The Sound of Silence

File:Paul Simon in 1966.jpg, the song's composer, {{circa|1966}}]]

Simon and Garfunkel had become interested in folk music and the growing counterculture movement separately in the early 1960s. Having performed together previously under the name Tom and Jerry in the late 1950s, their partnership had dissolved by the time they began attending college. In 1963, they regrouped and began performing Simon's original compositions locally in Queens. They billed themselves "Kane & Garr", after old recording pseudonyms, and signed up for Gerde's Folk City, a Greenwich Village club that hosted Monday night performances.{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=39}} In September 1963, the duo's performances caught the attention of Columbia Records producer Tom Wilson, a young African-American jazz musician who was also helping to guide Bob Dylan's transition from folk to rock.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/the-greatest-music-producer-youve-never-heard-of-is/ |title=The Greatest Music Producer You've Never Heard of Is... |author=Michael Hall |magazine=Texas Monthly |date=January 6, 2014 |access-date=May 17, 2019}}{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=39}}{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=40}} Simon convinced Wilson to let him and his partner have a studio audition; their performance of "The Sound of Silence" got the duo signed to Columbia.{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=42}}

The song's origin and basis are unclear, with some thinking that the song commented on the assassination of John F. Kennedy,{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-sound-of-silence-by-simon-and-garfunkel-saved-for-the-future-8544664.html |title='The Sound of Silence' by Simon and Garfunkel saved for the future |author=Brett Zongker |date=2013-03-21 |publisher=The Independent }} as the song was recorded three months after the assassination, although Simon & Garfunkel had performed the song live as Kane & Garr two months before the assassination.{{sfn|Eliot|2010}} Simon wrote "The Sound of Silence" when he was 21 years old,{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwgU2zo4D6s&t=15m58s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/DwgU2zo4D6s| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Paul Simon - Interview - 7/6/1986 (Official) |date=September 25, 2014 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=2016-09-29}}{{cbignore}}{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YfWnPbhicY&t=5m | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524063444/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YfWnPbhicY&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=2020-05-24 | url-status=dead|title=Paul Simon chats about his youth |date=April 19, 2011 |publisher=YouTube}} later explaining that the song was written in his bathroom, where he turned off the lights to better concentrate.{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=40}} "The main thing about playing the guitar, though, was that I was able to sit by myself and play and dream. And I was always happy doing that. I used to go off in the bathroom, because the bathroom had tiles, so it was a slight echo chamber. I'd turn on the faucet so that water would run (I like that sound, it's very soothing to me) and I'd play. In the dark. 'Hello darkness, my old friend / I've come to talk with you again.'"{{cite journal |last=Schwartz |first=Tony |url=http://bkc.mikovice.com/small%20black%20beetles/paul%20simon%20playboy%20interview.pdf |title=Playboy Interview |journal=Playboy |date=February 1984 |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=49–51, 162–176 |access-date=September 24, 2014 |archive-date=December 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208225201/http://bkc.mikovice.com/small%20black%20beetles/paul%20simon%20playboy%20interview.pdf |url-status=dead }} According to Garfunkel, the song was first developed in November 1963, but Simon took three months to perfect the lyrics, which were entirely written on February 19, 1964.{{sfn|Fornatale|2007|p=38}} Garfunkel, introducing the song at a live performance (with Simon) in Haarlem (Netherlands), in June 1966, summed up the song's meaning as "the inability of people to communicate with each other, and not particularly internationally but especially emotionally, so that what you see around you is people who are unable to love each other."{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=40}}

Garfunkel's college roommate, Sandy Greenberg, wrote in his memoir that the song reflected the strong bond of friendship between Simon and Garfunkel, who had adopted the epithet "Darkness" to empathise with Greenberg's sudden-onset blindness.{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/health/art-garfunkels-beloved-blind-college-roommate-awards-3-million-to-cure-blindness/|title=Art Garfunkel's Beloved Blind College Roommate Awards $3 Million to Scientists to Cure Blindness|website=People.com|access-date=April 22, 2021}}

