<Table> <Tr> <Td> "Legend in Your Own Time" (1971) </Td> <Td> "You're So Vain" (1972) </Td> <Td> "The Right Thing to Do" (1973) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> "Legend in Your Own Time" (1971) </Td> <Td> "You're So Vain" (1972) </Td> <Td> "The Right Thing to Do" (1973) </Td> </Tr> <P> "You're So Vain" is a song written and performed by Carly Simon and released in November 1972 . The song is a critical profile of a self - absorbed lover about whom Simon asserts "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you ." The title subject's identity has long been a matter of speculation, with Simon stating that the song refers to three men, only one of whom she has named publicly, actor Warren Beatty . The song is ranked at #82 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of All - Time . "You're So Vain" was voted #216 in RIAA's Songs of the Century, and in August 2014, the UK's Official Charts Company crowned it the ultimate song of the 1970s . </P> <P> The distinctive bass guitar intro is played by Klaus Voormann and the strings were arranged by Simon and orchestrated by Paul Buckmaster . Simon plays piano on the track . </P>

Who was the song you're so vain based on