Some people know that the song “Gold Digger” by Kanye West appropriates the song “I Got a Woman” by Ray Charles, using the same melody and lyrics. But what a lot of people don’t know is that “I Got a Woman” is also an appropriation, taking its melody from a song called “It Must Be Jesus” by The Southern Tones but completely changing the subject matter of the song. Through two different appropriations, “It Must Be Jesus” becomes “Gold Digger.” I think this is a prime example of how something can be appropriated and essentially repurposed to take on a completely different meaning than what was originally intended.
