My much older brother who was 14yrs older than me, was a pretty good guitar player, still is, but I remember this song coming out. I was 7 yrs old and my brother used to play it on his electric guitar and we would sing it together. He was drafted in late 1967 into the Vietnam war. We didn't see him for 4yrs and only heard from him a few times. I bought that record and would listen to it for hrs. We didn't know if he was dead or alive. It made me feel close to him. He was in for 7 yrs and happily in 1974 he came home for good unharmed.
Watching this in August 2024, hearing it on Season 4 Umbrella Academy reminded me how much I loved it back in the day! JOHNNY is awesome! Hall Of Fame for sure! ❤❤❤❤❤❤
I’m embarrassed to say that as a kid I used to go around singing this song as “Secret Asian Man”! My brother who is five years older than me let me do this for weeks before he finally told me what the correct version was and he laughed and laughed! There were other songs that I totally butchered as well! But man, this brought back memories!❤😂
Amen. Johnny Rivers is no lightweight. In 2017, he was STILL rocking out. I saw him that year and what a lovely surprise. He is seriously talented. He can write, sing and play very well. Plus, he has done it for a long time. Yes, he clearly belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!
Doeds that make him better than he is. R & R Hole of Fame is just one more sang on an indsutry so they can get in the back door where is that doc on how it came about-- like ASCAP & BMI. who own a peoce of everything like Spotify. Anybody can have a Hall of Something. Start one of your own and make Johnny Come in Lately.
I'm sure most people didn't know that Johnny Rivers had 9 Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and 17 in the Top 40 from 1964 to 1977; he has sold well over 30 million records. That's success....and talent!!!!!
They don't like him, because he did EVERYTHING his way, AND if a cover, he always gave the big hit his JR aignature aound, IMPECCABLE. Christian XXX strikes , no partying XXX, Dion- almost the same story.,
I knew about Johnny's hits. I still have my 45s. Every song Johnny Rivers recorded...he owned ! My favorite has always been Poor Side Of Town but I love them all ! If anyone deserves to be in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame, it's Johnny Rivers ! You're right, that's talent !!!
Johnny Rivers should have been in the Rock Roll Hall of Fame years ago. Imagine Isaac Hayes with one hit being in the Hall compared to Johnny with at least 30 Top 40 songs. Rock and Roll Hall of fame is a joke and fake. Rivers is an amazing talent, with a great voice. Legend, pioneer, he is Rock and Roll.
I am a child from the 60's and I remember dressing up like The Green Hornet and putting on this song and pretending that I was actually The Secret Agent Man from this song. I Absolutely Loved this song, it was The Coolest Song Ever Made I Thought Back Then, and Still Do!! Awesome Guitar!!👍👍👍😎😎 Who Agrees? 🤔
My dad raced drag boats in the mid 1960’s when this song was at its peak. He passed away at the age of 90 on Father’s Day. I was given some 16mm home movies of him racing and edited them to this song. I get choked up watching it every time.
Johnny Rivers is very underated in my opinion, he had so many top hits, can't even count them! Absolutely love him! Even though he's often forgot about😢
@@TorvicIsSanta my comment was a compliment to his music and yet he is very underrated, just because someone has top hits, doesn't mean anyone acknowledges them to the level they should be!
@Angela pooh...I agree because every song Johnny Rivers ever recorded..he owned ! Johnny Rivers should have been put in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame yrs ago.. So many in there that don't belong there. I say put Johnny Rivers in there ..like yesterday !
@@robertpricedeldin he didn't play this? Do you mean he didn't WRITE it because he's definitely playing it. P.F wrote it and sang it first, which sometimes makes a song better but just as often it doesn't and is irrelevant to my comment anyways. But it was Johnny Rivers version that was used in the T.V show "Danger Man" between 1964-1966. Hence making it one of the most recognizable rifts in the world.
My best friends dad played this often on his guitar. He passed away Saturday morning. We buried him today. We talked about him singing this today. Good memories.
Johnny Rivers should be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! This song is timeless, and created a whole era of thought. And every time anyone (with any savvy) hears that great riff at the beginning of the song, they know EXACTLY where it came from! Wonderful!
You called it jacktrades24 ...one of the great pop performers of all time..period.ERUPTED WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING ON NIGHTIME AIR WAVES after hundreds of GRUELING whisky go go disco Los Angeles multiple shows...Saw him live one time only at simple hotel concert for visiting guest South Carolina football team in Baton Rouge , Louisiana..circa 1966...no messing around .with simple trio in hotel dining room ...one monster hit after another..and then gone . Unforgettable one half century later . Rivers was fantastic at getting teamwork..the entire Phil Spector "WRECKING CREW"/SYMPHONIC MUSIC CREW AND CLUB OWNERS TO BACK HIM..a wizard at covering monster hits plus his own.. could do music business off the chart ..must be heard for two hours on youtube reel WITH GREAT SOUND SYSTEM EAR PHONES to be believed.. .Vietnam veterans virtually lived and died with his music .EPIC.Jude Acers New Orleans
This song was released on February 1966 "Secret Agent Man" is a song written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Bam. 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. 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.
