Taylor Swift & Carly Simon's Paradoxical Duet

For every Taylor Swift breakup, we have a Taylor Swift song about a breakup. The woman's an open book, for better or for worse, and there isn't a tune of hers that we can't peg to her specific turmoil with say, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Mayer, Harry Styles ... the list goes on and on. So when she invited legendary singer/songwriter/amazingness Carly Simon on stage at her concert Saturday night in Boston to perform a duet, it made us a little nostalgic for that time years ago, back when the Internet was just a glint in Al Gore's eye, when pop songs held mystery. Because when Taylor Swift and Carly Simon performed "You're So Vain", it was nice to not actually know who the hell they were talking about.

Simon's been cagey regarding the subject of her song — it's been rumored to be everyone from James Taylor to Mick Jagger to Warren Beaty to a composite of three separate men — but she's never publicly revealed who she's singing about.

Swift, on the other hand, takes photo-opp walks with her boyfriends in Central Park and wants the whole world to know who she's seeing, and who'll she'll consequently sing out. It's a formula that's clearly worked for Swift — you don't get her kind of fame, fortune, and critical acclaim for nothing — so it's unlikely she'll pull a Simon and get all secretive about stuff.

But, when MTV asked Swift what she thought of "You're So Vain", the 23-year-old pop star responded:

When I heard 'You're So Vain' I just thought that was the best song that has ever been written. That is the most direct way anyone has ever addressed a break up. It's amazing.

Actually, Taylor, it's the most indirect way anyone has ever addressed a break up, and it's a song writing tactic you might want to consider. Just maybe.

Watch their duet: