Back in our youth, there were so many songs we recognized by ear, but had no idea who actually performed them. Or maybe we just didn’t care — I certainly didn’t. And back then, I didn’t really understand English anyway. A few of those songs for me were now-legendary tracks by the duo Simon & Garfunkel. I still listen to them with great pleasure.
But I only learned the details about their very first song quite recently — thanks to the YouTube channel “Longplay.”
Their very first recorded song was “The Sound of Silence,” recorded on March 10, 1964. It was part of their debut album, “Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.” Interestingly, the original version was performed with just one acoustic guitar as accompaniment. In that stripped-down form, the song went mostly unnoticed. In fact, the entire album made so little impact that Simon and Garfunkel decided not to continue — their duo nearly fell apart right then and there. Here’s that version:
And then things got really interesting. The producers decided to take the original recording and layer in drums and other instruments performed by a few session musicians — all without informing the artists themselves. This “updated” version was then sent out to radio stations. To everyone’s surprise — especially Simon and Garfunkel’s — the song, in this new arrangement, quickly climbed the charts. This remixed version later became part of their 1966 album Sounds of Silence.
The artists themselves weren’t particularly thrilled with this unauthorized remix, or so it seems. However, in the blink of an eye, it made them famous. They had little choice but to reunite and keep creating — and that’s how the world came to know a whole lineup of musical masterpieces by this iconic duo.
The Sound of Silence may sound quite romantic at first, musically speaking. But if you actually listen to the lyrics, it’s not about romance at all. It’s about life in the neon jungles people build around themselves.
Over the years, the song has been covered by countless artists, but the version that gives me chills — especially now that I truly understand the lyrics — is the one by Disturbed:
