"Secret Agent Man" is a song written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri. The song evokes secret agents both musically (making use of a guitar riff from John Barry's 007 theme) and through its lyrics (which describe the dangerous life of a secret agent). 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 US as Secret Agent from 1964 to 1966. In an unusual situation, due to the format of the series, the show's original British theme song, an instrumental entitled "High Wire" was actually retained as it was played over the episode credits following the "Secret Agent Man" titles. The lyric "They've given you a number and taken away your name" (some say this number is 3 3/4) appears to anticipate The Prisoner, the 1967-68 follow-up series to Danger Man/Secret Agent in which this situation befalls the protagonist; it may also be a reference to the fact secret agents such as James Bond 007 are better known by their code numbers than their real names. P.F. Sloan is an American pop-rock singer and songwriter, born Philip Schlein in New York City in 1945. ... Steve Barri (born Steven Barry Lipkin in Brooklyn, New York on February 23, 1942) is an American songwriter and record producer. ... John Barry. ... Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella, 7 November 1942, in New York) is an American rock and roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. ... This article is about the 1960s TV series which was also known as Secret Agent and shouldnt be confused with the 1990s television series Secret Agent Man. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see The Prisoner (disambiguation) and Prisoner. ... 007 redirects here. ...

In 1975, the song was covered by Devo and later released in 1979 on the Duty Now for the Future album with a jerky, heavily modified arrangement and significantly altered lyrics (sung by the near-monotone voice of Bob Mothersbaugh). It was a favorite of Devo fans, entering the setlist in 1977 and remaining until 1980 (and returned to the band's setlist in 2006). A Spanish version, "Hombre Secreto", recorded by The Plugz, features on the soundtrack to the film Repo Man. "Secret Agent Man" was also covered by Bruce Willis on his album The Return of Bruno. The song opened with the sounds of a car door being opened and closed, footsteps, and a single gunshot. The original Johnny Rivers version of the song was used in the film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery as a nod to Danger Man. Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Devo (pronounced DEE-vo or dee-VO, often spelled DEVO or DEV-O) is an American New Wave group formed in Akron, Ohio in 1972. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Duty Now for the Future was the second album by United States New Wave band Devo. ... Bob Mothersbaugh Jr. ... The Plugz were a punk rock band from Los Angeles, California that formed in 1978. ... For other uses, see Repo Man (disambiguation). ... Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955 in Idar-Oberstein, Germany) is an American actor and singer. ... The Return of Bruno is the debut album by actor, Bruce Willis. ... Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella, 7 November 1942, in New York) is an American rock and roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. ... Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, directed by Jay Roach, is the first film of the Austin Powers series. ...

In 1995 this song was played by Blues Traveler in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, in a version which was faster than the original. In 2000, an updated version of the song was used for the opening credits of the UPN series Secret Agent Man. This led to some media coverage erroneously calling the series a remake of Danger Man/Secret Agent. This is one of the few songs that has been used for the opening credits of more than one unrelated series. Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Blues Traveler is an American alternative rock/blues rock/jam band formed in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1983. ... Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995) is a movie made as a sequel to Ace Ventura, Pet Detective (1994). ... UPN (which originally stood for the United Paramount Network) was a television network in over 200 markets in the United States. ... Secret Agent Man was a short-lived spy-fi television series that aired on UPN in 2000. ...

Performance artist Laurie Anderson quoted the opening lines of the song in the title track of her 1982 album Big Science. In fact she misquoted them, altering 'There's a man...' to 'Here's a man...' and 'To everyone he meets he stays a stranger' to 'Everywhere he goes he stays a stranger'. Laurie Anderson (born Laura Phillips Anderson, on June 5, 1947, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois) is an American experimental performance artist and musician. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... In 1977 the completion of the Shiva laser at LLNL ushered in a new field of big science; laser fusion. ...

The 1987 Exidy game "CrackShot" features the original version's opening riff (actual digitized sound) as background music for the "Police Alley" minigames. Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Exidy was one of the largest creators of arcade video games during the early period of video games, from 1974-1983. ...

The song was later used in an episode of Super Mario Bros. Super Show, "On Her Majesty's Sewer Service" during the fight scene. Much to the dismay and anger of fans, the song was later replaced with stock music in later airings and DVD releases.

The theme song to the cartoon Teen Titans, performed by Puffy AmiYumi, features the melody of "Secret Agent Man" -- minus the chorus -- with different lyrics appropriate to the Teen Titans. Teen Titans is an American animated television series created by Sam Register and Glen Murakami and produced by Warner Bros. ... “PAY” redirects here. ...

It is believed that this song was originally written after Steve Barri heard a story about an Indian soldier who had gone to war, he was captured afew months later and it was revealed that he was actually a secret agent working for the Japanese government against his will, and he later bumped into Barri and told him the terrors he saw in the jails which he previously as a secret agent had seen nothing of, the song was originally drafted to be called 'Secret Asian Man', but because of the wide appeal the record companies wanted the song to have, especially with the James Bond riff they had to change the title, Johnny Rivers has said he tried to sing as close as possible to the original, this is why n parts of the song it sounds like he is saying 'Asian' and not 'Agent', this has been denied by the record company.

External links

• Lyrics