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.
You Win Again
Johnny Rivers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pressed in organdy
Clothed in crinoline
Of smoky burgundy
Softer than the rain
I wandered empty streets
Down past the shop displays
Tripping down the alley ways
As I walked on
And when you ran to me
Your cheeks flushed with the night
We walked on frosted fields
Of juniper and lamplight
I held your hand
And when I awoke
And felt you warm and near
I kissed your honey hair
With my grateful tears
Oh, I love you, girl
Oh, I love you
These lyrics describe a dream the singer/Johnny Rivers had of wandering through empty streets clad in a beautiful, flowing dress made of organdy and crinoline, in a rich burgundy colour that was softer than the rain. The singer was wandering down the empty streets and noticed the cathedral bells chiming, giving the impression of walking through an eerie, ethereal environment.
As the dream continued, the singer was joined by a lover who had flushed cheeks and they walked on frosted fields of juniper and lamplight. At this point, the singer held her hand and felt grateful for her presence. When the dream ended and the singer awoke, they found their lover was nearby and woke up to them being close, kissing their hair with grateful tears while professing their love.
The lyrics are beautiful and vivid, playing with the use of imagery to create a dreamy and romantic atmosphere. It highlights the singer's deep love and appreciation for their partner, conveying an almost fairytale-like love, as if they are walking through a dream sequence together.
Line by Line Meaning
What a dream I had
The singer is describing a dream they had
Pressed in organdy
The dream involved clothing made from organdy
Clothed in crinoline
The dream also involved wearing crinoline
Of smoky burgundy
The color of the clothing in the dream was smoky burgundy
Softer than the rain
The clothing in the dream was described as being softer than rain
I wandered empty streets
The singer describes wandering through empty streets
Down past the shop displays
The streets were lined with shops that were closed
I heard cathedral bells
The artist heard bells from a nearby cathedral
Tripping down the alley ways
The sound of the bells echoed down the alley ways
As I walked on
The artist continued to walk through the empty streets
And when you ran to me
In the dream, someone ran to the singer
Your cheeks flushed with the night
The person's cheeks were red from the cold night air
We walked on frosted fields
The singer and the person walked through fields covered in frost
Of juniper and lamplight
The fields were lined with juniper and lamplights
I held your hand
The singer held the person's hand as they walked through the frosty fields
And when I awoke
The dream ended and the artist woke up
And felt you warm and near
The person the artist dreamed about was close to them in real life
I kissed your honey hair
The singer showed affection towards the person by kissing their hair
With my grateful tears
The singer felt grateful to have the person in their life and shed tears of joy
Oh, I love you, girl
The artist is expressing their love for the person
Oh, I love you
The artist reaffirms their love for the person
Contributed by Amelia A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
threemississippi
One of our most underrated musical talents, often overlooked - have LOVED Johnny Rivers since the 70's!
WendyKS93
WOW!!!!!! This is absolutely fabulous. What a truly beautiful version of this great old song by Hank Williams. And yes it is very similar to the Jerry Lee Lewis version. I think maybe I like it even better no offense to Jerry meant. Love it.
catman916
It's always a good idea to give a song a second listen. Some songs definitely grow on you. It's interesting that JR based his version on JLL's rather than HW Sr's.
cottagechskitty
He truly can cover anything and do it well. I mean. Hank Williams? Really?
Shirley Dunbar
This man is awesome
Lois Hill
You hit the song and others with a true golden nail!!!! God Bless our J.R.
Shirley Dunbar
Johnny going back to his southern roots love it very much. Thank you for this beautiful song
Shirley Dunbar
love it
rudbeckie1
Velmi krásné... nádherná romantika a lyrika, krásná melodie, aranžmá, sametový hlas...moc se mi to líbí...děkuji a pozdravy!!!!!
RON P
Johnny Rivers
---He's in my hall of fame ---screw the voters who kept voting him out !