Best of the Web: "You're So Vain" Edition

This week’s revelation that Carly Simon’s 1972 “You’re So Vain” was not about Warren Beatty or Mick Jagger but about someone named “David,” the name whispered on the new recording of the song, has got Simon’s past flames and the rest of us thinking.

Is it really “David”? And, if so, which David is it? London’s Daily Mail declared that the song was about record producer David Gaffen, who is gay and allegedly earned Simon’s scorn because he paid more attention to Joni Mitchell’s career at the time. Many of us, along with Warren Beatty, simply refused to believe this.

Thankfully, Simon dispelled the notion in The Hollywood Reporter via an e-mail: “What a riot! Nothing to do with David Geffen! What a funny mistake! Someone got a clue mistaken for another mistake!”

But the plot grows thicker…As The Independent reports: “A source who worked on the new version of the song told the US website ShowBiz411 that it contained two other ‘whispered’ names, one that’s unintelligible and another that is ‘Warren.’ So, for now, Warren, Kris, Mick, Yusuf, you can go back to probably thinking this song is about you after all.”

Whoever he is, Mr. Vain rebuts Carly’s charges in McSweeny’s. Best bits: “First of all, that party took place on a yacht. So the way I walked in was perfectly appropriate.” And “… I am known to spend time with wives of close friends. And what do I do with said women, Carly? Talk. Have tea. Catch a movie or attend a polo match. These women’s husbands are entertainers and travel quite a bit, so I spend time with them, because that’s what friends do. And sometimes I have sex with them. But not as often as you might think.” (Thanks to Rachel for sharing this one.)

Finally, Simon has announced a music video contest for “You’re So Vain.” I would like the winning video to include a lot of footage of Warren Beatty—with or without the apricot scarf.