To promote the release of their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., released on October 19, 1964,{{cite web |title=Original versions of The Sound of Silence by the Bachelors [IE] |url=https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/624 |website=SecondHandSongs}} the duo performed again at Folk City, as well as two shows at the Gaslight Café, which went over poorly. Dave Van Ronk, a folk singer, was at the performances, and noted that several in the audience regarded their music as a joke.{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=47}} {{"'}}Sounds of Silence' actually became a running joke: for a while there, it was only necessary to start singing 'Hello darkness, my old friend ... ' and everybody would crack up."{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=48}} Wednesday Morning, 3 AM sold only 3,000 copies upon its October release, and its dismal sales led Simon to move to London.{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=53}} While there, he recorded a solo album, The Paul Simon Songbook (1965), which features a rendition of the song, titled "The Sound of Silence" (instead of "The Sounds of Silence", as on Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.).{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=58}}

The original recording of the song is in D♯ minor, using the chords D♯m, C♯, B and F♯. Simon plays a guitar with a capo on the sixth fret, using the shapes for Am, G, F and C chords. He provides the lower vocals for harmony while Garfunkel sings the melody.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ShBhKL-9SLIC |title=The Words and Music of Paul Simon |last=Bennighof |first=James |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |date=2007 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |pages=9–11 |isbn=978-0-275-99163-0}} The vocal span goes from C♯3 to F♯4 in the song.{{cite web |url=http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0077042 |title=Simon & Garfunkel "The Sound of Silence" Sheet Music in D Minor (transposable) |website=Musicnotes.com |date=September 14, 2009 |access-date=2016-09-29}}

File:Cocoa Beach at Lori Wilson Park - Flickr - Rusty Clark (112).jpg, Florida, alerted Columbia to release the single.]]

Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. had been a commercial failure before producer Tom Wilson was alerted that radio stations had begun to play "The Sound of Silence" in spring 1965. A late-night disc jockey at WBZ in Boston began to spin "The Sound of Silence", where it found a college student audience.{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=64}} Those at Harvard and Tufts University responded well, and the song made its way down the east coast pretty much "overnight", "all the way to Cocoa Beach, Florida, where it caught the students coming down for spring break."{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=64}} A promotional executive for Columbia went to give away free albums of new artists, and beach-goers were interested only in the artists behind "The Sound of Silence". He phoned the home office in New York, alerting them of its appeal.{{cite web |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/interview-art-garfunkel-on-his-new-greatest-hits-cd-the-singer-555280 |last=Bosso |first=Joe |date=August 1, 2012 |title=Interview: Art Garfunkel on his new greatest hits CD, The Singer |work=MusicRadar }} An alternate version of the story states that Wilson attended Columbia's July 1965 convention in Miami, where the head of the local sales branch raved about the song's airplay.

Folk rock was beginning to make waves on pop radio, with songs such as the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" charting high.{{cite book |last=Simons |first=David |title=Studio Stories |pages=95–96}} Wilson listened to the song several times, thinking it too soft for a wide release.{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=64}} He had strong feelings about editing the song with explicit rock overtones.{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=65}} As stated by Geoffrey Himes, "If Columbia Records producer Tom Wilson hadn't taken the initiative, without the singers' knowledge, to dub a rock rhythm section over their folk rendition, the song never would have become a cultural touchstone—a generation's shorthand for alienation."[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/sound-silence-surprise-hit-180957672/ Geoffrey Himes. "How “The Sound of Silence” Became a Surprise Hit." Smithsonian Magazine. Jan-Feb 2016.]. Wilson had also experimented the previous December with overdubbing an electric band over acoustic tracks by Bob Dylan; these recordings were never officially released, as Dylan and Wilson opted to record new tracks with a live band for what would become the album Bringing It All Back Home.

On June 15, 1965, following sessions for Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone", Wilson retained guitarist Al Gorgoni and drummer Bobby Gregg from the Dylan sessions, adding guitarist Vinnie Bell and bassist Bob Bushnell.{{cite book |author-link=Chris Charlesworth |last=Charlesworth |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iR092faJo3wC |title=The Complete Guide to the Music of Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel |publisher=Omnibus Press |year=1996 |pages=17–18 |chapter=Sound of Silence|isbn=9780711955974 }} The tempo on the original recording was uneven, making it difficult for the musicians to keep the song in time. Engineer Roy Halee employed a heavy echo on the remix, which was a common trait of the Byrds' hits. The single was first provided to college FM rock stations, and a commercial single release followed on September 13, 1965.{{cite book |first=Steve|last=Sullivan|title=Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 2|pages=109–110|date=2013}} The lack of consultation with Simon and Garfunkel on the remix was because, although the duo was still contracted to Columbia Records, the duo was no longer a "working entity".{{cite book |last=Simons |first=David |title=Studio Stories: How the Great New York Records Were Made |location=San Francisco |publisher=Backbeat Books |year=2004 |url=https://archive.org/details/studiostorieshow00simo |url-access=registration |pages=[https://archive.org/details/studiostorieshow00simo/page/94 94]–97|isbn=9781617745164 }} It was not unusual for producers to add instruments or vocals to previous releases and re-release them as new products.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

