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Johnny Rivers - Secret Agent Man Chords

ChordsEm, Am, B7, Bm, C
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to A key to play this song with easier chords.

EmThere’samanwhoAmleadsalifeofEmdanger
ToEmeveryonehemeetshestaysaB7stranger
WithEmeverymovehemakes, Amanotherchancehetakes
EmOddsarehewon’tAmlivetosee Emtomorrow
SecretBmAgentEmMan,SecretBmAgentEmMan
They’veCgivenyouaB7numberandtakenawayyourEmname
EmBewareofprettyAmfacesthatyouEmfind
AEmprettyfacecanhideanevilB7mind
Oh,beEmcarefulwhatyousay,oryou’llAmgiveyourselfaway
EmOddsareyouwon’tAmlivetosee Emtomorrow
SecretBmAgentEmMan,SecretBmAgentEmMan
They’veCgivenyouaB7numberandtakenawayyourEmname
SecretBmAgentEmMan,SecretBmAgentEmMan
They’veCgivenyouaB7numberandtakenawayyourEmname
EmSwingingontheAmRivieraEmoneday
AndthenEmlayinginaBombayalleyB7nextday
Oh,don’tyouEmletthewrongwordsslip,Amwhilekissingpersuasivelips
EmOddsareyouwon’tAmlivetosee Emtomorrow
SecretBmAgentEmMan,SecretBmAgentEmMan
They’veCgivenyouaB7numberandtakenawayyourEmname
Album...And I Know You Wanna Dance
GenresPop
Year1966
KeyEm
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Secret Agent Man on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Johnny Rivers - Secret Agent Man on guitar requires 5 chords and 5 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

Secret Agent Man uses these transitions most often: Am → Em (9), Em → Am (9), and Bm → Em (8). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with Em - Am chord transition.

1. Em → Am chord transition

Here's how to move from Em to Am:

  1. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
  2. Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Place index finger on B string fret 1.

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

Em to Am

2. Em → B7 chord transition

To move from Em to B7:

  1. Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.
  2. Lift your ring finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  3. Place index finger on D string fret 1.
  4. Place pinky on E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

Em to B7

3. Em → Bm chord transition

To move from Em to Bm:

  1. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.
  2. Slide your ring finger on D string from fret 2 to fret 4.
  3. Place index finger on E string fret 2.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 4.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 8 times.

Em to Bm

4. Em → C chord transition

Here's how to move from Em to C:

  1. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
  2. Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on B string fret 1.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

Em to C

5. C → B7 chord transition

Here's how to move from C to B7:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.
  4. Place pinky on E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Secret Agent Man.

  • Secret Agent Man includes 52 chord transitions, 5 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Secret Agent Man contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Secret Agent Man connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → C: 26%
    • Em → Am: 12%
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → Em: 10%