"You're So Vain, You Probably Think this Song is About You"

[battlezoby]

If you know the song (or want to read the lyrics posted below in #11) , I was wondering if do you have any theories about who (specifcily or generally) the song is about?" (Don't be afraid to Google/Youtube it, etcetera.)

After you read more of this threrad, you can read my answer as reply #30.

I've always loved that chorus, which I put in the title here, sounds like bait, because if anyone think it's about them, it makes them seem vain. (Jack, a fictional character on 30 Rocks is vain that he says, "And, yes, that song is about me.")

But then I learned more details about the song. And then, decades later, I had a epiphany about it. But I want to see if other people's comments before I say more. Thanks.

UPDATE: Nobody was said they're curious about my "epiphany" or the trick question, so I think I'll leave those for another day.

Better yet, if you care send me an Invite, I'll tell you, and it'll be our secret. :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQZmCJUSC6g&t=17s

[Li77lehorn]

Interesting take. I need to get this horrible ear worm outta my head.

[battlezoby]

Publicado originalmente por Incarnate:

The irony is that the song is really about how insecure and bitter she is for losing this dude. That is kind of what makes the song interesting. She's wallowing in self-loathing.

Opps, sorry. I gave credit to Li77lehorn but techinically speaking, you might have been the first person to give correct answer before I did. I just got so excited over "his" post, I replied before reading yours.

[battlezoby]

BTW... what I'm really curious about now, is can someone find something posted before today that claims [incorrectly or otherwise] that the song is really "about" herself?

[battlezoby]

Publicado originalmente por Out Of Bubblegum:

Publicado originalmente por battlezoby:

The f-you about this song is, yes, she's singing about a specific guy, but in
her mind, the song isn't about the guy! It's about her! The singer!

   "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.

    But you gave away the things you loved
    And one of them was me!"

The song is about herself, not him!

Did you hurt your arm stretching that far?

What about the other two mentioned in the lyrics. Are they both her also? Did she travel to watch the eclipse?

I'm going to try to (successfully or otherwise) avoid replying to majority of people who don't believe me because, well, mostly because I don't expect to change their minds, and besides, at some point I'll just end up repeating myself anyways.

Heck, it took me 20 years to realize it. Even if I am right, I shouldn't expect other people to "get it" overnight. Or maybe even this month. (Or, heck, maybe I'm wrong. Whatever.)

Despite the song being mostly chorus and chorus-like stuff, it only has 3 verses the best I can count right now.

I already quoted one. In addition to that, the first verse includes "And ALL the girls dreamed that they'd be your partner", one of those girls was clearly her.

I admit that the last verse MIGHT NOT be referring to herself directly, but it is only 1 of 3. But after taking 20 years to form my first theory, I'm not totally sure it doesn't refer to herself somehow.

Yes, most of the lyrics talk about (one or more) ex-boyfriend(s). But wording it a bit more modestly, I really think the song is "about" a single person, and if it is, I think that in her mind that person is her.

Food for thought: If the guy(s) the specific details refer to hear the song, and it's really about them, then they wouldn't be "vain" for thinking so, now would they? They could merely be RIGHT. That's part of what led me to the assumption, that IN HER MIND, it's not really about him/them.

[crunchyfrog]

Publicado originalmente por Li77lehorn:

Publicado originalmente por Incarnate:

The irony is that the song is really about how insecure and bitter she is for losing this dude. That is kind of what makes the song interesting. She's wallowing in self-loathing. Deep down she knows she wasn't good enough for this smug alpha chad.

Yeah that's why I can't tell if it's meant to be empowering for women or the opposite.

That's why I pointed out how delicate and clever it was. It rides that line perfectly of being obtuse enough but yet offering enough so you're never quite sure.

[battlezoby]

Publicado originalmente por crunchyfrog:

Publicado originalmente por Li77lehorn:

Yeah that's why I can't tell if it's meant to be empowering for women or the opposite.

That's why I pointed out how delicate and clever it was. It rides that line perfectly of being obtuse enough but yet offering enough so you're never quite sure.

BTW... my favorite love + hate album is Roger Waters's "Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking". For example, he has a dream of her where "she picked up the doggy in the window, the one with the waggly tail" and she eats it ! That song is called "Sexual Revolution". But after an album full of that stuff, it ends happy with him waking up and it says "I had a little bit of luck. You were awake. I couldn't take another moment alone."

BTW... something else that took me over a decade. I thought the last song of "The Wall" was supposed to be a happy one compared to rest of the album. But I missed the real meaning and it made me cry.

[crunchyfrog]

Publicado originalmente por battlezoby:

Publicado originalmente por crunchyfrog:

That's why I pointed out how delicate and clever it was. It rides that line perfectly of being obtuse enough but yet offering enough so you're never quite sure.

BTW... my favorite love + hate album is Roger Waters's "Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking". For example, he has a dream of her where she "Picks up the doggy in the window, the one with the waggly tail" and she eats it ! That song is called "Sexual Revolution". But after an album full of that stuff, it ends with him waking up and it says "I had a little bit of luck. You were awake. I couldn't take another moment alone."

I can understand that as a percect love/hate albums. It's truly weird and frankly the lyrics are just odd and disconnected. But hey, there's plenty of albums that I love that are like that.

Hell, the legneds Half Man Half Biscuit excel at doing ♥♥♥♥ like that.