Carly Simon Plays ‘Lost Verse’ from ‘You’re So Vain’ for First Time
While the subject of Carly Simon‘s scathing “You’re So Vain” remains one of music’s greatest mysteries, the singer has revealed her never-before-heard fourth verse to the 1972 single that could shine more light on the unknown target.
During an interview with BBC, Simon premiered the “lost” verse, which the singer had written while composing the song but ultimately omitted from the final version. “This is a verse that I haven’t ever sung,” Simon said. “I wrote it a while ago on a pad, but it never made it into the song.”
“A friend of yours revealed to me that you’d loved me all the time / Kept it secret from your wives / You believed it was no crime,” Simon sang, pausing at moments to recall the forgotten verse.
“You called me once to ask me things / I couldn’t quite divine / Maybe that’s why I have tried to dismiss you, tried to dismiss you / And you’re so vain.”
Over the past 45 years, Simon has been steadfast in her refusal to disclose who “You’re So Vain” is about, but it’s likely a composite of different men the singer-songwriter encountered.
In 2015, Simon divulged in a People interview that the song’s second verse – “Oh, you had me several years ago / When I was still naïve / Well, you said that we made such a pretty pair / And that you would never leave” – was about her experience with actor Warren Beatty.
However, although one verse has been solved, the adulterer of this newly uncovered verse only deepens the mystery.