16 Love Songs That Were Written For *VERY* Famous Women

When Carly Simon recently re-recorded her hit "You're So Vain," the song became a subject of gossip once again.

Most people assumed that the song's famous narcissist was Warren Beatty, and the latest rumor is that he was David Geffen.

But Carly's brother insists that the man in the song is actually an amalgam of several men who did his sister wrong over the years.

Carly isn't the only one who has mystery surrounding the subjects of her songs.

According to Love Buzz, the song "Me And Bobby McGee," which was written by Janis' former lover, Kris Kristofferson, might have actually been inspired by Janis.

Wow, people might have thought Janis was pretty vain if they'd known all this time she was singing a love song about herself!

Some songwriters are much more forthcoming about the muses behind their compositions. But others like to keep things a mystery.

And while these women sang about famous men, it seems much more common for men to sing songs about real women.

Some VERY famous real women, in fact... 
 

Here is a list of some of the most famous love songs written about famous women:
 

Pattie Boyd

1. "Something," George Harrison - Something in the way she moves/Attracts me like no other lover

2. "Layla," Derek and the Dominos - I tried to give you consolation/When your old man had let you down/Like a fool, I fell in love with you/Turned my whole world upside down

3. "Wonderful Tonight," Eric Clapton - I feel wonderful because I see the love light in your eyes/And the wonder of it all/Is that you just don't realize how much I love you
 

While most women wish they could have one great love song written about them, Pattie Boyd was lucky enough to be the subject of three big hits.

Well, "lucky" may not be the right term, since she was at the center of a well-documented and messy love triangle with best friends George Harrison and Eric Clapton.

You can read about Pattie's life as a muse in her 2007 memoir, Wonderful Tonight.

Rosanna Arquette

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4. "Rosanna," Toto - All I wanna do when I wake up in the morning is see your eyes/Rosanna, Rosanna/I never thought that a girl like you could ever care for me/Rosanna

5. "In Your Eyes," Peter Gabriel - I see the light and the heat/In your eyes/Oh, I want to be that complete/I want to touch the light, the heat I see in your eyes

If Pattie Boyd is the Queen of Muses, Rosanna Arquette is the Princess.

And although the eponymously named Toto single was not actually written for her (she was dating band member Steve Porcaro, and the song was written by David Paich), the band did decide to use her name, partly because it was easy to sing and partly because she was well-liked by all the band members.

But former live-in love Peter Gabriel did write "In Your Eyes" as a tribute to Rosanna.

She must feel pretty good about that, because it's the better song and it's the soundtrack to one of the most iconic romantic images in pop culture history — Say Anything's John Cusack holding up that boom box outside Ione Skye's house.

Linda McCartney

6. "Maybe I'm Amazed," Paul McCartney - Baby I'm amazed at the way you love me all the time/Maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you

Arguably one of the most beautiful love songs ever written (just ask the billions of brides who have adopted it as their wedding song), this one was dedicated to Paul McCartney's wife and Wings band mate Linda. Their marriage was one of the strongest in the music biz, lasting nearly 30 years until Linda sadly succumbed to breast cancer.
 

Gwyneth Paltrow

7. "Moses," Coldplay - Like Moses has power over sea/So you've got power over me
 

The unreleased track that appears on Coldplay's 2003 live album was an ode from singer Chris Martin to his wife and leading lady, Gwyneth Paltrow. The Biblical title took on new meaning for the couple in 2006, as they used it as a name for their son. (Hey, it's better than Apple.) 

Kimberly Williams

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8. "Little Moments," Brad Paisley - When she steals my heart again and doesn't even know it/Yeah I live for little moments like that

We could have guessed, but the country star has confirmed that this pretty ditty is about his wife, actress Kimberly Williams, best-known for her roles in Father of the Bride and Lifetime's Amish Grace.

Gwen Stefani

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9. "Love Remains The Same," Gavin Rossdale - Drink to all that we have lost/Mistakes that we have made/Everything will change/But love remains the same

The former Bush frontman's 2008 solo hit was about his wife, fellow singer Gwen Stefani. It's more of a realistic look at marriage than a rosy, romantic one, as Gavin explained, "I have a tough wife with high standards...It’s hard to be with anybody for any length of time, and there are those times when you realize we need to make an effort here.

Britney Spears

10. "Cry Me A River," Justin Timberlake - Girl I refuse/You must have me confused with some other guy/The bridges were burned/Now its your turn to cr/Cry me a river

OK, so they're not ALL love songs. This one is the much-publicized love-gone-bad between Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, whose rumored infidelity caused the Mickey Mouse Club kids' breakup and inspired this hit single. And if the song didn't get the point across well enough, Justin's video for his kiss-off/revenge song (complete with Britney lookalike) cleared up all confusion.

Jennifer Love Hewitt

11. "Your Body Is A Wonderland," John Meyer - One mile to every inch of your skin like porcelain/ One pair of candy lips and your bubblegum tongue

Even though John Meyer's relationship to Jennifer Hewitt could be considered a rebound, since the couple only dated briefly after his break up with Vanessa Carlton, he  makes a few promises that landed him a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 2003. 

Taylor Swift

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12. "Paper Dolls," John Meyer - Paper doll, come try it on / Step out of that black chiffon

If one song is successful enough to get you a music award, why not do a song for another music artist, like Taylor Swift, who also has a reputation for writing songs about her breakups. If anyone has ever felt like a relationship was a bit more than they could handle, this song is more than just relatable. 

Paula Patton

13. "Get Her Back," Robin Thicke - I should have kissed you longer/ I should have held you stronger

The title alone gives you an idea of what the intent is behind the lyrics of this love song. 

Kim Kardashian

14. "Bound 2 Explicit," Kayne West - Bound to fall in love / Bound to fall in love (Uh-huh, honey)

Hard to imagine this song as a love song, but like everything else, Kim K and Kayne West go in together. Featuring Kim K herself in the music video, this love song centers around their marriage and his dedication to her for life. 

15. "I Hit It First," Ray J - No matter where she goes or who she knows / She still belongs in my bed

Creating quite a stir, with reactions swarming the internet from Kim K and Kayne West, this song was a shot at Kim K directly about their breakup. This is what happens when your ex-boyfriend can use your relationship to hurt you, but to the tune of music in a song.  

 

Selena Gomez

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16. "Party Monster," The Weeknd -Woke up by a girl/ I don't even know her name.

Whether or not this song was written about Selena Gomez, or not, The Weeknd's relationship with Selena has fans still trying to figure out if the Selena mentioned in this song is actually Selena Gomez, or the vocalist she is named after Selena Quintanilla.  

I guess we'll just have to stay tuned... 

Photo: Album cover art from "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs," Derek and the Dominos.