In the fall of 1965, Simon was in Denmark, performing at small clubs, and picked up a copy of Billboard, as he had routinely done for several years. Upon seeing "The Sound of Silence" in the Billboard Hot 100, he bought a copy of Cashbox and saw the same thing. Several days later, Garfunkel excitedly called Simon to inform him of the single's growing success. A copy of the 7-inch single arrived in the mail the next day, and according to friend Al Stewart, "Paul was horrified when he first heard it ... [when the] rhythm section slowed down at one point so that Paul and Artie's voices could catch up."{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=65}} Garfunkel was far less concerned about the remix, feeling conditioned to the process of trying to create a hit single: "It's interesting, I suppose it might do something, It might sell," he told Wilson.{{sfn|Fornatale|2007|p=45}}

The lyrics of the song are written in five stanzas of seven lines each. Each stanza begins with a couplet describing the setting of the scene, followed by a couplet driving the action forward and another couplet expressing the climactic thought of the verse, and closes with a one-line refrain referring to "the sound of silence". The progress of the lyrics through its five stanzas places the singer into an incrementally increasing tension with an increasingly ambiguous "sound of silence". The irony of using the word "sound" to describe silence in the title lyrics suggests a paradoxical symbolism being used by the singer, which the lyrics of the fourth stanza eventually identifies as "silence like a cancer grows". The "sound of silence" is symbolically taken also to denote the cultural alienation associated with much of the 1960s.

The first stanza presents the singer as taking some relative solace in the peacefulness he associates with "darkness" which is submerged "within" the ambiguous sound of silence.{{cite journal |last=Schwartz |first=Tony |url=http://bkc.mikovice.com/small%20black%20beetles/paul%20simon%20playboy%20interview.pdf |title=Playboy Interview |journal=Playboy |date=February 1984 |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=49–51, 162–176 |access-date=September 24, 2014 |archive-date=December 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208225201/http://bkc.mikovice.com/small%20black%20beetles/paul%20simon%20playboy%20interview.pdf |url-status=dead }} The second stanza has the effect of breaking into the silence with "the flash of a neon light" which leaves the singer "touched" by the enduring ambiguity of the sound of silence. In the third stanza, a "naked light" emerges as a vision of 10,000 people all caught within their own solitude and alienation without any one of them daring to "disturb" the recurring sound of silence.

In the fourth stanza, the singer proclaims in a declarative voice that "silence like a cancer grows," though his words "like silent raindrops fell" without ever being heard against the by now cancerous sound of silence. The fifth stanza appears to culminate with the urgency raised by the declarative voice in the fourth stanza through the apparent triumph of a false "neon god". The false neon god is only challenged when a "sign flashed out its warning" that only the words of the indigent written on "subway walls and tenement halls" could still "whisper" their truth against the recurring and ambiguous form of "the sound of silence".{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=40}} The song has no lyrical bridge or change of key, and was written without any lyrical intro or outro.

• Paul Simon – acoustic guitar, vocals
• Art Garfunkel – vocals
• Barry Kornfeld – acoustic guitar
• Bill Lee – double bass

(electric overdubs) personnel

• Al Gorgoni, Vinnie Bell – guitar
• Joe Mack (also known as Joe Macho) – bass guitar
• Bobby Gregg – drums

"The Sound of Silence" first broke in Boston, where it became one of the top-selling singles in early November 1965;{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YykEAAAAMBAJ|title=Top Sellers in Top Markets|date=November 6, 1965|page=14|volume=77|issue=45|issn=0006-2510|magazine=Billboard|access-date=September 23, 2014}} it spread to Miami and Washington, D.C. two weeks later, reaching number one in Boston and debuting on the Billboard Hot 100.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MykEAAAAMBAJ|title=Top Sellers in Top Markets|date=November 20, 1965|pages=14–15|volume=77|issue=47|issn=0006-2510|magazine=Billboard|access-date=September 23, 2014}}

