One of the most enigmatic songs in pop history, You’re So Vain, finally has its own video. Artist Carly Simon launched a video competition in collaboration with the Tribeca Film Festival. Hundreds of people submitted online videos and Brett Bisogno’s video won. He received $10,000 for the top prize.
Released in December 1972, the song now has its own video but still does not reveal the identity of the man Simon wrote about. When the song came out back then, people tried to figure out who the song was about as it seemed the singer was trying to settle a score with a former lover.
The title really says it all about how Simon feels about this particular person. She sings: "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."
The video features Carly Simon singing in colour on a black and white background. A man with a bushy beard is briskly walking down the street, stopping occasionally to do a little dance.
Several famous names have popped up in association with this song, including David Geffen, Warren Beatty and Mick Jagger. The media have also named Kris Kristofferson, David Bowie, David Cassidy and even Cat Stevens.
Carly Simon told Howard Stern during a 2009 interview that the man was in fact a mix of three different people.