"Secret Agent Man" is a song written by P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri.[1] 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.[1] Rivers' version peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the Canadian RPM charts, 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' signature songs.
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 British theme, an instrumental titled "High Wire".[2] CBS executives were worried the show might not be successful without a "hummable" theme song.[1] Sloan wrote the guitar lick and the first few lines of the song, with Barri (Sloan's songwriting partner) contributing to the chorus.[2] This fragment was recorded as a demo by Sloan and Barri, submitted to CBS, and, to Sloan's surprise, picked as the show theme, which led to Sloan and Barri writing a full-length version of the song.[2] The original demo of the song used the "Danger Man" title, as shown by the surviving demo of the song, which Sloan sang.[3] When the show's title was changed, the lyrics were also changed. Ultimately, "High Wire" was also retained by CBS, as it played over the episode credits following the "Secret Agent" titles.
In 1965, surf rock band The Challengers recorded a version for their album The Man From U.N.C.L.E. that features vocal harmonies, horns, and vibraphone.[4] This would be the first commercial release of the song, though it was never released as a single and consequently didn't garner much attention.[5]
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 he came up with the opening guitar riff that was inspired by the "James Bond Theme",[6] although the lick is clearly heard on Sloan's demo version.[7] Rivers' 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 more verses, and the chorus repeated twice more. The live version was recorded in 1966 at the Whisky a Go Go, but not released until after a few studio production touch-ups were done by Adler shortly after. The song evokes secret agents both musically (making use of a memorable guitar riff) and through its lyrics (which describe the dangerous life of a secret agent). The lyric; "they've given you a number and taken away your name" referred to the numerical code names given to secret agents, as in "007" for James Bond, although it also acts as the (unintentional) setup to the "continuation" of Danger Man, the cult classic The Prisoner.[8]
Surf rock band the Ventures did an instrumental version for their 1966 album, Go with the Ventures which featured a number of instrumental covers of then-current rock and pop hits. Released as the band's first single of 1966, it went to #54 in the US[11] and #82 in Canada,[12] and was on the charts concurrently with Rivers' version.
Bruce Willis recorded a version for his 1987 album The Return of Bruno which rose to #43 on the UK charts.[17][18] Willis' version features introductory stock sounds and a new subtitle, "James Bond is Back".
Covers and adaptations[]
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Mel Tormé recorded a cover in 1966, the same year Rivers released the song, which appears on his album Right Now![19]
Quebecois band Les Classels recorded a French-language version entitled "Agent de liaison" in 1966. It appears on their album Et Maintenant... of the same year.[20]
Finnish singer Danny recorded a Finnish-language version entitled "Vaaksa vaaraa vain," also in 1966, which appears on his record Se olla voi toisinkin päin of the same year.[21]
In 1978, Detroit-area punk-styled band Cinecyde recorded a version for their Black Vinyl Threat EP on Tremor Records, a recording later collected on their CD You Live a Lie You're Gonna Die.[citation needed]
Surf punk pioneers Agent Orange recorded a version for their 1984 When You Least Expect It EP.[25] They released "Secret Agent Man" again in 1986 as a double A-side with "Shakin All Over."[citation needed]
Blotto recorded a live version of the song in the mid-1980s, which was eventually released on their Then More Than Ever compilation album in 1999.[26]
Punk rockers The Pagans recorded at least three live versions over the years, which appear on their live albums Pirate's Cove 9/24/79 and Live Road Kill as well as on the B-side of the "Dead End America" 7".[citation needed]
New York heavy metal band Hittman recorded the song on their self-titled album released on the German Steamhammer label, 1988.[27]
The Dickies recorded a version for the 1997 album Show and Tell: A Stormy Remembrance of TV Theme Songs, a compilation of TV theme covers by various pop-punk artists.[32]
The band Psychotic Aztecs, composed of former members of The Plugz and Oingo Boingo, recorded a Spanish version as "Agente Secreto" on their 1998 album Santa Sangre.[33]
Japanese band Polysics did a version for their 1999 Plus Chicker EP.[34]
In 2000, a Japanese-language version was used as the theme-song for a TV drama called Heisei Meoto Jawan Dokechi no Hanamichi (Japanese:平成夫婦茶碗〜ドケチの花道〜). A one-off group called "Secret Agent", which included Noriyuki Higashiyama, Ryo Nishikido and others, was put together by Johnny's Juniors talent agency to record the song.[citation needed]
