He was versatile enough to do folk songs, blues, covers of old-time Rock n' roll songs, and some original material, all of them in his own unique style. Rivers's greatest success came in the mid and late 1960s with a string of hit songs (including "Seventh Son," "Poor Side of Town" and "Secret Agent Man") but he has continued to record and perform to the present.
In 1960, Rivers met fellow Louisianan, James Burton, the guitar player for Ricky Nelson. Burton later recommended one of Rivers's songs to Nelson, who went on to record it. In 1961, Rivers went to Los Angeles to meet Nelson, and ended up relocating there, working as a song writer and studio musician. In 1963, Rivers's big break came when he temporarily filled in for a jazz combo at Bill Gazzari's night club; the temporary gig became long-term due to positive customer response.
In 1964, Elmer Valentine then gave Rivers a one-year contract to open his new club, Whisky a Go Go, on Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. The Whisky opened three days before The Beatles released "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and the British Invasion knocked almost every American artist off the top of the charts. But Rivers was so popular, producer Lou Adler decided to issue Johnny Rivers Live At The Whiskey A Go Go. The live album reached #12 on the charts and the single "Memphis" (a Chuck Berry cover) reached #2. Rivers made the successful transition from nightclub entertainer to chart-busting pop singer and had created the Go Go sound, part of a scene which included Go-Go dancers.
Into 1965, Rivers continued to record mostly live, Go Go style records including "Maybellene" (another Berry cover), which he followed "Mountain of Love", "Midnight Special", "Seventh Son" (written by Willie Dixon) e "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" (with Pete Seeger's), all of which were hits.
Rivers wanted to try something different and adopted a more idiosyncratic approach as from 1966. Characterized by his smooth, soulful voice, he produced hit portrayals as "Poor Side Of Town", which would be his biggest hit ever and his only number one record. Into another hit was "Secret Agent Man", the theme from Secret Agent television series (written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri). He also started own record company, Soul City Records, where he won a Grammy Award as the producer of the 5th Dimension, which eventually recorded "Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In" and "Wedding Bell Blues", two number one hits on Rivers' label. Johnny is also credited with giving songwriter Jimmy Webb a major break when they recorded Webb's song "Up, Up, and Away". James Hendricks, one of the artists of that signed with Soul City, wrote "Summer Rain", a song that Rivers recorded and turned a hit.
Johnny Rivers continued to record more hits, including "Baby I Need Your Lovin'" and "The Tracks of My Tears" (cover of The Miracles), both top 10 in 1967. In 1968, Rivers released what many fans consider his best album, Realization, a number five album on the LP charts. The album was evocative of the psychedelic influences of the time and marked a subtle change in his musical direction, with more thoughtful types of songs, included such ballads as "Going Back to Big Sur".
In the 1970s, Rivers continued to record more songs and albums which were a success with music critics, but did not sell as well as some of his earlier hits. One of these albums, "L.A. Reggae" in 1972, reached the LP charts as a result of the top 10 "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" (a cover of Huey Smith & the Clowns). Anothers hits that time were "Blue Suede Shoes" (a cover of Carl Perkins), in 1973, which would reach the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Help Me Rhonda", in 1975 - a cover of The Beach Boys on which Brian Wilson helped with backup vocals. His last entry on the charts was "Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancing)", a top ten hit in 1977.
1980's until nowadays
Rivers continued recording into the '80's, although his recording career wound down somewhat. In spite of his music hasn't reached the best seller charts for quite a while, Rivers is still touring, doing 50 to 60 shows a year, increasingly returning to the blues that inspired him initially.
In 1998], Rivers reactivated his Soul City imprint and released Last Train to Memphis, his first new studio album in 15 years.
In early 2000, Johnny recorded with Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, and Paul McCartney on a tribute album dedicated to Buddy Holly's backup band, "The Crickets".
In all, Rivers had 9 top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and 17 in the top 40 from 1964 to 1977. In total, he has sold well over 25 million records.
Seventh Son
Johnny Rivers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the whole wide world there is only one
I'm the one, I'm the one
I'm the one, I'm the one
The one they call the seventh son
I can tell your future, it will come to pass
Look in the sky, predict the rain
Tell when a woman's got another man
I'm the one, I'm the one
I'm the one, I'm the one
The one they call the seventh son
I'm the one
Well, I can talk these words that will sound so sweet
They'll even make your little heart skip a beat
Heal the sick, raise the dead
Make the little girls talk outta their heads
And I'm the one, I'm the one
I'm the one, I'm the one
The one they call the seventh son
I'm the one
Oh, I'm the one
Oh, I'm the one
Oh, I'm the one, babe
I'm the one, I'm the one
The one they call the seventh son
I'm, I'm, I'm the one, I'm the one
The one they call the seventh son
The lyrics of Johnny Rivers's song "Seventh Son" are about a mysterious and powerful person who is known as the seventh son. The song talks about how everybody is talking about the seventh son, but there is only one in the whole wide world. The singer of the song then reveals himself as the seventh son, claiming that he is the only one with the mystical powers that stereotypically come with the title. He boasts about being able to tell the future and do things that make people happy. He can even predict the weather and tell when a woman is cheating on her partner.