@@xmo552 While never officially confirmed, the character in Danger Man/Secret Agent was said to be the same man who was held in the Village in 'The Prisoner' series, also starring Patrick McGoohan.
@@shoresean1237 Number 6 couldn't legally be John Drake, because then they'd have to get permission to use the character. That's the Doylist reason, at least.
In 1966 when this song came out I was 9 yo,I am now 65. Who would've known this song would still rock after all these years. Let's not forget what a conversation piece it would be to this day. 🎶 Secret Asian man, Secret asian man HEY!! They're givin ' you a number, and takin ' away your name.🎶
@@bettyh3747 probably. I was only 8 but secret agent movies was big at that time. CIA was only about 10 years old and Sean Connery was the coolest guy around.
Carnaby Street, the british invasion, 007, the mini Cooper, the jaguar type e, the 1966 world cup. It's called swinging London. It was when London finally came out of the ruins of world war 2 and became the world's it city of the 1960s. London repeated this in the 1990s with "Cool Britannia"
We used to sarcastically sing "Secret Agent Man" in the face of guys that were getting a bit full of themselves. Johnny Rivers deserves to be in the Rock& Roll Hall of Fame.
Saw him live in 1976 or 77 at an outdoor show. Johny was leading up to Jefferson Starship and he stole the show. I will never forget the crowd roaring when he played Secret Agent Man. Jefferson Starship watched his performance on that hot summer day. What a great memory
I remember hearing this on AM radio as a small boy riding in huge backseat of mom and dad's old '58 Buick! They LOVED this song and I did too. We would sing along together to it! My parents were the coolest ever! Dads been gone since '90...miss him bad...mom still hanging in and STILL COOL! :-D Thanks to all who post these time machine classics here for all we old guys&gals to remember and enjoy!
Unas ganas de tener un abuelo como usted y que me cuente cosas de antes , lamentablemente mis abuelos fallecieron a mí corta edad y no pude disfrutar de ellos , pero si que ellos disfrutaron de mí , abrazos fraterno desde Argentina
No decade after the 60s has ever replicated that raw energy... the 80s came close in a different kind of way, the 90s a distant third, again in their own peculiar way, but the 60s are UNIQUE AND TIMELESS.
This sounds like a lip synched production, so he probably mimed the guitar. It doesn't mean he didn't play the guitar on the studio version. He did, and is a good guitarist.
I was a teenager in the 'sizzling sixties,' and this was so iconic to that era! It's a perfect song; lead vocals, relevant lyrics, and great instrumentation! It's still such a great song that never tires!
The thing that puts this song over the top is Johnny's guitar playing as he could definitely play some tasty riffs when necessary. Johnny was the first act to open LA's famous Whisky-A-Go-Go in Jan 1964 and made a Live album called At The Whisky-A-Go-Go released the following month. One of the cuts off of it - Memphis reached #2 on the pop charts during the summer of 1964 and in the ensuing 3 years River's had 12 other top 40 hits including this one, and 4 more during the 70's. Certainly qualifies for the RRHOF in my book.
+mrbag60 EVERYBODY Reading this should read what you just wrote! Also, we just lost P.F. Sloan today (11/15/15) one of the UNSUNG GENIUS's of 1960's pop and beyond who wrote this tune in addition to many many other Great Tunes including Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire, You Baby by the Turtles and so much more. R.I.P. P.F. Sloan
+mrbag60 Secret Agent Man a P.F. Sloan composition was the 2nd best chart position of a song he penned, reaching #3 on the Billboard charts. His best was Barry McGuire's Eve of Destruction which topped the Billboard charts in Sept 1965. To Sloan's credit both songs were penned before he was 21, and in all 8 of his songs made top 40 status between 1965-1967. Sloan's cause of death was Pancreatic Cancer, one of the deadliest cancers which my grandfather died from in a matter of months back in 1979. P.F. Sloan was 70. Thanks for the heads up MusicMC1.
LOL, when I came home one night after riding around and smoking pot in 78 my parents where in the kicthen because my stepfather's parents just got there for a visit....paranoia was creeping up and I just went straight down to the cellar and then back up to my room with just a hello...LOL
Oh wow Melanie! How about that! I was in Mrs. Bretherick's third grade class at Delcroft Elementary School in Folcroft, PA (near Philadelphia) back in 1965-66. It was also the year that I became a Green Acres fan as well.
