The Sound of Silence is the Paul Simon song that gave Simon & Garfunkel their first No. 1 hit.
It failed as an acoustic folk track in 1964, then took off after a producer added electric instruments behind their backs.
It topped the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1966.
Table of Contents
- The Story Behind the Song
- The 1964 Acoustic Recording
- The Electric Overdub
- The Chart Run
- Legacy and Covers
- FAQ
The Story Behind the Song
A Bathroom With Good Echo
Paul Simon was 21 when he wrote it.
He told Playboy in 1984 that he retreated to the bathroom to play guitar, "because the bathroom had tiles, so it was a slight echo chamber."
Simon finished the lyrics on February 19, 1964.
What the Words Mean
Listeners have long tied it to the Kennedy assassination.
The duo, then performing as Kane & Garr, played it live about two months before that November 1963 shooting, so the link stays speculative.
Simon later said, "I didn't sit down to write a song about alienation in America."
Garfunkel called it a song about "the inability of people to communicate with each other."
The 1964 Acoustic Recording
Simon and Garfunkel cut the first version on March 10, 1964, at Columbia's 7th Avenue studios in New York.
Tom Wilson produced, with two acoustic guitars and an upright bass.
It then appeared, titled "The Sounds of Silence," on Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., released October 19, 1964.
The album sold about 3,000 copies, and the pair drifted apart.
Simon moved to England and cut a solo version for The Paul Simon Songbook.
The Electric Overdub
Airplay Changes the Plan
In 1965 radio stations in Boston and Florida began spinning the acoustic track.
Wilson had just produced Like a Rolling Stone for Bob Dylan.
On June 15, 1965, he booked session players, including guitarists Al Gorgoni and Vinnie Bell, and added drums, bass and electric guitar to the 1964 take.
Roy Halee engineered.
The Duo Finds Out
Neither Simon nor Garfunkel knew about the session until after the remix was out.
Al Stewart later said Simon was "horrified."
Garfunkel was milder and reportedly said it might sell.
Columbia issued the new mix as a single in September 1965, backed with "We've Got a Groovy Thing Goin'."
The Chart Run
The remix became a top seller in Boston by early November 1965.
It then climbed nationally and reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 for the weeks of January 1 and January 22, 1966.
It traded the top spot with The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out."
The duo regrouped and recorded Sounds of Silence that December with producer Bob Johnston.
Columbia released it on January 17, 1966, and it peaked at No. 21 in the US.
See how the year played out in our 1966 music year guide.
| Measure | Detail | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | Weeks of Jan. 1 and Jan. 22, 1966 | No. 1 |
| Cash Box Top 100 | January 1966 | No. 1 |
| Billboard year-end 1966 | Hot 100 | No. 54 |
| Rolling Stone | 500 Greatest Songs, 2004 | No. 156 |
| Grammy Hall of Fame | Inducted 2004 | Included |
| Library of Congress | National Recording Registry, March 2013 | Included |
Legacy and Covers
On Screen and in the Charts
- Director Mike Nichols and editor Sam O'Steen timed early scenes of The Graduate to the song, then licensed it for the 1967 film's opening and closing credits.
- The Bachelors took a cover to No. 3 in the UK in 1966.
- Disturbed recorded a hard rock version in 2015 that reached No. 42 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on Hard Rock Digital Songs.
Where It Fits
The accident of Wilson's overdub helped define folk rock, the blend of folk songwriting and electric instruments led by Dylan and The Byrds.
Read the full story in our Simon & Garfunkel biography.
The wider scene lives in the Folk Rock genre hub.
FAQ
Who wrote The Sound of Silence?
Paul Simon wrote it alone at age 21.
He finished the lyrics on February 19, 1964, after about three months of work, according to Art Garfunkel's recollection of when it began.
What is the song about?
Simon said he did not sit down to write a song about alienation in America.
Garfunkel described it as the inability of people to communicate with each other.
Did Simon and Garfunkel know about the electric overdub?
No.
Producer Tom Wilson added the electric band on June 15, 1965, without telling either of them.
They learned of it after the remix was out.
Did the song reach No. 1?
Yes.
The remixed single hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the weeks of January 1 and January 22, 1966.
It also topped the Cash Box chart.
Who has covered The Sound of Silence?
The Bachelors reached No. 3 in the UK with it in 1966.
Disturbed recorded a hard rock version in 2015 that peaked at No. 42 on the Hot 100.
Few records changed course so completely between one mix and the next.
Wikipedia's entry on the song covers the history and chart details in more depth.
Press play above and hear why The Sound of Silence still sounds like a conversation with the dark.