Throughout the month of January 1966 "The Sound of Silence" had a one-on-one battle with the Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" for the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. "The Sound of Silence" was number one for the weeks of January 1 and 22 and number two for the intervening two weeks. "We Can Work It Out" held the top spot for the weeks of January 8, 15, and 29, and it was number two for the two weeks that "The Sound of Silence" was number one. Overall, "The Sound of Silence" spent 14 weeks on the Billboard chart.Billboard Charts Archives for [http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1965/hot-100 1965] and [http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1966/hot-100 1966]

In the wake of the song's success, Simon promptly returned to the United States to record a new Simon & Garfunkel album at Columbia's request. He later described his experiences learning the song went to number one, a story he repeated in numerous interviews:{{sfn|Fornatale|2007|p=47}}

{{blockquote|I had come back to New York, and I was staying in my old room at my parents' house. Artie was living at his parents' house, too. I remember Artie and I were sitting there in my car one night, parked on a street in Queens, and the announcer [on the radio] said, "Number one, Simon & Garfunkel." And Artie said to me, "That Simon & Garfunkel, they must be having a great time." Because there we were on a street corner [in my car in] Queens, smoking a joint. We didn't know what to do with ourselves.{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=66}}}}

For his part, Garfunkel had a different memory of the song's success:

{{blockquote|We were in L.A. Our manager called us at the hotel we were staying at. We were both in the same room. We must have bunked in the same room in those days. I picked up the phone. He said, 'Well, congratulations. Next week you will go from five to one in Billboard.' It was fun. I remember pulling open the curtains and letting the brilliant sun come into this very red room, and then ordering room service. That was good.{{sfn|Fornatale|2007|p=47}}{{sfn|Fornatale|2007|p=48}}}}

A cover by Peaches & Herb reached #88 in Canada, July 24, 1971.{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.5360.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - July 24, 1971}}

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;Paul Simon solo version

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{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=single|artist=Simon and Garfunkel|title=Sounds of Silence|award=Gold|relyear=1965|certyear=1979|access-date=February 22, 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|type=single|artist=Simon & Garfunkel|title=The Sounds of Silence|access-date=July 2, 2024|award=Platinum|relyear=1965|certyear=2024|id=14083}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|type=single|artist=Simon & Garfunkel|title=The Sound of Silence|access-date=February 22, 2023|award=Gold|relyear=1965|certyear=2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=single|artist=Simon and Garfunkel|title=The Sound of Silence|access-date=December 21, 2024|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1965|certyear=2024|source=radioscope}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|title=The Sound of Silence|artist=Simon & Garfunkel|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=1964|certyear=2024|access-date=June 23, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Simon & Garfunkel|title=The Sound of Silence|access-date=May 27, 2022|award=Platinum|relyear=2004|certyear=2022|id=13731-1749-1}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|artist=Simon & Garfunkel|title=Sounds of Silence|access-date=March 17, 2014|award=Gold|relyear=1965|certyear=1966}}

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The cover by the Irish group the Bachelors was released in 1966. Simon and Garfunkel's version did not chart in either the UK or Ireland, losing out to the Bachelors cover version, whose version peaked at number three in the UK and number nine in Ireland.

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{{Infobox song

| name = The Sound of Silence

| cover = Disturbed - The Sound of Silence.jpg

| alt =

| type = Single

| artist = Disturbed

| album = Immortalized

| released = {{Start date|2015|12|07}}

| recorded = 2015

| studio = The Hideout Recording Studio
Las Vegas, Nevada

| genre = Symphonic rock

| length = {{Duration|m=4|s=08}}

| label = Reprise

| writer = Paul Simon

| producer = Kevin Churko

| prev_title = The Light

| prev_year = 2015

| next_title = Open Your Eyes

| next_year = 2016

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|u9Dg-g7t2l4|"The Sound of Silence"}}}}

