Rod Stewart Asks the Children of UNICEF 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?' -- Twisted Tales
on the verge of replacing 'Too Much Heaven' as the No. 1 song in the U.S., found himself obliged to give some of the sexy back. Without credit, 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy' took the melody of its refrain from 'Taj Mahal,' a six-year-old song by Brazilian samba-rock innovator Jorge Ben, which he'd released in a disco version in 1977.
Watch Jorge Ben's Live 'Taj Mahal' Video
Ben, who also wrote the '60s pop hit 'Mas Que Nada,' won a lawsuit against Stewart for lifting his song. Stewart agreed to donate proceeds from sales of his single to UNICEF.
Though the UNICEF concert itself raised a modest sum for the organization -- less than a million dollars, apparently -- the donated song royalties have been a windfall. UNICEF has earned more than $7 million from sales of 'Too Much Heaven,' for instance.
But an album release of the event, which hit stores within weeks of the broadcast, was a commercial disappointment -- a "total flop." Either everyone already owned the big hits the record featured, or the public had had its fill of the child hunger cause.
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