Whether it’s the iconic finger-picking intro or the haunting lyrics, “The Sound of Silence” is one of the most recognizable songs of all time. The song was written by Paul Simon and appears on Simon & Garfunkel’s debut album Wednesday Morning 3 A.M. In this article, we will explore the story, meaning, and legacy behind the iconic song!
Initial Failure
Can you believe “The Sound of Silence” was once considered a commercial failure? Well, to be precise; The album “The Sound of Silence” appears on was once considered a commercial failure. The lack of success of “Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.” even led to the disbanding of Simon & Garfunkel. Paul Simon returned to London to be a solo musician and Art Garfunkel continued studying.
Everything changed when the song’s producer Tom Wilson decided to remix “The Sound of Silence”. He transformed the acoustic folk song into a folk rock song by adding drums and electric instruments. Tom Wilson transformed the song without informing Simon & Garfunkel. Paul Simon, who performed in Denmark at the time, only found out when he picked up a copy of Billboard and saw his song in the Billboard Hot 100.
The Story Behind Writing The Sound of Silence
Paul Simon recalls writing “The Sound of Silence” in the bathroom at his parent’s house. He wrote there because the bathroom provided an echo. In an interview with Uncut he said: “I used to turn the lights off and leave the water running. It was like white noise, you know? My brother says it was amazing that I wrote it because everything I’d written before that was way below it in quality. It was a step up.”
Simon, although finding it a pretty melody, didn’t think much of the creative process of writing the song. He later said: “As years passed I began to recognize that that was an unusual and inspirational kind of occurrence.”
The song’s exact basis is unclear. Although speculated it’s about JFK’s assassination, it’s much more likely that “The Sound of Silence” has a universal message rather than anything else.
Before playing “The Sound of Silence” live in 1966 Paul Simon said: “One of the biggest hang-ups we have today is the inability of people to communicate. Not only on an intellectual level but on an emotional level as well. So you have people unable to touch other people, unable to love other people. This is a song about the inability to communicate. It’s called the Sound of Silence.”
The Meaning Behind The Sound of Silence
You can’t mention “The Sound of Silence” without mentioning its iconic opening lines: “Hello darkness my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again.” The opening lines probably refer to Paul Simon writing his songs in a dark bathroom. In there a vision dawned upon him, a vision he wanted to share.
“The Sound of Silence” is a warning about our inability to communicate with each other due to the commercialization of our society. As a result, people become socially alienated because of the shallow environments they engage in; People talk without speaking, and people hear without listening.
Read more: The 10 Best Simon & Garfunkel Songs of All Time
Due to the alienation, the media and big companies are capable of executing more power. In the song, the media is represented as the “neon god” people bow and pray to. “The words of the prophets” refer to the advertising industry.
The Legacy of The Song
“The Sound of Silence” topped the US charts in January 1966. It’s one of the most performed songs of the 20th century, with notable covers by The Bachelors and Disturbed. It also appears in numerous movies, most famously The Graduate. Simon & Garfunkel played “The Sound of Silence” live countless times, most famously during the Concert in Central Park.
Interested in more stories behind Simon & Garfunkel songs? Click here
He did NOT write that song, it was written before by a teen, it was poetry. He met with a record executive who took a lot of his stuff and went away, it ended up with S&G. While they may not of known it’s origins and changed some word or added to it, it was NOT written by them.
He did not wrote the poem but, the teen who wrote the poem dis not wrote the song either. He made the song out of the teen’s poem, that is a big difference and I do not see anything wrong about it, nobody heard about the poem until he made it a song, is a win win for both.
It’s obvious what this songs about, Paul Simon looked into the future and thought we’re introuble he could see what social media is all about