This was my first ever 45….Back in those days in southern California school buses played songs from the radio and I knew I had to buy it. Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made for Walking was also another favorite. Good times.
Hometown boy, but I was born the year this song came out. Heard stories from co-workers who used to go see him perform in Baton Rouge when they were teens. ❤ Love his music!
@@karlfisher1864 I like Junior Brown's version too, but it sounds completely different from this (at least in the Junior Brown Surf Medley video). Why do you think this version has Jr. B's solo dubbed over Johnny's original?
Johnny Rivers has that fantastic crossover voice and sound where he fits perfectly in country, soul, Pop/rock, or whatever,.Not even the Beatles could duplicate his repitituor , Robert at 66.
My much older brother who was 14yrs older than me, was a pretty good guitar player, still is, but I remember this song coming out. I was 7 yrs old and my brother used to play it on his electric guitar and we would sing it together. He was drafted in late 1967 into the Vietnam war. We didn't see him for 4yrs and only heard from him a few times. I bought that record and would listen to it for hrs. We didn't know if he was dead or alive. It made me feel close to him. He was in for 7 yrs and happily in 1974 he came home for good unharmed.
" Fantastic, Keep going young boy!!! 😊
Praise God!
Thank him for his service and sacrifice!
Great outcome lousy war
Tell your brother I said thank you for serving our country, and, I am thrilled he made it back damn it!!!!!!!!!😅😅😊😢🎉😂❤
As an Asian Man, I approve this song.
As a dirty white boy I concur.
I know huh? I grew up thinking he said “Secret Asian Man”. 😂😂😂
Sorry, no. It's Secret Haitian Man.
Still some of the most underrated guitar playing ever. A true classic.
He put out good tunes, specially (Come a little bit closer (
Still great, I was 9-years old. This is when they started, pushing to bring in the sound of the audiences as a plus sound.
ES 350!
Say it loud
I saw him in concert 25 years ago. He just stood and sang and played- and his talent was obvious.
Watching this in August 2024, hearing it on Season 4 Umbrella Academy reminded me how much I loved it back in the day! JOHNNY is awesome! Hall Of Fame for sure! ❤❤❤❤❤❤
Me too
me too lol hear it at Umbrella
@@crizbee1 wth its august 2024 for me rn and i heard it on umbrella too
It just reminded me of Tuff Puppy lol
Yeah, and that fight scene to which they played the song was one of the few highlights of the season.
When I was a child of the 60's I thought this was one of the coolest songs of all time. Guess what? I still think it is!
Vincent Fisher The Don Adams show was "Get Smart" you left out Roger Moore as "The Saint" before he took over as James Bond.
Vincent Fisher Whait u wot brother of Sam Fisher From Splinter cell? hes a secret agent to >_>
Vincent Fisher I grew up in 80's and yes, very cool song.
Vincent Fisher Yes And BEATLES HELP
Same here
As a kid, I thought this was Secret Asian Man.
I thought it said secret aging man
I always felt like 007 when I heard this when I was little
Same bru
LOL
Lol
I’m embarrassed to say that as a kid I used to go around singing this song as “Secret Asian Man”! My brother who is five years older than me let me do this for weeks before he finally told me what the correct version was and he laughed and laughed!
There were other songs that I totally butchered as well! But man, this brought back memories!❤😂
I was 6 back then and always sang the wrong words. lol
...to this day I swear that's what he's saying.
@@josephk362 Right?! Even now knowing the correct words, it still sounds like Asian man! Lol...glad I’m not the only one!😆
@@sparkyspark964 If you wanna get nostalgic, a band called Davinci's Notebook made a parody called Secret Asian Man.
@@dayminder7414 Lol! I just listened to it and I’m going to forward it to my brother! Thanks for the recommendation! 😆💙❤️
I'm 66 and still loving this great song
Raymond, I do I was born 1957 and I'm 66 going on 67 and I remember my sister's dancing to it in our living room.
I'm also 66 go on 67. Born August 12 1957 in lake county Illinois. I still love that old song.😊
Me too! 😊
60yo here, born in 1963, grew up listening to Johnny Rivers thanks to older brothers and sisters that had great taste in music 🙂
I still have that album.
This legend should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. No questions asked!
Amen. Johnny Rivers is no lightweight. In 2017, he was STILL rocking out. I saw him that year and what a lovely surprise. He is seriously talented. He can write, sing and play very well. Plus, he has done it for a long time. Yes, he clearly belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!
They’re not?
@@austinmorrison6953 lol
Facts.
No doubt about it. Put him in.
