A few weeks ago, Carly Simon purportedly revealed the first name of the mysterious subject of her song “You’re So Vain” by creepily whispering what sounded like “David” backward on her album. The incident set off a round of speculation that landed on, of all people, David freaking Geffen. Personally, we were outraged. At the delivery of the information, which in itself seemed a naked publicity ploy for an album that otherwise, let’s face it, no one would care about, but also because as far as big reveals went, finding out one of the world’s greatest love songs was written for a foppish music executive was more disappointing than finding out that Thomas Pynchon is just a regular ol’ Zabar’s customer. But then! Carly denied that Geffen was the David mentioned at all. “Someone got a clue mistaken for another mistake!,” she said, cryptically. And now, she has told Vanity Fair whose name she did whisper.
“I said “Ovid” [emphasis ours] both front- and backward together on the CD, and it came out sounding like “David’ to some, I guess. But I meant it as an allusion to metamorphosis, and that this group of songs was rechanneled into a different cockroach. Kafka? Coffee? Clouds? I know it’s boring, but that could be good!”
So there you have it. The ending to the “You’re So Vain” riddle is just like the ending of freaking Shutter Island: Carly Simon is completely bananas. Now we’d like our lobotomy, please.
Carly Simon Personally Answers the “David” Question [VF]
Earlier: Carly Simon Ruins Our Day With Worst Reveal Ever
‘You’re So Vain’ Not About David Geffen After All
