Rock n Roll Music

The song was written by Los Angeles singer songwriters P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri for the American version of the British spy series Danger Man. The series aired in the U.S. as Secret Agent from 1964 to 1966. Sloan and Barri worked for publisher and producer, Lou Adler. And Adler also produced and managed Johnny Rivers. So Johnny Rivers performed the song, and they recorded it in 1966 at the West Hollywood Whiskey a Go Go .  (It was partially live with some studio touchups.( The single went to #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1966. It was also on Rivers’ 1966 album And I Know You Wanna Dance.

Rivers was born John Ramistella in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist in a number of styles, including rock and roll, rockabilly, and blue-eyed soul. Some of his big hits include “Poor Side of Town,” “Seventh Son,” and “Rockin’ Pneumonia – Boogie Woogie Flu” to name a few. Rivers founded Soul City Records label in 1966.

Here are the lyrics to “Secret Agent Man” by Johnny Rivers:

There’s a man who leads a life of danger
To everyone he meets he stays a stranger
With every move he makes another chance he takes
Odds are he won’t live to see tomorrow

Secret agent man, secret agent man
They’ve given you a number and taken away your name

Beware of pretty faces that you find
A pretty face can hide an evil mind
Ah, be careful what you say
Or you’ll give yourself away
Odds are you won’t live to see tomorrow

Secret agent man, secret agent man
They’ve given you a number and taken away your name

Secret agent man, secret agent man
They’ve given you a number and taken away your name

Swingin’ on the Riviera one day
And then layin’ in the Bombay alley next day
Oh, don’t you let you let the wrong word slip
While kissing persuasive lips
The odds are you won’t live to see tomorrow

Secret agent man, secret agent man
They’ve given you a number and taken away your name

Secret agent man

For other songs by Johnny Rivers: “Poor Side of Town” and “Seventh Son.”

Check Out The Groove Pad for More 1960s Music

The Pass the Paisley Groove Pad is a resting stop, a place to chill out and listen to the featured song on the stereo. If the mood strikes you, click on the juke box to access and listen to the 50+ free online songs there. The TV has several channels, with selections updated twice a week. Every now and then, Pass the Paisley hosts an all-request of 1960s and 1970s songs for a Be-In at the juke box in the Groove Pad. Keep on truckin’. Hope you enjoyed “Secret Agent Man” by Johnny Rivers.