Secret Agent Man (Johnny Rivers song)

Last updated
"Secret Agent Man"
Johnny-rivers-secret-agent-man-1966.jpg
Single by Johnny Rivers
from the album ...And I Know You Wanna Dance
B-side "You Dig"
ReleasedMarch 1966 [1]
Venue Whisky a Go Go,
Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length2:58
Label Imperial 66159
Songwriter(s) P. F. Sloan, Steve Barri
Producer(s) Lou Adler
Johnny Rivers singles chronology
"Under Your Spell Again"
(1965)
"Secret Agent Man"
(1966)
"(I Washed My Hands in) Muddy Water"
(1966)

"Secret Agent Man" is a song written by P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri. [3] The most famous recording of the song was made by Johnny Rivers for the opening titles of the American broadcast of the British spy series Danger Man , which aired in the U.S. as Secret Agent from 1964 to 1966. [3] Rivers's version peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the Canadian RPM chart, one of the biggest hits of his career. Numerous covers and adaptations have been recorded since then with the song becoming both a rock standard and one of Johnny Rivers's signature songs.

Contents

History

According to composer P.F. Sloan, the American television network that licensed Danger Man, CBS, solicited publishers to contribute a 15-second piece of music for the opening of the U.S. show to replace the small section of the British theme, an instrumental by Edwin Astley entitled "High Wire", which started each episode. [4] CBS executives were worried the show might not be successful without a "hummable" theme song. [3] Sloan wrote the song's opening guitar lick, which echoes John Barry's "James Bond Theme", and the first few lines of the song, with his songwriting partner Steve Barri contributing to the chorus. [4] This fragment was recorded as a demo by Sloan and Barri, submitted to CBS, and picked as the show theme, which led to Sloan and Barri writing a full-length version of the song. [4] The original demo of the song used the "Danger Man" title, as shown by a demo of the song sung by Sloan. [5] When the show's American title was changed, the lyrics were changed to match. The full version of "High Wire", which plays over the episode credits following the "Secret Agent" titles, was retained.

In 1965, surf rock band The Challengers recorded a version for their album The Man From U.N.C.L.E. featuring vocal harmonies, horns, and vibraphone. [6] This would be the first commercial release of the song, though it was never released as a single and consequently did not garner much attention. [7]

Sloan and Barri's publisher/producer, Lou Adler, also produced and managed Johnny Rivers, so Rivers was chosen to add the vocals for the TV show. Rivers claimed to have written the guitar intro, although it is clearly heard on Sloan's demo version. [8] [9] Chuck Day, the father of Cass Elliott's daughter, also claims to have written the riff.

Rivers's original recording was merely the show theme, with one verse and one chorus. Later, after the song gained in popularity, Rivers recorded it live, with two new verses and the chorus repeated twice more. The live version was recorded in 1966 at the Whisky a Go Go and released with studio overdubs supervised by Adler.

The lyric "they've given you a number and taken away your name" refers to the numerical code names given to secret agents, as in "007" for James Bond, although it also unintentionally foreshadows Danger Man star Patrick McGoohan's subsequent series The Prisoner , in which the main character is known only as "Number Six". [10]

Chart

Chart (1966)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [11] 78
Canada (RPM) [12] 4
Sweden (Kvällstoppen) [13] 19
Sweden ( Tio i Topp ) [14] 15
US Billboard Hot 100 [15] 3
US Cash Box Top 100 [16] 4
US Record World 100 Top Pops [17] 3

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Other versions

The Ventures

"Secret Agent Man"
Single by The Ventures
from the album Play the Batman Theme
B-side "007-11"
Released1966
Genre
Label Dolton Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Joe Saraceno
The Ventures singles chronology
"Sleigh Ride"
(1965)
"Secret Agent Man"
(1966)
"Blue Star"
(1966)

Surf rock band the Ventures did an instrumental version for their 1966 album, Play the Batman Theme , which featured several instrumental covers of television themes. Released as the band's first single of 1966, it reached #54 in the US [18] and #82 in Canada, [19] and was on the charts concurrently with the Rivers version.

Devo

"Secret Agent Man"
Single by Devo
from the album Duty Now for the Future
B-side "Soo Bawlz", "Red Eye"
Released1979
Genre
Length3:37
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Ken Scott
Devo singles chronology
"The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize"
(1979)
"Secret Agent Man"
(1979)
"Girl U Want"
(1980)

New wave band Devo recorded a version of "Secret Agent Man" in 1974, which was featured in their 1976 short film The Truth About De-Evolution. [20] They re-recorded it in 1979 for their second studio album, Duty Now for the Future, with a heavily modified arrangement and significantly altered lyrics sung by guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh. [21] [22]

Bruce Willis

"Secret Agent Man / James Bond is Back"
Single by Bruce Willis
from the album The Return of Bruno
B-side "Lose Myself", "Under the Boardwalk"
ReleasedSeptember 1987
Genre
Length4:48
Label Motown
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Robert Kraft [23]

Bruce Willis recorded a version for his 1987 album The Return of Bruno which rose to #43 on the UK charts. [24] [25] Willis' version features introductory stock sounds and a new subtitle, "James Bond is Back".

Covers and adaptations

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Danger Man</i> British television series

Danger Man is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again between 1964 and 1968. The series featured Patrick McGoohan as secret agent John Drake. Ralph Smart created the programme and wrote many of the scripts. Danger Man was financed by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Rivers</span> American rock musician

Johnny Rivers is an American musician. He enjoyed success throughout the 1960s and 1970s as a singer and guitarist, characterized as a versatile and influential artist. Rivers is best known for his 1960s output, having popularized the mid-60s discotheque scene through his live rock and roll recordings at Los Angeles' Whiskey a Go Go nightclub, and later shifting to a more orchestral, soul-oriented sound during the latter half of the decade. These developments were reflected by his most notable string of hit singles between 1964 and 1968, many of them covers. They include "Memphis", "Mountain of Love", "The Seventh Son", "Secret Agent Man", "Poor Side of Town", "Baby I Need Your Lovin'", and "Summer Rain". Ultimately, Rivers landed 9 top ten hits and 17 top forty hits in the American charts from 1964 to 1977.

Edwin Thomas "Ted" Astley was a British composer. His best known works are British television themes and scores, most notably the main themes for The Saint, Danger Man and The Baron. He also successfully diversified into symphonic pop and the arrangement of his theme to The Saint, as re-recorded by Orbital, reached number three in the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. F. Sloan</span> American singer and songwriter (1945–2015)

Philip Gary "Flip" Sloan, known professionally as P. F. Sloan, was an American singer and songwriter. During the mid-1960s, he wrote, performed, and produced many Billboard Top 20 hits for artists such as Barry McGuire, the Searchers, Jan and Dean, Herman's Hermits, Johnny Rivers, the Grass Roots, the Turtles, and the Mamas and the Papas.

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Secret Agent Man may refer to:

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