HE NEEDS TO BE IN THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME😢
Doeds that make him better than he is. R & R Hole of Fame is just one more sang on an indsutry so they can get in the back door where is that doc on how it came about-- like ASCAP & BMI. who own a peoce of everything like Spotify. Anybody can have a Hall of Something. Start one of your own and make Johnny Come in Lately.
Absolutely!
I'm sure most people didn't know that Johnny Rivers had 9 Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and 17 in the Top 40 from 1964 to 1977; he has sold well over 30 million records. That's success....and talent!!!!!
Definitely did not know.. with a solo like in this song I must hear more
i like poor side of town it was part of my heartbreak
They don't like him, because he did EVERYTHING his way, AND if a cover, he always gave the big hit his JR aignature aound, IMPECCABLE. Christian XXX strikes , no partying XXX, Dion- almost the same story.,
I knew about Johnny's hits. I still have my 45s. Every song Johnny Rivers recorded...he owned ! My favorite has always been Poor Side Of Town but I love them all ! If anyone deserves to be in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame, it's Johnny Rivers ! You're right, that's talent !!!
Im front Brazil i love Jhony Rivers ❤️
That opening riff never gets old!
How do these guys write them?
@@gboard7 With pens and pencils mostly because nobody had computers back then.
@@mrradio2187 true
@@gboard7 With sheer coolness. ha ha
I love his intro he's a very good guitar player James Burton and he worked together for a little while and he can he can riff
Johnny Rivers should have been in the Rock Roll Hall of Fame years ago. Imagine Isaac Hayes with one hit being in the Hall compared to Johnny with at least 30 Top 40 songs. Rock and Roll Hall of fame is a joke and fake. Rivers is an amazing talent, with a great voice. Legend, pioneer, he is Rock and Roll.
agreed the so-called R&R Hall of Fame is a joke. It's more about "political correctness" to the creeps that nominate artists for their worthless BS.
@@carlomiller1984 Most of the artists in the Hall Of Fame don't even do Rock and Roll.
Happy Birthday Johnny Rivers (81) 💪🎉🎸🎸
🥱
Yes forsure 🎉🎉😂❤
Our band did this song in the 80's. The crowd went wild. Loved it. Goes to show you, classics never die
You should have done Emerson Lake and Palmer.
@@aveuch we went from tricycle to fucking airplane. Calm down boy
Ya Think :-D
True
Well said
I am a child from the 60's and I remember dressing up like The Green Hornet and putting on this song and pretending that I was actually The Secret Agent Man from this song. I Absolutely Loved this song, it was The Coolest Song Ever Made I Thought Back Then, and Still Do!! Awesome Guitar!!👍👍👍😎😎 Who Agrees? 🤔
I remember the show Secret Agent Man with Patrick Mcgoohan. An amazing show and great actor, I used to love the scenes of Europe in the shows.
It was Danger Man xor Secret Agent, depending on whether it was in Britain’s ITV or in America.
It was Patrick McGoohan and Diana Rigg in the Avengers - I think it was British... Great show!😊
@@almcclung2783 Patrick MacNee in "The Avengers"
It was called "Danger Man" here in the UK. And we didnt have this wonderful theme tune.
It was Danger Man in Canada as well. I also liked the Danger Man theme!
Ok, so I was watching a Teen Titans video and someone pointed out the Titans theme sounds similar to this song and now I hear it
I CAME HERE TOO!
@Makel Huddleston That exact same one from 5 years ago.
Same
@@erirly7459 that’s exactly the one
@Makel Huddleston no, the video was called "these two different songs have the same bpm."
There will NEVER be another Johnny Rivers, great singer, and performer!
And great guitarist.
@@joanmjames2495 Hello Joan, your right Johnny Rivers was a fantastic guitarist! Never met a guitar he never played!
My dad raced drag boats in the mid 1960’s when this song was at its peak. He passed away at the age of 90 on Father’s Day. I was given some 16mm home movies of him racing and edited them to this song. I get choked up watching it every time.
Respect
wtf is a drag boat?
What a sweet and lovely comment!!!
Today, drag boats can mean an entirely different thing.
@@kingjames4886 UA-cam it, it takes men with big B###s
Johnny Rivers is very underated in my opinion, he had so many top hits, can't even count them! Absolutely love him! Even though he's often forgot about😢
I think there's a problem with calling someone underrated and also saying they have uncountable top hits in the same breath
@@TorvicIsSanta my comment was a compliment to his music and yet he is very underrated, just because someone has top hits, doesn't mean anyone acknowledges them to the level they should be!
@@wrathoftheragingdemon8084 UA-cam has all his greatest hits on it.
