If you came of age during the 1960’s chances are you know the words to the song “The Sounds of Silence”. The song propelled the folk duo Simon and Garfunkel into the mainstream. It also spoke to a generation traumatized by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The pair originally recorded the song with just their voices and an acoustic guitar for their debut album “Wednesday, 3am.” But the album didn’t make a dent in the marketplace and the duo went their separate ways. “Sounds of Silence” eventually found modest success on radio. But Columbia records wanted more. Thanks to Bob Dylan, electric music was in vogue. Without Simon or Garfunkel’s permission the record company hired Bob Dylan producer Tom Wilson to give “Sounds of Silence” an electrified treatment. The single went to number one. Eventually the duo regrouped to record an electrified version of their own. It became the title track of their 1966 album. Of course, “The Sounds of Silence” was played during the opening credits of the 1967 film “The Graduate”.

“The Sounds of Silence” is counted as one of Simon and Garfunkel’s best loved songs, but it also got its share of criticism. According to the online “All Music Guide” the song seems, “to be reaching like a college freshman English major with “hey, look at me!” lines like, “the words of the prophets were written on the subway walls,” and “but my words, like silent raindrops fell.”

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Paul Simon biography