Right Place, Wrong Time - Dr. John (1973) 5/25/21

Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr. always seemed to be at the right place at the wrong time...or the wrong place at the right time.

This happened so often, he wrote a song about it, and recorded it under his stage name: Dr. John.

The Doctor had been part of the New Orleans music scene for quite some time, and using some of the many musical styles that the "Big Easy" was-- and still is--famous for, he infused "Right Place, Wrong Time" with blues, soul and funk, distinctive vocals, and tight background music by The Meters.

(The Meters were a seminal funk band from New Orleans who at one time included some of the Neville Brothers, and worked with acts like James Brown and Robert Palmer.)

With all those ingredients tossed together in a New Orleans style musical gumbo, the song couldn't miss. And it didn't!

"Right Place, Wrong Time" was in the right place at the RIGHT time (1973), reaching #9 on Billboard's Hot 100, and #6 on Canada's Top 40.

You might also remember it being used extensively in the 1993 film "Dazed and Confused," and TV shows like "How I Met Your Mother."

"Right Place, Wrong Time" by Dr. John. Diagnosis: A "Great Song of 1973!" (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)