@Angela pooh...I agree because every song Johnny Rivers ever recorded..he owned ! Johnny Rivers should have been put in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame yrs ago.. So many in there that don't belong there. I say put Johnny Rivers in there ..like yesterday !
I read Bob Dylan's autobiography and he thought Johnny Rivers was great.
One of the most underrated guitarists in history!
No he was not sorry ... underrated because he was only mediocre
@@lemkowitz1 pretty sure this is one of the most recognizable rifts in the world. Try again hater.
Alexander Hernandez
Just because it’s recognisable doesn’t make it any good
Johnny Rivers did'nt play this.It was P.F.Sloan who wrote and produced this song. He wrote it for a T.V. show
@@robertpricedeldin he didn't play this? Do you mean he didn't WRITE it because he's definitely playing it. P.F wrote it and sang it first, which sometimes makes a song better but just as often it doesn't and is irrelevant to my comment anyways. But it was Johnny Rivers version that was used in the T.V show "Danger Man" between 1964-1966. Hence making it one of the most recognizable rifts in the world.
Johnny belongs in the Rock n Hall of Fame. He should've been in years ago. Great singer /songwriter & guitar player.
He's too good, too talented to be down at their level...
Wait…what? He’s not?!? That is some serious bullshit.
Didn’t realize that was him on guitar….NICE
Oh my gosh i still love this song so much
I love it long time😊
My best friends dad played this often on his guitar. He passed away Saturday morning. We buried him today. We talked about him singing this today. Good memories.
Greg Ring sorry for your loss
Greg Ring dude I’m really sorry
[insert crying for you here]
@@mr.marbles2325 He had good taste
Keep on Rock'n with the Secret Agent Man.
THIS SONG IS A MASTERPIECE
Voz. LINDA
I agree!!!
YEAH!!! :D
Y’all talkin about the Apple Arcade ad but everyone’s forgetting ace ventura
Ex frikin zactly I was aboutta say
Austin
We're getting old. Lol
Ye fuckers forgetting Austin Powers
Everyone would like to forget Ace Ventura.
Ain't nobody has a voice like Johnny.
Johnny Rivers should be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! This song is timeless, and created a whole era of thought. And every time anyone (with any savvy) hears that great riff at the beginning of the song, they know EXACTLY where it came from! Wonderful!
jacktrades24, absolutely on everything u said. 👍
amazing that he's not in the HOF -- thanks for sharing that
NO SHIT ! + about 10 other ALL~TIME classic's THE MAN did !!
You called it jacktrades24 ...one of the great pop performers of all time..period.ERUPTED WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING ON NIGHTIME AIR WAVES after hundreds of GRUELING whisky go go disco Los Angeles multiple shows...Saw him live one time only at simple hotel concert for visiting guest South Carolina football team in Baton Rouge , Louisiana..circa 1966...no messing around .with simple trio in hotel dining room ...one monster hit after another..and then gone . Unforgettable one half century later . Rivers was fantastic at getting teamwork..the entire Phil Spector "WRECKING CREW"/SYMPHONIC MUSIC CREW AND CLUB OWNERS TO BACK HIM..a wizard at covering monster hits plus his own.. could do music business off the chart ..must be heard for two hours on youtube reel WITH GREAT SOUND SYSTEM EAR PHONES to be believed.. .Vietnam veterans virtually lived and died with his music .EPIC.Jude Acers New Orleans
LOL
This song was released on February 1966
"Secret Agent Man" is a song written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Bam. 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. 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.
I didn't know this was attached to a tv show.
Thank you. :)
@@xmo552 While never officially confirmed, the character in Danger Man/Secret Agent was said to be the same man who was held in the Village in 'The Prisoner' series, also starring Patrick McGoohan.
Crackle actually airs two seasons of danger man
@@shoresean1237 Number 6 couldn't legally be John Drake, because then they'd have to get permission to use the character. That's the Doylist reason, at least.
In 1966 when this song came out I was 9 yo,I am now 65. Who would've known this song would still rock after all these years.
Let's not forget what a conversation piece it would be to this day.
🎶 Secret Asian man,
Secret asian man
HEY!!
They're givin ' you a number,
and takin ' away your name.🎶
Didn't Johnny Rivers open up songs for movie themes. I may be wrong in this thought.
@@bettyh3747 probably. I was only 8 but secret agent movies was big at that time. CIA was only about 10 years old and Sean Connery was the coolest guy around.
He's a great guitar player.
Not Asian numb skull
So the secret agents, are now secret Asians? 😂
This was the time 007 movies were coming In popularity, too. Such a cool, fun time growing up. Music was great all around
I'm not from that time, but I sure love the music of it!
Was Rivers a one hit wonder? I’ve never heard of him but the song is great.
kataisa3 he’s not as famous as Elvis but he has numerous songs
Carnaby Street, the british invasion, 007, the mini Cooper, the jaguar type e, the 1966 world cup. It's called swinging London. It was when London finally came out of the ruins of world war 2 and became the world's it city of the 1960s. London repeated this in the 1990s with "Cool Britannia"
Sominboy27 remember, two if by sea
I really don't understand why anyone would not like this song.
Because they don’t have good taste in music.
@@Mocha-Koffee01 faxxxxxxx
I would love the song, if only it weren't for all those stupid assholes making noises in the background. He's trying to record a song! Shut up!
I think some people think it’s “CrInGy” to listen to old music
...''CAUSE THEY STUPID TEENAGERS JUMPING AROUND LIKE GRASSHOPPERS AND STILL CAN''T DANCE ...WHAT A WASTE
I'm telling u this song never gets old
Has that lasting presence, like The James Bond Theme does!
We used to sarcastically sing "Secret Agent Man" in the face of guys that were getting a bit full of themselves.
Johnny Rivers deserves to be in the Rock& Roll Hall of Fame.
Saw him live in 1976 or 77 at an outdoor show. Johny was leading up to Jefferson Starship and he stole the show.
I will never forget the crowd roaring when he played Secret Agent Man.
Jefferson Starship watched his performance on that hot summer day.
What a great memory
I'd like to thank Apple for introducing me to this masterpiece
For that Bigfoot game ad? Same reason I came here. So glad I did.
Yea sneaky Sasquatch brought me here
Apple did something right for once
This song is a bop and I’m not afraid to admit that that’s what led me here
3amr yeah, something GOOD apple did
"secret.... Asian man" Oh, I get it. It's a song about ninjas.
Holy mother of shurikens dude, ya cracked the code
@@lifeontheledgerlines8394 :)
WTF wigga you're here too?
Lol
Lol
Johnny Rivers guitar work was very underrated👍
Not just the song but J.R. his self..one of the best in any decade....
Chipper Bailey
Man does this song still cook!!
Interesting
+Edmund Vitale . . and his solo was burning hot!!
of course he Italian man!!!
yes
Hot diggity!
"A pretty face can hide an evil mind". Mix with alcohol, a winning combination.
And, that has to do with this, how?
@@mattjahnke239 you let the wrong word slip while kissing persuasive lips
I remember hearing this on AM radio as a small boy riding in huge backseat of mom and dad's old '58 Buick! They LOVED this song and I did too. We would sing along together to it! My parents were the coolest ever! Dads been gone since '90...miss him bad...mom still hanging in and STILL COOL! :-D Thanks to all who post these time machine classics here for all we old guys&gals to remember and enjoy!
Unas ganas de tener un abuelo como usted y que me cuente cosas de antes , lamentablemente mis abuelos fallecieron a mí corta edad y no pude disfrutar de ellos , pero si que ellos disfrutaron de mí , abrazos fraterno desde Argentina
Turn it up that single dash speaker
Lol, your fathers dead.
A beautiful memory
What a great song . I dont why but it gets me a nostalgic feeling...
don't care what anyone else thinks but I always thought johnny rivers was really cool and a damn good singer
Anyone who doesnt think he is cool is likely uncool themselves this is gold.
Me, too.
Never heard anyone think say differently, but I know what your saying!~ also wasn't he a excellent guitar payer
Also excellent on the mandolin.
Yes Johnny was and is a great guitarist.
I saw this in a game advertisement
Was it s sneaky Sasquatch
TheFatBoss 7
🆈🅴🆂
Ok
Same
Apple Arcade
This song is still totally worth a blast on the stereo :D
I'm 62 years old and I always listened to Johnny rivers I love his voice I had a special CD with only his greatest hits 😊
"The odds are you won't live to see tomorrow"... okay, that's pretty cool.
When I was young, I thought he was singing, “secret Asian man!” I swear I still hear him singing that!
I'm the exact opposite, as the term "Asian" rarely came up in my youth, I figured it had to be "agent". Now I can only hear "Asian" as an adult.
You're not the only one, it's one of the most misheard song lyrics. O_o
Look at his mouth, there is not one sign of “agent” enunciated. “Asian“ is clearly being said.
Yep when I was a kid. I thought this secret Asian guy must be so cool.
LOL ME TOO 🤣
This song was HUGE right at the height of the James Bond era. Everyone was groovin' to this dance floor gem. Right on! Very Coolness......
Still one of the all time greatest songs ever❤
THAT raw 60s sound...FANTASTIC!!!😁😎
No decade after the 60s has ever replicated that raw energy... the 80s came close in a different kind of way, the 90s a distant third, again in their own peculiar way, but the 60s are UNIQUE AND TIMELESS.
I know, right? 😎 way cool!
@@LeahTillock - It manages to sound "fresh" after fifty years even if it now seems rather quaint.
It isn't bad, nowadays if audio isn't perfect and the video quality 4K people already see it as trash
@@x-raystudios6826 ......The exact way a millennial thinks.
These oldies,never get old👍👍2019
Yes
That song still kicks ass
The guitar in this song is ICONIC!! Great rock music performance in a coat and tie!
This song is timeless!!! A true classic.
Bydd overleven caawimo hel su planuota yɛlɛma alaabtayda xaji ksatria dari gereja ku rhurhela endhawini yin’wana loj hlob zaub mov inkarnato ti babam yanımıza taşınıyor starte i skole for handicappede indawo ephephe kakhulu ivuliwe planeet maa.
At age 79, this is stuck in my head......))
Johnny Rivers is a really good rock guitarist.
@Undoctrinated - he was HUGE back in the day, pre-classic rock 60s, right as music was changing
@Undoctrinated AND HE CRIED ABOUT IT ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK
This sounds like a lip synched production, so he probably mimed the guitar. It doesn't mean he didn't play the guitar on the studio version. He did, and is a good guitarist.
This is the song for which I will always remember Johnny Rivers😊
As far as I'm concerned Johnny Rivers is an unsung hero, not only is he a great singer, he is one of the best guitarists of all time.
Frieda Ryan
Great voice!😎
Frieda Ryan might be unsung, but god damn he can sing.
The fact that Johnny is not in the R&R Hall Of Fame is an absolute joke!
MrGoldenthroat I agree with you.
Agreed. This song is classic and timeless. But I'm betting he didn't kiss satan's ass or suck ziodikk. 😕
OMG He's not??!!
You mean the Hall of Shame because that's what it has become.
@Brian Allen the hall is now a joke.
I was a teenager in the 'sizzling sixties,' and this was so iconic to that era! It's a perfect song; lead vocals, relevant lyrics, and great instrumentation! It's still such a great song that never tires!
I’m so glad this song was a part of my childhood.
How could you possibly give a thumbs down to this classic gem?
tHEY HAVE NO TASTE AND ARE DUMB!
Sadly, it’s likely there are that many villages missing their idiots...
They r tone-deaf and stupid,I'm just saying
The thing that puts this song over the top is Johnny's guitar playing as he could definitely play some tasty riffs when necessary. Johnny was the first act to open LA's famous Whisky-A-Go-Go in Jan 1964 and made a Live album called At The Whisky-A-Go-Go released the following month. One of the cuts off of it - Memphis reached #2 on the pop charts during the summer of 1964 and in the ensuing 3 years River's had 12 other top 40 hits including this one, and 4 more during the 70's. Certainly qualifies for the RRHOF in my book.
+mrbag60 EVERYBODY Reading this should read what you just wrote!
Also, we just lost P.F. Sloan today (11/15/15) one of the UNSUNG GENIUS's of 1960's pop and beyond who wrote this tune in addition to many many other Great Tunes including Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire, You Baby by the Turtles and so much more.
R.I.P. P.F. Sloan
+mrbag60 Secret Agent Man a P.F. Sloan composition was the 2nd best chart position of a song he penned, reaching #3 on the Billboard charts. His best was Barry McGuire's Eve of Destruction which topped the Billboard charts in Sept 1965. To Sloan's credit both songs were penned before he was 21, and in all 8 of his songs made top 40 status between 1965-1967. Sloan's cause of death was Pancreatic Cancer, one of the deadliest cancers which my grandfather died from in a matter of months back in 1979. P.F. Sloan was 70. Thanks for the heads up MusicMC1.
+MusicMC1 sorry to hear that
fantastico!!!
This is on my "One of the Coolest Songs Ever Made" List.
Bydd overleven caawimo hel su planuota yɛlɛma alaabtayda xaji ksatria dari gereja ku rhurhela endhawini yin’wana loj hlob zaub mov inkarnato ti babam yanımıza taşınıyor starte i skole for handicappede indawo ephephe kakhulu ivuliwe planeet maa.
Totally classic and underrated, great guitar playing as well. This is so fun.
AMEN!
When you're stoned and you gotta sneak past your sleeping parents to get to your room.
LOL, when I came home one night after riding around and smoking pot in 78 my parents where in the kicthen because my stepfather's parents just got there for a visit....paranoia was creeping up and I just went straight down to the cellar and then back up to my room with just a hello...LOL
Black Jack were*
2020 cap
Love this comment! 😂
🤣
I can just about picture it.
Would make for a great comedy bit.
