Carly Simon’s 20 greatest tracks – ranked! | Carly Simon | The Guardian
▻http://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/feb/04/carly-simon-20-greatest-tracks-ranked
1. You’re So Vain (1972)
If Carly Simon had never written anything other than You’re So Vain, she would still be famous. It has spawned nearly 50 years of speculation over its subject, but no one would have been interested in who it was about if it wasn’t such an incredible song. Everything is perfect – the atmospheric, attention-grabbing intro; its balance of wordy intelligence and pop smarts; Paul Buckmaster’s superb string arrangement; the flatly brilliant conceit of the chorus; the cocktail of waspishness and affection in the lyrics, which leave you simultaneously horrified by its subject’s smug, philandering bullshit and weirdly impressed despite yourself.