…who is vain. (Not that she’s bitter).

And the thing is, she doesn’t come across bitter at all. Part of the reason is because of her great, concise description of him. She simply describes his actions. We can easily visualize a guy
who dresses loudly, who enters the room brashly as if to say “the party has now started”. She says it so well, in one of the best rhymes in pop music:

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.

Yacht, apricot, gavotte…that is great writing! These are the more playful descriptions about him and confirm that he is vain. The fact that he has sex with his friends’ wives are less playful,
and show us he’s not just vain, he is a bad guy.

The vocal is crisp and we hear a slight edge in her voice. That’s what we want from songs about exes. The unique bass rhythm in the intro that continues throughout elevates the song to another level. The song is heavily produced, but it works.

You’re So Vain Lyrics

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 (you’re so vain)
I 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 naïve
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 (you’re so vain)
I 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 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 (so vain)
I 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
Probably think this song about you
You’re so vain

I will always be a man who’s open to…..
Persuasion.

In “Persuasion”—by Richard Thompson—the narrator is recalling a past romance that ended rather unfortunately. They separated because they believed their futures were headed in different directions. Years later now, the narrator wonders whatever happened to that great love. He could probably be “persuaded” to give it another go.

The lyrics and concept for “Persuasion” is great. He is reaching out—in way—by mentioning he is open to the idea of reconciliation…but not completely. He is older now and his heart has already been broken by her once already before. There is hope in his voice, but he is realistic: He says, the featured lyric above. Probably, just a little interest on her side and he’d be persuaded.

(He never did say it would take a lot of persuasion!)

The acoustic guitar sound on the song gives the song a vibe of a song that is much older-sounding than it is. This song was written in the 1990s, but if you guessed the 1960s no one would fault you. It is a timeless folk sound.

Richard (Fairport Convention) Thompson’s vocal is very tender. It sounds great when mixed with his son Teddy’s complimentary vocals. There are several versions of the song, but this is the definitive one. For another song with a similar theme, checkout The One that Got Away.

Persuasion Lyrics

You and I,
Tempted by the promise of a different life.
Time has fled,
There’s a constant battle running through my head.

I don’t know what to do,
‘Cause I still believe.
After all the foolish things that we’ve been through
I will always be a man who’s open to…..
Persuasion.

Blind romance,
There’ll be no half measures given half the chance.
But we never learn.

Trusting in the fire while the cruel flame burns.
And we need to rebuild
What was never there
What got left behind.

After all the foolish things that we’ve been through
I can always make a start on something new
And I’ll always be a man who’s open to…..
Persuasion

And it’s written in my heart,
So that everybody could see it.
And it’s written in my soul.
After all I still believe it.

I still believe it,
I still believe it, yeah.
I still believe.

I don’t know what to do, ’cause I still believe.
After all the foolish things you put me through,
I can always make a start on something new,
And I’ll always be a man who’s open to…..
Persuasion, persuasion.

In another life
I would be your girl

In “The One that Got Away” Katy Perry thinks about a prior boyfriend and wonders how her life might be had things worked out a different way. What if they hadn’t broken up? What if she had valued their relationship more? In a different world—one where she made different decisions–she might be still with him all these years later.

The fact that those decisions can be so small but lead to such a largely different future is a complicated concept to grasp when you’re young. One movie that deals with this concept well is Sliding Doors.

Perry reminisces about how close she and her ex were—they were inseparable. They spoke of forever, made promises, even got matching tattoos. Were they just clueless about the difficulties of making relationships last? Or was it all just meaningless? I think we know how she feels.

However, what she is really wondering is if he feels the same way about her. Is she “the one that got away” for him, just as he is for her? She heard he got their tattoo removed and is beginning to come to the realization that he does not romanticize her the same way she does him.

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the song is how personal it seems. If one has these feelings, is it appropriate to be seriously involved with another person? How can a new boyfriend compete with a romanticized ghost?

The sound of the acoustic version really captures the emotional aspect of the lyrics well. The regular version is completely off. Her feelings are regretful, sad, nostalgic; these emotions are perfectly captured in the acoustic version. It is a different sound that what one might expect from Katy Perry. One could argue that the song could even be stripped down more.

Perry’s voice sounds good—especially the lower notes. I think most artists would be tempted to sing those a couple octaves higher. The song has a great sounding verse and chorus—making for an altime great song. The bridge does a decent job of transitioning between the two while summarizing the meaning of “The One Who Got Away”. This is Perry’s best work.

The One Who Got Away Lyrics

Summer after high school when we first met
We’d make out in your Mustang to Radiohead
And on my 18th birthday we got matching tattoos
Used to steal your parents’ liquor and climb to the roof
Talk about our future like we had a clue
Never planned that one day I’d be losing you

In another life
I would be your girl
We’d keep all our promises
Be us against the world
In another life
I would make you stay
So I don’t have to say you were
The one that got away
The one that got away

I was June and you were my Johnny Cash
Never one without the other, we made a pact
Sometimes when I miss you I put those records on (whoa)
Someone said you had your tattoo removed
Saw you downtown singing the blues
It’s time to face the music, I’m no longer your muse

But in another life
I would be your girl
We’d keep all our promises
Be us against the world
In another life
I would make you stay
So I don’t have to say you were
The one that got away
The one that got away

The one
The one
The one
The one that got away
All this money can’t buy me a time machine, no
Can’t replace you with a million rings, no
I should’ve told you what you meant to me (whoa)
‘Cause now I pay the price

In another life
I would be your girl
We’d keep all our promises
Be us against the world
In another life
I would make you stay
So I don’t have to say you were
The one that got away
The one that got away
The one (the one)
The one (the one)
The one (the one)

In another life
I would make you stay
So I don’t have to say you were
The one that got away
The one that got away

Songwriters: Katy Perry / Lukasz Gottwald / Max Martin