How Did 1960s Hit “Secret Agent Man” Come To Be? We Asked Its Songwriter, Steve Barri

Within the first a part of this interview collection with legendary Brill Constructing songwriter Steve Barri, we mentioned his No. 1 hit “Eve of Destruction,” co-written with associate Phil Sloan and carried out by Barry McGuire, and the way it may apply to occasions unfolding in Ukraine right now. Right here, Barri takes on a lighter topic, how he and Sloan got here up with the 30-second opening for the favored Sixties tv spy collection, “Secret Agent,” and the way they later needed to style a complete tune across the jingle for artist Johnny Rivers. Following are edited excerpts from an extended cellphone dialog.

Jim Conflict: I’ve heard combined issues about how Johnny Rivers’ hit “Secret Agent Man” got here to be. You wrote it – what’s the actual story?

Steve Barri: Phil [Sloan] and I have been each in our early 20s, simply getting began. Lou Adler was guiding us, our mentor. We have been writing what we thought have been good songs for varied artists. In the future, Lou says, “Hey, we’ve got a chance to put in writing a theme tune for a British tv present known as “Hazard Man.”” I needed to write the lyrics for this stuff, so I requested Lou what it was about. He stated it was like a secret-agent factor. Phil and I have been like, why are they making us write this sort of crap? It’s embarrassing. I instructed Lou I had no concept what to put in writing. He stated, “You already know James Bond films, proper?” I stated, positive, I like them. He instructed me to think about the John Drake character as being James Bond. After I got here up with the road, “They’re supplying you with a quantity, and taking away your title,” it began coming collectively. So we wrote the one verse and a refrain as “Hazard Man.” On the final minute, after we had recorded it, they needed to vary it from, “Look out, hazard man/Look out, hazard man,” to “Secret, agent man/Secret, agent man,” as a result of they’d renamed the TV present within the U.S. So we fastened it and our opening went out – we didn’t get cash for writing theme songs at the moment, as a result of we have been on wage – and we thought we have been achieved with it.

Conflict: Okay. So how did it develop into a success report?

Barri: When the present was picked up as a summer time alternative on CBS, and was so standard with Patrick McGoohan starring, Johnny Rivers began getting requests from followers asking him to sing it. As soon as once we have been within the studio, Johnny stated, “Hey, are you able to end writing that “Secret Agent Man” tune, as a result of folks need to hear it? I sing it for them, however simply preserve repeating the one verse.” I instructed him I’d write a second model if he’d report it, perhaps put it on the B-side of one thing. He agreed. So I wrote lyrics for the longer model, with the little bridge part, and Phil got here up with that nice guitar solo, which I believe was the massive hook. Then Adler recorded it with Johnny. By the way in which, it was by no means recorded on the [Whiskey a] Go Go. Lou did these issues within the studio, and introduced folks in to hand-clap and make noise so it sounded reside. Most all of these Rivers’ “reside” Go Go songs have been achieved within the studio [laughs].

Conflict: “Secret Agent Man” went to No. 1 on the U.S. charts, proper?

Barri: Yea, and, on the time, I assumed it was the dumbest factor I might ever must work on. However consider it, over time I’ve come to like that tune as a result of it will get utilized in commercials, films, so many occasions over. It’s been like a gold mine to me!

Conflict: At this level in your profession, with royalties from the entire hit songs you’ve written, you don’t must work, proper?

Barri: No, I’m principally retired though, consider it or not, I simply executive-produced a blues album that’s like No. 2 on the blues and rock charts with a singer named Scott Ellison. Largely, I do lecture work on the music enterprise at UCLA. It retains me busy.