What Were Johnny Rivers’ 5 Biggest US Hits?

Johnny Rivers proved himself as an excellent songwriter time and again throughout his career. He also possessed a knack for finding songs written by others that he could deliver like no one else.

Videos by American Songwriter

Add that all up, and it’s no surprise that Rivers amassed an impressive record on the pop charts over a couple of decades. Here are the five biggest hits of his career based on their peak positions on the US charts.

5. “Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu” – No. 6 in 1972

Huey “Piano” Smith wrote and first recorded this song back in 1957, getting the idea from the airborne sicknesses that were hitting America around that time. When Rivers got a hold of “Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu” in 1972 and recorded it for his album LA Reggae, he surrounded himself, as he often did, with ace Wrecking Crew musicians from the West Coast. Those players, such as Larry Knechtel on piano on this track, elevated everything they did. Meanwhile, the New Orleans-style groove fell right into the Louisiana-raised Rivers’ wheelhouse.

4. “Baby, I Need Your Lovin’” – No. 3 in 1967

It took a gutsy singer to cover a song first done by The Four Tops, knowing that their vocals were inevitably going to be compared to the powerhouse of Levi Stubbs. Rivers didn’t so much try to compete with Stubbs as he did try to take this song in a slightly different direction. His version of “Baby, I Need Your Loving” was a tad slower. He also came on as a bit more woeful than Stubbs, whose blustery style tended more towards aggressive angst. In any case, both versions of this Holland-Dozier-Holland classic are quite fine.

3. “Secret Agent Man” – No. 3 in 1966

Rivers could sing just about anything and make it relatable. You can find evidence of that in the job he did with “Secret Agent Man”, essentially a novelty song. The success of the James Bond movies spawned a wave of imitators in film and television, including the US series Secret Agent, the show for which this song served as theme music. This track, like many, copped the vibes of John Barry’s music for the Bond films. “Secret Agent Man”, written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, was recorded by a few acts. But Rivers gave it an energetic take that made you believe in the espionage of it all.

2. “Memphis” – No. 2 in 1964

Chuck Berry’s early work formed the nucleus of rock and roll. And he also provided a passel of hits, often via cover versions of his work. That was just the way it worked back then, because Berry’s originals were incendiary enough on their own. When Johnny Rivers did “Memphis” in 1964, he was both paying homage to Berry and, style-wise, to a version already done by Lonnie Mack. To be able to handle this song, you need to know how to finesse Berry’s fast-talking lyrics. And Rivers did that expertly.

1. “The Poor Side Of Town” – No. 1 in 1966

We mentioned earlier that Rivers was an ace songwriter as well as an interpreter. That skill came to the fore on this, his lone No. 1 single. He co-wrote it with Lou Adler, the track’s producer. Adler stood at the forefront of the orchestral pop sound in the mid-60s, and Rivers’ vocals fit quite smoothly into that sound. Beyond that, however, this is just a wonderfully written song. Rivers, via both the heart-tugging lyrics and the doleful melody, taps into both the sorrow and resilience of the narrator who loves the girl, no matter her financial status.

Photo by David A. Walega/WireImage