}}

51 years after its original release, a cover version of "The Sound of Silence" was released by American heavy metal band Disturbed on December 7, 2015.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/6605697/disturbed-returns-after-four-year-hiatus-with-new-album-immortalized|title=Disturbed Return with 'Immortalized' - Billboard|magazine=Billboard|date=June 23, 2015}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=DISTURBED&ti=THE+SOUND+OF+SILENCE|title=Gold & Platinum - RIAA|newspaper=RIAA|language=en-US|access-date=2016-10-31}} A music video was also released.{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/video-premiere-disturbeds-cover-version-of-simon-garfunkels-the-sound-of-silence/|title=Video Premiere: Disturbed's Cover Version Of Simon & Garfunkel's 'The Sound Of Silence'|work=Blabbermouth|date=December 7, 2015}} Their cover hit number one on the Billboard Hard Rock Digital Songs{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/biz/charts/2016-01-02/hard-rock-digital-songs|title=Hard Rock Digital Songs, Jan 2, 2016 |magazine=Billboard|access-date=January 25, 2016}} and Mainstream Rock charts,{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7004191/disturbed-sound-of-silence-rock-charts|title=The Sound of Silence-d Guitars: Disturbed's Haunting Simon & Garfunkel Cover Tops Mainstream Rock Songs Chart|magazine=Billboard|date=March 10, 2016}} and is their highest-charting song on the Hot 100,{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7325412/simon-garfunkel-sound-of-silence-hot-rock-songs-disturbed|title=Simon & Garfunkel's 'Sound of Silence' Hits Hot Rock Songs Top 10, Thanks to 'Sad Affleck'|magazine=Billboard|date=April 6, 2016}} peaking at number 42. It is also their highest-charting single in Australia, peaking at number four. David Draiman sings it in the key of F♯m. His vocal span goes from F#2 to A4 in scientific pitch notation.{{cite web|url=http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0164135 |title=Disturbed "The Sound of Silence" Sheet Music in F# Minor (transposable) - Download & Print - SKU: MN0164135 |website=Musicnotes.com |date=May 24, 2016 |access-date=2016-09-29}}

In April 2016, Paul Simon endorsed the cover.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/paulsimon/posts/10154088162362264 |title=Paul Simon Endorses Disturbed's 'Sound of Silence' Cover on Facebook |website=Facebook.com |access-date=2018-10-07}} Additionally, on April 1, Simon sent Draiman an email praising Disturbed's performance of the rendition on American talk show Conan. Simon wrote, "Really powerful performance on Conan the other day. First time I'd seen you do it live. Nice. Thanks." Draiman responded, "Mr. Simon, I am honored beyond words. We only hoped to pay homage and honor to the brilliance of one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Your compliment means the world to me/us and we are eternally grateful."{{cite web|url=http://loudwire.com/disturbed-approval-from-paul-simon-the-sound-of-silence-cover/ |title=Disturbed Receive Paul Simon Approval for 'Sound of Silence' |website=Loudwire.com |date=April 3, 2016 |access-date=2016-09-29}} As of September 2017, the single had sold over 1.5 million digital downloads{{cite news|url=http://www.defjampromo.com/files/2009/10/BB-Digital-Songs-Chart-Wk.-Ending-9-28-17.pdf|title=Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 09/28/2017|publisher=Nielsen SoundScan|access-date=October 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002192602/http://www.defjampromo.com/files/2009/10/BB-Digital-Songs-Chart-Wk.-Ending-9-28-17.pdf|archive-date=October 2, 2017}} and had been streamed over 54 million times, estimated Nielsen Music.{{cite web|last=Ayers |first=Mike |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2016/05/25/sound-of-silence-disturbed-finds-a-crossover-moment/ |title=With 'The Sound of Silence,' Disturbed Finds a Crossover Moment - Speakeasy - WSJ |website=Blogs.wsj.com |date=2016-05-25 |access-date=2016-09-29}} As of September 2024, the music video has over 1 billion views on YouTube, while the live performance on Conan has over 157 million, making it the most watched YouTube video from the show.{{Citation |title=Disturbed - The Sound Of Silence (Official Music Video) [4K UPGRADE] | date=December 8, 2015 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Dg-g7t2l4 |access-date=2024-03-01 |language=en}}{{Citation |title=Disturbed "The Sound Of Silence" 03/28/16 {{!}} CONAN on TBS | date=March 29, 2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk7RVw3I8eg |access-date=2024-03-01 |language=en}}