The second verse suggests that the seventh son also has the power to charm people with words. He can heal the sick and even raise the dead. He has a way of making little girls swoon over him. The repetition of "I'm the one" and "the one they call the seventh son" emphasizes the singer's pride and ownership of his title. He is confident in his abilities and the power that comes with his identity.
"Seventh Son" was originally written and recorded by Willie Dixon in 1955 before it was covered by multiple artists over the years. Johnny Rivers's version was released in 1965 and became his fifth Top 10 hit in the US. The song and its lyrics have been interpreted in different ways, but some suggest that the seventh son represents a person with spiritual power or a trickster figure. Others relate the idea to folklore such as the belief in seventh sons having special powers in Irish mythology. Regardless of the interpretation, the song's catchy melody and Rivers's energetic performance made it a popular hit.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody's talkin' 'bout the seventh son
People are talking about the mythical seventh son.
In the whole wide world there is only one
There is only one person in the world who embodies the qualities of the seventh son.
I'm the one, I'm the one
The singer is emphasizing that he is the one being referred to as the seventh son.
The one they call the seventh son
The singer is the person who has been given the title of the seventh son.
I can tell your future, it will come to pass
The singer has the gift of prophecy and can predict the future.
Do things to you make your heart feel glad
The singer has the power to do things that will bring joy to people's hearts.
Look in the sky, predict the rain
The singer can look at the sky and predict when it will rain.
Tell when a woman's got another man
The singer is so perceptive that he can tell when a woman is cheating on her partner.
I can talk these words that will sound so sweet
The singer is able to speak in a way that is charming and pleasant to listen to.
They'll even make your little heart skip a beat
The singer's words are so powerful that they have a physical impact on people.
Heal the sick, raise the dead
The singer has the ability to perform miraculous acts like healing the sick and raising the dead.
Make the little girls talk outta their heads
The singer has such an effect on people that even young girls are unable to think straight around him.
Oh, I'm the one, babe
The singer is drawing attention to himself and highlighting his uniqueness.
I'm, I'm, I'm the one, I'm the one
The singer is repeating that he is the one, emphasizing his role as the seventh son.
The one they call the seventh son
The singer is again emphasizing that he has been given this title by others.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Willie Dixon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@paulknapp7756
I HAVE ALL JOHNNY RIVERS
RECORDS 45'S R.P.M. WITH ALL
PICTURES SLEEVES & ALL HIS
ALBUMS & 8 TRACKS TAPES &
ALL HIS CASSETTES TAPES & ALL
HIS PICTURES I L❤💙VE HIS
RECORDS I HAVE THIS ONE ON
MY 1957 WURLITZER JUKEBOXS & MY 1960 ROCK-OLD JUKEBOXES I PLAY HIS RECORDS
ALL MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
IN HIGH SCHOOL I STILL HAVE
THEM RECORDS TODAY MOST
OF MY HUGE RECORDS COLLECTION I-2 TO 40 COPYS ON
A LOT'S OF MY RECORDS I'M A
HUGE RECORD NUT THAT'S MY
FRIST L❤💙VE OLD RECORDS &
OLD 50'S & 60'S CAR & JUKEBOXS
I ALLWAYS WILL BE MY FRIST
L❤💙VE I L❤💙VE U
JOHNNY RIVERS U WAS THE
GREATESTS IN MY B❤💙K
SINCERELY YOUR
PAUL ANDREW KNAPP!✌❤💕💙💜💞⛪💒
@DarkEagle-vx9hd
Johnny Rivers was extremely underrated. His talent was immense
@jg2730
He’s not dead
@user-bn3zo3mh5v
He still sounds the same if you look him up the last 2 to 3 years.
@JeffDeanTheDeanZone
Along with my Zeppelin and Uriah Heep albums I had the entire Johnny Rivers collection.
@dancingtrout6719
not underrated in my book
@robynmarx7000
Works that way, sometimes. A phukin national treasure.
@albertmiller8169
I'm 64 now born on May 28th. 1957. Johnny Rivers music was really great music. I remember when he first came out with Secret Agent Man. It was from a TV show if I remember correctly. I liked hearing that song again and that's the music that a lot of us still listen all the time to this day.
@juliemcalister2557
Me too Albert Miller🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝👍
@lefty5757
Hi Albert, I know it don’t mean much but I was born on the same day you were born.
@jeansnyder6920
Yep, I feel the same way....I'm 64, in May 1957.....I still remember dancing to his songs.....