Dr. John began making his own idiosyncratic music in the 1960s. Along with Professor Longhair, Dr. John is heir to the rich New Orleans tradition. He is perhaps best known for "Right Place, Wrong Time", an international hit in 1973, reissued and used on soundtracks many times since.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, his professional musical career began as a session musician in New Orleans in the 1950s. Early on he also played guitar and was often known as Mac Rebennack. He switched to the bass ("the lowest time of my life"), and then the piano after his index finger was nearly shot off protecting his bandmate and longtime friend Ronnie Barron. He gained fame beginning in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with music that combined New Orleans-style rhythm and blues with psychedelic rock and stage shows that bordered on voodoo religious ceremonies, including elaborate costumes and headdress. For a time he was billed as Dr. John, The Night Tripper. The name "Dr. John" came from a legendary Louisiana voodoo practitioner from the start of the 19th century.
Dr. John has also done vocals for Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits' "Luv dat chicken..." jingle, as well as the theme song ("My Opinionation") for the early-1990s television sitcom Blossom. His movie credits include Martin Scorsese's documentary The Last Waltz (in which he joins The Band for a performance of his song "Such a Night") and Blues Brothers 2000 (in which he joins the fictional band The Louisiana Gator Boys to perform the song "New Orleans"). In the 2009 Disney film The Princess and the Frog, Dr. John sings the opening tune, "Down in New Orleans".
In January 2008 Mac Rebennack, Dr. John, was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.
Jet Set
Dr. John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a small cafe in Athens, you said you loved me too
And it was April in Paris when I first held you close to me
Rome, Georgia, Athens, Texas and Paris, Tennessee
No, we're not the jet set
We're the old Chevro-let set
There's no Riviera
And you won't find Onassis
In Mullinville, Kansas
No, we're not the jet set
We're the old Chevro-let set
But ain't we got love
No, we're not the jet set
We're the old Chevro-let set
Our steak and martinis
Is draft beer with weenies
Our Bach and Tchaikovsky
Is Haggard and Husky
No, we're not the jet set
We're the old Chevro-let set
But ain't we got love
No, we're not the jet set
We're the old Chevro-let set
The Prine and DeMent set
Ain't the flaming suzette set
Our Bach and Tchaikovsky
Is Haggard and Husky
No, we're not the jet set
We're the old Chevro-let set
The lyrics to Dr. John's song "Jet Set" are an ode to a love that transcends the glamour and glitz of high society. The song starts off with the singer recounting falling in love with someone in Rome, Italy by a fountain. This moment is juxtaposed against falling in love again in a small cafe in Athens, Greece, and holding their love while in Paris, France. These cities are known for their opulence, and yet the singer highlights how their love tale doesn't conform to the usual rules of jet set romance. Instead, they shift the narrative to the cities they are from by telling us that the quotes were actually from Rome, Georgia, Athens, Texas, and Paris, Tennessee. These towns would be much less glamorous and not what someone would expect when they heard those names.
The chorus emphasizes this discrepancy between their reality and a jet set lifestyle, stating that they are not part of the jet set, but rather the old Chevrolet set, people who enjoy steak and beer with weenies, and Haggard and Husky rather than Bach and Tchaikovsky. The song has a dry humor to it, emphasizing the idea that their love's humble beginnings do not make it any less valuable or worth celebrating.
Line by Line Meaning
By a fountain back in Rome, I fell in love with you
I fell in love with you at a fountain in Rome
In a small cafe in Athens, you said you loved me too
You told me you loved me in a small cafe in Athens
And it was April in Paris when I first held you close to me
The first time I held you close was in Paris during April
Rome, Georgia, Athens, Texas and Paris, Tennessee
These are small American towns with the same names as their European counterparts
No, we're not the jet set
We're not wealthy or glamorous
We're the old Chevro-let set
We prefer old-fashioned, classic things like Chevrolets
There's no Riviera
We don't live in a luxurious place like the French Riviera
In Festus, Missouri
We live in a small town called Festus in Missouri
And you won't find Onassis
We don't associate with rich and famous people like Aristotle Onassis
In Mullinville, Kansas
We live in Mullinville, Kansas which is a small town
Our steak and martinis
We don't eat steak and drink martinis
Is draft beer with weenies
Our preferred meal is hotdogs with draft beer
Our Bach and Tchaikovsky
We don't listen to classical music like Bach and Tchaikovsky
Is Haggard and Husky
We prefer country musicians like Haggard and Husky
The Prine and DeMent set
We enjoy listening to John Prine and Iris DeMent
Ain't the flaming suzette set
We don't indulge in expensive or fancy desserts like flaming suzettes
But ain't we got love
But we have love, which is more important than all these possessions
No, we're not the jet set
We're not wealthy or glamorous
We're the old Chevro-let set
We prefer old-fashioned, classic things like Chevrolets
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bobby Braddock
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mistervic85
They played the heck out of this on BET's "Video Soul" show in the early 1980s.
Muzikgirl67
JUST AS GOOD AS GOLD!...Thank you soooo very much for posting and sharing this "lost and rarely heard anymore" gem that made a "much too brief" appearance on the charts for Dr. John, when it peaked at #80 on the Billboard Hot 100 R&B Chart for him in March 1984 (sort of a "comeback" hit for him since his last charted record was a decade earlier in 1974- and sadly, he would not make a return to the charts again after this tune)...I thoroughly enjoyed listening...and the sound quality and video are TOP-NOTCH too! Take Care! Ms. Elizabeth📟🎧👍🎵📻💿🌺
DMBeckJr
I've be trying to find this song for the longest. Saw the video one time back in the eighties, and loved the music. Glad I got it before the plug was yanked. Thank G-d for Audacity,,,
Michael Sattely
I saw the video once on MTV back when. It was about the same time as the Peter Wolf come as you are video and I always linked the two. I never saw it again nor heard the song. I too have been trying to find it but didn't know how to Google for it. Finally I put in "Dr John MTV video" and here it is. Awesome !
Useless Bay Films
--- you were in the right place... must have been the wrong time --- 22MAR21
Theskybluelake
Dr.John... has always had a Great Voice...
LMmccallL57
I love this song! I haven't heard it, or seen the vid in ages! Thanks for sharing! :-)
Useless Bay Films
--- you were in the right place... must have been the wrong time --- 22MAR21
Nineteen58Fury
WOW! what a flash back. Thanks for posting.
shndog
Man i been looking for this for years loved this as a kid.In cali we had a video show called night tracks that played videos on sat and sun nites.Great memories