Dr. John (born Malcolm John Rebennack on 20 November 1941; died 6 June 2019… Read Full Bio ↴Dr. John (born Malcolm John Rebennack on 20 November 1941; died 6 June 2019) was an American singer, pianist, guitarist, and songwriter whose music combined blues, boogie woogie and rock and roll. The winner of six Grammy awards, Rebennack was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by singer John Legend on Monday, March 14, 2011. He was variously known as Mac Rebennack, Dr. John Creaux, Dr. John, the Night Tripper.

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.

The Way You Do The Things You Do
Dr. John Lyrics

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You got a smile so bright
You know you could have been a candle
I'm holding you so tight
You know you could have been a handle
The way you swept me off my feet
You know you could've been a broom
And babe you smell so sweet
You know you could've been some perfume

Well you could of been anything that you wanted to
I can tell
The way you do the things you do

As pretty as you are
You know you could've been a flower
If good looks were minutes
You know you could have been an hour
The way you stole my heart
You know you could have been a crook
And baby your so smart
You know you could have been a school book

Well you could of been anything that you wanted to
I can tell
The way you do the things you do

Well you could of been

You make my life so rich
You know you could've been some money
And baby you're so sweet
You know you could have been some honey

Well you could of been anything that you wanted to
I can tell
The way you do the things you do

Well you could of been

As pretty as you are
You know you could've been a flower
If good looks were minutes
You know you could have been an hour
The way you stole my heart
You know you could have been a crook
And baby your so smart
You know you could have been a school book

Well you could of been anything that you wanted to
I can tell
The way you do the things you do

Well you could of been

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dr. John’s song “The Way You Do The Things You Do” describe the singer’s admiration for his significant other. He acknowledges her beauty and expresses that she has the potential to be anything she wants to be. He references several analogies to describe her attributes, comparing her smile to a bright candle and her scent to perfume. He also comments on how she makes him feel, expressing that she could have been a broom because she swept him off his feet. Dr. John also notes that she could have been a flower or even time itself because of her stunning appearance.

As the song progresses, Dr. John continues with this theme of praise, noting the richness his partner brings to his life and how sweet she is like honey. He also acknowledges her intelligence, likening her to a schoolbook. The catchy chorus is repeated several times and emphasizes that the way she does things is what makes her extraordinary in the singer’s eyes.

Overall, the lyrics to “The Way You Do The Things You Do” celebrate the uniqueness and beauty of the singer’s romantic partner. Dr. John employs captivating analogies to describe the woman and illustrates how she makes him feel special merely by being herself.

Line by Line Meaning

You got a smile so bright
Your smile is very bright and attractive

You know you could have been a candle
Your brightness is strong enough to light up a candle

I'm holding you so tight
I'm holding you firmly

You know you could have been a handle
You have the strength to be a handle for me to hold onto

The way you swept me off my feet
You overwhelmed me with your charm and swept me off my feet

You know you could've been a broom
Your charm is strong enough to be a broom and sweep me off my feet

And babe you smell so sweet
Your scent is sweet and pleasant

You know you could've been some perfume
Your sweet scent could be bottled up and sold as perfume

Well you could of been anything that you wanted to I can tell The way you do the things you do
You have the potential to be anything you want, and I can tell by the way you act

As pretty as you are
You are very beautiful

You know you could've been a flower
Your beauty is like that of a flower

If good looks were minutes
If beauty equated to time

You know you could have been an hour
You are so beautiful, you could be equated to an hour of time

The way you stole my heart
You captured my heart with your charm

You know you could have been a crook
You could have used your charm for bad, like a crook

And baby your so smart
You are intelligent

You know you could have been a school book
Your intelligence is valuable, like a school book

You make my life so rich
You add value and richness to my life

You know you could've been some money
Your value is like that of money

And baby you're so sweet
You are kind and caring

You know you could have been some honey
Your sweetness is like that of honey