Music Expert Reacts: Olivia Rodrigo's Take on Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain'

This chorus shouldn't work. Olivia Rodrigo covers Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" at the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, and I didn't think I'd like anyone other than Carly Simon singing it. I love it. This Olivia Rodrigo You're So Vain reaction is a songwriting breakdown as much as a vocal analysis. As a Grammy voting member, songwriter and Estill-qualified vocal producer, the thing I couldn't stop thinking about is that the chorus doesn't go up. Almost every big chorus jumps a fifth, a sixth or an octave above the verse. Carly Simon's stays exactly where the verse was. Technically that shouldn't work, but it does. I wonder if she simply wasn't going to give him a big chorus, because she didn't think he was a big deal. Olivia Rodrigo was 19 here, singing You're So Vain live for a woman who couldn't be in the room. She respects that the song is perfect as it is, and it sounds like she could have written it. In this reaction I break down: 🎼 Why Carly Simon's chorus stays down when every rule says it should jump 🛋️ "Furniture" in songwriting: the yacht, the hat and the apricot scarf 🎤 Olivia Rodrigo's vocal: the interval that jumps from one register to another, and those low notes 🕵️ Who You're So Vain is really about: Warren Beatty, Mick Jagger, and what Carly Simon has said ☕ The coffee line: what do you think it means? 🔥 A torch passing from Carly Simon to Olivia Rodrigo and a new generation of heartbreak songwriters 🎨 My colour report: Carly's purples and pinks, Olivia's sea blue rising to sky blue This song was on BBC Radio 2 all the time when my sister and I were kids, playing while our parents braided our hair in the mornings. I think it's where my love of what songwriters call "furniture" began: the details that let you see the scene. Carly wasn't at the ceremony: she had lost two sisters to cancer a couple of weeks before. This summer she told her fans she has Parkinson's, and that she has not stopped living or working. Weeks later she released Comes in Waves, her first album of new songs in well over a decade. I'm so glad she is in the Hall. One thing I didn't know when I filmed this: the guitarist Olivia calls out by name is Jimmy Ryan, who played the solo on Carly's original 1972 recording. So when I say that band is top-notch, one of them was there the first time round. 📺 More songwriting deep dives: Dolly Parton, Coat of Many Colours:    • What Makes Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Col...   Faouzia, Don't Ever Leave Me (Live):    • Faouzia Don't Ever Leave Me Live | She's T...   ═════ CHAPTERS ═════ 0:00 Olivia Rodrigo covers Carly Simon's You're So Vain 1:19 "Furniture" in songs: the yacht and the apricot scarf 3:25 The vocal jump that makes You're So Vain so hard to sing 4:18 Why this chorus shouldn't work 6:40 Verse two: where the hurt comes out 7:40 Who is You're So Vain really about? 8:48 What does the coffee line mean? 9:30 A torch passing from Carly Simon to Olivia Rodrigo 12:31 Olivia Rodrigo's voice, the band and the backing singers 16:44 A 1972 song that sounds like it came out last week 18:31 The Colour Report: Carly's purple, Olivia's blue 🎵 ORIGINAL VIDEO — Credit: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Olivia Rodrigo Covers Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" | Rock Hall 2022 Induction:    • Olivia Rodrigo Covers Carly Simon's "You’r...   "You're So Vain" written by Carly Simon. Her new album, Comes in Waves: https://www.carlysimon.com/ 👇 Comment below: what do you think the coffee line means? And which Olivia Rodrigo performance should I watch next? I love it when you tell me all about the stuff you know. Subscribe and click the bell so you never miss a reaction: https://www.youtube.com/@ListenInColo... 🎵 Watch ad-free and un-obscured on Patreon, no mid-roll and no cards over the footage, with surprises for my Colourwave Crew:   / rachelwalkermason   ☕🫖 If you'd like to, buy me a coffee or a tea. You're under no obligation whatsoever. You can watch my videos and just enjoy them: https://buymeacoffee.com/rachelwalker... 🛍️ Merch, all with "have a colourful day": https://listen-in-colour-with-rachel-... New reactions Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 📸   / rachelwalkermason   🎵   / rachelwalkermason   📘   / rachelwalkermason   Loving my sofa? It's the Valencia Tuscany: https://us.valenciatheaterseating.com... 👤 About: BBC-recognised songwriting expert | Grammy voting member | Ivors Academy | Songwriters Hall of Fame executive member | Billboard Top 20 | UK Chart Top 10 | Estill-qualified vocal producer | Synesthete 🎨 #OliviaRodrigo #YoureSoVain #CarlySimon #RockHall #GrammyMemberReacts #SongwriterReacts #ListenInColour #Synesthesia Grow your channel with vidIQ: https://vidiq.com/ListenInColourwi