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "The Sound of Silence" by Disturbed}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|title=|artist=|type=single|award=Platinum|number=8|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|access-date=September 27, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Austria|type=single|artist=Disturbed|title=The Sound of Silence|award=Platinum|relyear=2015|certyear=2016|access-date=October 14, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=single|artist=Disturbed|title=The Sound of Silence|award=Diamond|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|access-date=January 17, 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|type=single|artist=Disturbed|title=The Sound of Silence|award=Platinum|relyear=2015|certyear=2020|id=8929|access-date=September 18, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|type=single|title=The Sound of Silence|artist=Disturbed|award=Diamond|relyear=2015|certyear=2022|access-date=September 5, 2022}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=single|artist=Disturbed|title=The Sound of Silence|award=Platinum|relyear=2015|certyear=2019|id=6764|access-date=November 14, 2022}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|source=oldchart|type=single|artist=Disturbed|title=The Sound of Silence|award=Platinum|number=5|id=5875|relyear=2016|certyear=2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921195754/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/singles?chart=5875|archive-date=September 21, 2024|access-date=October 12, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Norway|type=single|artist=Disturbed|title=The Sound of Silence|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2015|certyear=2019|access-date=April 13, 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Poland|artist=Disturbed|title=The Sound of Silence|award=Diamond|number=2|type=single|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|access-date=September 11, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|type=single|artist=Disturbed|title=The Sound of Silence|award=Gold|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|access-date=August 28, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Sweden|type=single|artist=Disturbed|title=The Sound of Silence|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2015|certyear=2016|access-date=June 6, 2022|source=artist}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Switzerland|type=single|artist=Disturbed|title=The Sound of Silence|award=Gold|relyear=2015|certyear=2017|access-date=October 14, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Disturbed|title=The Sound of Silence|award=Platinum|number=3|relyear=2015|certyear=2025|id=13731-2264-1|access-date=May 30, 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|artist=Disturbed|title=The Sound of Silence|award=Platinum|number=9|relyear=2015|certyear=2025|access-date=May 13, 2025}}

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "The Sound of Silence" (Cyril Remix) by Disturbed}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|award=Platinum|type=single|certyear=2025|access-date=May 14, 2025|refname=ARIA25s}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Belgium|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2024|certyear=2024|access-date=December 21, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=single|artist=Cyril x Disturbed|title=Sound of Silence (Remix)|award=Platinum|relyear=2024|certyear=2024|access-date=November 28, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|type=single|artist=Disturbed, Cyril|title=The Sound of Silence|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|id=14022|access-date=June 29, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|title=The Sound of Silence (Cyril Remix)|artist=Disturbed|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2024|certyear=2024|source=radioscope|access-date=December 21, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Portugal|title=The Sound of Silence (Cyril Remix)|artist=Disturbed|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2024|certyear=2024|id=file_2024-07-11-15-59-41.pdf|access-date=July 11, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|type=single|artist=Disturbed|title=The Sound of Silence (Cyril Remix)|award=Platinum|relyear=2024|certyear=2025|access-date=January 28, 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Switzerland|type=single|artist=Disturbed|title=The Sound of Silence (Cyril Remix)|award=Platinum|relyear=2024|certyear=2024|access-date=November 28, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|noshipments=true|nosales=true}}

{{Infobox song

| name = The Sound of Silence

| cover =

| alt =

| caption =

| type = single

| artist = Paul Simon

| album = Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin'

| B-side =

| released = {{start date|1974}}

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Folk rock

| length = 4:21

| label = Columbia Records

| writer = Paul Simon

| producer = Paul Simon

| prev_title = Take Me to the Mardi Gras

| prev_year = 1974

| next_title = Gone at Last

| next_year = 1975

}}

Paul Simon released a solo acoustic version of "The Sound of Silence" in the spring of 1974. His version reached No. 84 in Canada{{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5018b&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5018b.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5018b|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date=1974-05-25 |access-date=2021-01-15}} and No. 97 on the US Cash Box chart.{{cite web |url=http://www.tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/19660129.html |title=Cash Box Top 100 1/29/66 |publisher=Tropicalglen.com |date=1966-01-29 |access-date=2017-08-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530053229/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/19660129.html |archive-date=May 30, 2015 |url-status=dead }} It was also a minor Adult Contemporary hit (US No. 50, Canada No. 42).{{cite book |title=Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-1993|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=1993 |publisher=Record Research |page=216}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5061&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5061.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5061|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date=1974-06-08 |access-date=2021-01-15}}

Simon had previously recorded a solo acoustic version of the song on his debut solo album The Paul Simon Songbook, released in 1965 in the UK only, and not widely available in the U.S. until its release as part of a retrospective box set in the 1980s.

