Rod Stewart. Rod Stewart’s borrowing of the Brazilian musician Jorge Ben’s hit “Taj Mahal” for his 1978 hit “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” gives us a glimpse into a kind of erotic metamorphoses or an erotic mutation as Ben’s “Taj Mahal’s” gives us the story of a magnificent gift to a beloved, many years in the making. Stewart steals the tune and it becomes “if you want my body and you think I’m sexy/ Come on, sugar, let me know/ If you really need me just reach out and touch me /Come on, honey, tell me so.” That is, the Taj Mahal becomes “Do Ya Wanna Do Me?”
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Jorge Ben performs “Taj Mahal” on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M-bZ1tbHw8
Rod Stewart performs “DoYa Think I’m Sexy?” on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On3rfstwJUQ
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–Catherine Bowman