Olivia Rodrigo Sang Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain' at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

By Daniel S. Levine

Carly Simon's long-awaited induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame featured a show-stopping performance of her signature song, "You're So Vain," by Olivia Rodrigo. The 19-year-old singer and Simon have a surprising number of things in common, as songwriters who craft deeply personal lyrics. Although the ceremony from Los Angeles' Microsoft Theater will not air on HBO until Nov. 19, enough audience clips have surfaced to showcase Rodrigo's take on the rock classic.

The portion of the concert dedicated to Simon began with Sara Bareilles performing "Nobody Does It Better," the ballad Simon wrote for the 1977 James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me. Simon's longtime friend and guitarist, Jimmy Ryan, mentioned on Facebook that Alanis Morissette was going to perform. However, Morissette did not show, reports Rolling Stone.

Simon did not attend. In late October, her sisters, journalist Joanna Simon and composer Lucy Simon, died within days of each other. Joanna died after a battle with thyroid cancer and was 85. Lucy, who performed with Simon as part of a duo during the 1960s, died at 82 following a battle with breast cancer. Their brother, photographer Peter Simon, died from cancer in 2018 at 71.

The performance

Although Simon has been eligible to join the Rock Hall since 1996, it was not until this year that she was finally nominated. "You're So Vain" is just one of the many unforgettable songs in Simon's catalog. She also scored hits with "You Belong to Me," "Mockingbird," "Anticipation," "Jesse," and "Coming Around Again." She won an Oscar for "Let the River Run," which she wrote for the 1988 hit Working Girl.

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'Something I didn't know I needed'

Rodrigo won the Best New Artist Grammy Award earlier this year, which is another thing she has in common with Simon. She won the same award in 1972. Music critics also compared Rodrigo's personal lyrics to Simon's work, but Rodrigo told Time Magazine she didn't like how often she was compared to others.

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'She sounds great!'

"Young women are constantly compared to each other. I'm the 'new this' or 'this woman meets that woman,' and that can be reductive," she said. "I'm just Olivia. I'm doing my own thing. It's meaningful when people recognize that."

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'Legendary performance'

Scroll on for a look at how fans responded to Rodrigo's take on "You're So Vain."

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'Great rendition!'

"she's talented as always she can literally sing any song and make it hers," one fan wrote on YouTube. "Well done rendition of a classic," another chimed in. "I love this song. Great rendition!!!" another added.

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'She sounded so good'

The Rock Hall ceremony will air on HBO on Nov. 19, and will also be released on HBO Max. The other inductees this year were Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Dolly Parton, and Lionel Richie.

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