In 1999, BMI named "The Sound of Silence" as the 18th most-performed song of the 20th century.{{cite web|url=http://www.bmi.com/awards/1999/top100.txt |title=BMI Top 100 Songs of the Century: 8 Million+ Performances |access-date=2017-04-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010712093947/http://www.bmi.com/awards/1999/top100.txt |archive-date=July 12, 2001 }}, 1999 (archive.org copy) In 2004, it was ranked No. 156 on Rolling Stone{{'s}} list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, one of the duo's three songs on the list. The song is now considered "the quintessential folk rock release".{{cite book |last=Hoffmann |first=Frank |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xV6tghvO0oMC |title=Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound |edition=2nd |location=New York |publisher=Routledge |year=2005 |isbn=0-415-93835-X |volume=1 |page=408 |chapter=Folk Rock}}

In 2004, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.{{Cite web |title=GRAMMY Hall Of Fame {{!}} Hall of Fame Artists {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#s |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=grammy.com}}

When director Mike Nichols and Sam O'Steen were editing the 1967 film The Graduate, they initially timed some scenes to this song, intending to substitute original music for the scenes. However, they eventually concluded that an adequate substitute could not be found and decided to purchase the rights for the song for the soundtrack. This was an unusual decision, as the song had charted more than a year earlier, and recycling established music for film was not commonly done at the time.{{cite book |last=Harris |first=Mark |title=Pictures at a Revolution |url=https://archive.org/details/picturesatrevolu00harr_0 |url-access=registration |year=2008 |publisher=Penguin |pages=[https://archive.org/details/picturesatrevolu00harr_0/page/360 360–1]|isbn=9781594201523 }}

The Canadian band Rush alluded to the song lyrics in the last lines of their 1980 song "The Spirit of Radio".{{Cite web |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-behind-the-song-the-spirit-of-radio-by-rush |title=The Story Behind The Song: The Spirit Of Radio by Rush |last=Prato |first=Greg |website=Classic Rock Magazine |language=en |access-date=2019-09-12}}

In 2017, the song re-emerged on Billboard's Hot Rock Songs Chart at no. 6, due to its use in a YouTube video and meme involving Ben Affleck's facial expression during an interview about his film Batman v Superman, dubbed "Sad Affleck."{{cite news |last1=Loughrey |first1=Clarisse |title=Simon & Garfunkel's Sound of Silence climbs rock charts thanks to 'Sad Ben Affleck' meme |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/simon-garfunkel-s-sound-of-silence-climbs-rock-charts-thanks-to-sad-ben-affleck-meme-a6972326.html |access-date=February 14, 2024 |work=The Independent |date=April 7, 2016}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |first=Marc |last=Eliot |title=Paul Simon: A Life |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-470-43363-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio |url-access=registration}}
• {{cite book|last=Fornatale|first=Pete|title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends|year=2007|publisher=Rodale|isbn=978-1-59486-427-8}}

• {{YouTube|w7Fj9WLsisE|Paul Simon - The Sound of Silence}}
• {{YouTube|4fWyzwo1xg0|Simon and Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence}}

{{Simon and Garfunkel}}

{{Simon & Garfunkel singles}}

{{Paul Simon songs}}

{{The Bachelors}}

{{Disturbed}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sounds Of Silence, The}}

Category:1965 songs

Category:1965 singles

Category:1960s ballads

Category:1974 singles

Category:2016 singles

Category:Songs written by Paul Simon

Category:Simon & Garfunkel songs

Category:Disturbed (band) songs

Category:The Bachelors songs

Category:Song recordings produced by Tom Wilson (record producer)

Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles

Category:Cashbox number-one singles

Category:Number-one singles in Austria

Category:Number-one singles in Poland

Category:Number-one singles in Romania

Category:Number-one singles in South Africa

Category:Oricon Weekly number-one singles

Category:CBS Records singles

Category:Columbia Records singles

Category:Reprise Records singles

Category:Folk ballads

Category:Rock ballads

Category:Silence

Category:Black-and-white music videos

Category:United States National Recording Registry recordings

Category:Remix singles