SO GOOD, GOLDEN, HEART-RENDING, HARD-DRIVING AND HAUNTING! 😁😁😁😁😁😂😂😂😂😂😎😎😎😎😎😍😍😍😍😍😭😭😭😭😭😳😳😳😳😳😱😱😱😱😱😵😵😵😵😵🕶🕶🕶🕶🕶👁👁👁👁👁🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🏄🏄🏄🏄🏄🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I've seen him 4 times in the last 6 years and he still puts on a great show and his voice is just as clear as ever.
I was only in third grade when this song first came out. Fifty years later, I still love this song!
@@taradactyl5690 you're are'nt being the person mr.rodgers knew you could be
neon ryder- LOL! Touché!
I WAS IN 8TH GRADE...SO THERE!
Are you dead now?
Oh wow Melanie! How about that! I was in Mrs. Bretherick's third grade class at Delcroft Elementary School in Folcroft, PA (near Philadelphia) back in 1965-66. It was also the year that I became a Green Acres fan as well.
This was my first ever 45….Back in those days in southern California school buses played songs from the radio and I knew I had to buy it. Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made for Walking was also another favorite. Good times.
Hometown boy, but I was born the year this song came out. Heard stories from co-workers who used to go see him perform in Baton Rouge when they were teens. ❤ Love his music!
This song is still fire
At six years old I used to totally rock to this one. That cooool guitar riff is forever etched in my mind. It's just badass.
I soooo get it!!
I was nine yo .
Let me tell you I've had music coursing through my veins all my life and this song gave me shivers.🎶🎶🎵🎵🎵🎶🎶😎😁
Badass indeed!!
Johnny’s guitar solo is the best one of any AM radio pop song!
Johnny Rivers really had a voice and that main guitar riff is classic.
1:30 to 1:54 best guitar solo ever - anybody else love to play it over and over??
I love Johnny Rivers, but this solo was played by Junior Brown. Check him out. Dubbed. Great music!
@@karlfisher1864 I like Junior Brown's version too, but it sounds completely different from this (at least in the Junior Brown Surf Medley video). Why do you think this version has Jr. B's solo dubbed over Johnny's original?
Is a genius!!!!!beatyfull !!!!!
The studio guitarist who played the intro and solo is named Jim Mesi. I don't know if it's the greatest solo of all time, but it's a candidate.
1:25
He's so happy with this song. Just look at him go! ''Hey!''
He should be happy with it. So awesome.
K31R616 Got to admit that it has a catchy beat still listening in 2019.
"Beware of pretty faces that you find, a pretty face can hide an evil mind" damn dude spot on just spot on
This song went and still goes so god damn hard. This is a great example of making a song because its fun.
Come on now, how cool is this. I love that steely guitar sound.
My guitar teacher showed this to us, and I'll never forget when he showed us this. I love it!
Such a catchy catchy song! One of the MANY reasons Johnny Rivers became legendary!
Your very welcome! I’m 64 now and that seems like just yesterday! I loved growing up in the 60s and 70s when life was much simpler too.🙂🙏🇺🇸👍🎼
Johnny Rivers,a great singer back in 1966,also year I was born.
Too good!! Glad I was a 60's child!!!
That has to be one of the most recognizable guitar riffs' in the last 60+ years. Any options?
ahead of its time . everytime i pick up my guitar i play the intro riff .
This and Smoke on the Water.
@@guineawuv also the snake al wilson
ahhhh yes and one of the first i learnd to playon that eeeelectric guitar....i had to know to play it non negotiable
Oh, I can believe it...without a DOUBT!
This song is legandary
@Henry Cartwright Listen very carefully and closely Henry. Michael Jackson Billie Jean.
It is legendary. 60s had some great shows and theme songs.
This is more metal than most heavy metal songs 👍
Thanks Johnny! This is one KICK ASS rock song!!!
I always loved the show back in the day. The song too.Patrick McGoohan was one hot Secret Agent Man. Loved that guy.
Bydd overleven caawimo hel su planuota yɛlɛma alaabtayda xaji ksatria dari gereja ku rhurhela endhawini yin’wana loj hlob zaub mov inkarnato ti babam yanımıza taşınıyor starte i skole for handicappede indawo ephephe kakhulu ivuliwe planeet maa.
love the guitar sound
A guitarist ahead of his time. Love that solo lick.
Johnny Rivers has that fantastic crossover voice and sound where he fits perfectly in country, soul, Pop/rock, or whatever,.Not even the Beatles could duplicate his repitituor , Robert at 66.
Johnny Rivers is an underrated singer. I love all his music, but my favorite is “Secret Agent Man”.
Very well.
That guitar though
Saw him last night and was not disappointed! Rock on, Johnny!
blessRheart Does he still make converts?😍
@@i.1213 He is not an evangelist😆
The best 👏