Jazz trombonist Kai Winding first recorded the song “Time Is On My Side” with his orchestra in 1963. Jimmy Norman added some lyrics to Jerry Ragovoy’s original, and it was later covered by soul singer Irma Thomas.
Irma’s version caught the attention of a British rock band that often shopped for imported music in the Soho district. They were attracted to the bluesy feel, the strong chorus and the curt dismissal of a lover. Their single was released in the US in September of 1964, where it became the Rolling Stones first top ten hit on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart.
At the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in May of 2024, Mick Jagger and Irma Thomas performed the song as a duet, at long last recognizing Irma’s original contribution. In the interim, it had been covered by many well-known artists, among them Michael Bolton, Blondie, Wilson Pickett, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Patti Smith and the Moody Blues. For more than six decades, artists have been musically proclaiming “Time Is On My Side.”
It’s not.
There comes a moment in life when our hearts have passed the midpoint of their allotted beats. We won’t know exactly when. On average, it occurs around heartbeat number 1,681,920,001. From that point onward time is a dwindling, valuable resource. Since personally passing that milestone, I have been reflecting more on it. For what it’s worth, here are a few of the things I’ve wasted my time on.
