The Sound of Silence
"The Sound of Silence", originally "The Sounds of Silence", is a song by the American music duo Simon & Garfunkel. The song was written by Paul Simon over several months in 1963 and 1964. A studio audition led to the duo signing a record deal with Columbia Records, and the original 'acoustic' version of the song was recorded in March 1964 at Columbia Studios in New York City and included on their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.. Released on October 19, 1964,[2] the album was a commercial failure and led to the duo disbanding; Simon returned to England, and Art Garfunkel to his studies at Columbia University.
"The Sound of Silence" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Side-A label of the 1965 U.S. vinyl single | ||||
Single by Simon & Garfunkel | ||||
from the album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. and Sounds of Silence | ||||
B-side | "We've Got a Groovy Thing Goin'" | |||
Released | September 12, 1965 | |||
Recorded | June 15, 1965 (overdubbed version); original vocals recorded on March 10, 1964 | |||
Studio | Columbia Recording, New York City | |||
Genre | Folk rock[1] | |||
Length | 3:05 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Paul Simon | |||
Producer(s) | Tom Wilson | |||
Simon & Garfunkel singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio | ||||
"The Sound of Silence" on YouTube | ||||
Alternative release | ||||
Artwork for the original 1966 German vinyl single |
In 1965, the song began to attract airplay at radio stations in Boston, Massachusetts, and throughout Florida. The growing airplay led Tom Wilson, the song's producer, to remix the track, overdubbing electric instruments and drums. This remixed version was released as a single in September 1965. Simon & Garfunkel were not informed of the song's remix until after its release.
The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending January 1, 1966, leading the duo to reunite and hastily record their second album, which Columbia titled Sounds of Silence in an attempt to capitalize on the song's success. The remixed single version of the song was included on this follow-up album.
It was featured in the 1967 film The Graduate and was included on the film's soundtrack album. It was additionally released on the "Mrs. Robinson 'EP'" in 1968, along with three other songs from the film: "Mrs. Robinson", "April Come She Will" and "Scarborough Fair/Canticle".
The song was a top-ten hit in multiple countries worldwide, among them Australia, Austria, West Germany, Japan and the Netherlands. Generally considered a classic folk rock song, the song was added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" in 2012, along with the rest of the Sounds of Silence album.
Originally titled "The Sounds of Silence" on the album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., the song was shortened for later compilations, beginning with the 1972 compilation album Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits.[3]
Background
Origin and original recording
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 since dissolved when 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.[4] In September 1963, the duo performed three new songs, among them "The Sound of Silence", getting 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.[5][4][6] 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.[7]
The song's origin and basis remain unclear, with multiple answers coming forward over the years. Many believe that the song commented on the John F. Kennedy assassination, as the song was recorded three months after the assassination.[4] Simon stated unambiguously in interviews, however, "I wrote The Sound of Silence when I was 21 years old",[8][9] which places the timeframe firmly prior to the JFK tragedy, with Simon also explaining that the song was written in his bathroom, where he turned off the lights to better concentrate.[6] "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.'"[10] In a more recent interview with Wynton Marsalis, Simon was directly asked, "How is a 21-year-old person thinkin' about the words in that song?" His reply was, "I have no idea."[11] According to Garfunkel, the song was first developed in November, but Simon took three months to perfect the lyrics, which he claims were entirely written on February 19, 1964.[12] Garfunkel once summed up the song's meaning as "the inability of people to communicate with each other, not particularly internationally but especially emotionally, so what you see around you are people unable to love each other."[6]
To promote the release of their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., 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.[13] "'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."[14] Wednesday Morning, 3 AM sold only 3,000 copies upon its October release, and its dismal sales led Simon to move to London, England.[15] While there, he recorded a solo album, The Paul Simon Songbook (1965), which features a rendition of the song, titled "The Sounds of Silence".[16]
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.[17] The vocal span goes from C♯3 to F♯4 in the song.[18]
Remix
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" overnight, where it found a college demographic.[19] Students 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."[19] 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.[20] 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.[21]
Folk rock was beginning to make waves on pop radio, with songs like the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" charting high.[22] Wilson listened to the song several times, considering it too soft for a wide release.[19] Afterwards, he turned on the Byrds' "Turn! Turn! Turn!", which gave him the idea to remix the song, overdubbing rock instrumentation.[23] 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.[24] The tempo on the original recording was uneven, making it difficult for the musicians to keep the song in time.[22] Engineer Roy Halee employed a heavy echo on the remix, which was a common trait of the Byrds' hits.[22] The single was first serviced to college FM rock stations, and a commercial single release followed on September 13, 1965.[21] The lack of consultation with Simon and Garfunkel on Wilson's remix was because, although still contracted to Columbia Records at the time, the musical duo at that time was no longer a "working entity".[22][25] It was not uncommon at the time for producers to add instruments or vocals to previously existing recordings and re-release them as new entities.
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.[21] 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.[21] 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."[23] 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.[26]
Chart performance
"The Sound of Silence" first broke in Boston, where it became one of the top-selling singles in early November 1965;[21][27] it spread to Miami and Washington, D.C. two weeks later, reaching number one in Boston and debuting on the Billboard Hot 100.[28]
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 No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The former was No. 1 for the weeks of January 1 and 22 and No. 2 for the intervening two weeks. The latter held the top spot for the weeks of January 8, 15, and 29, and was No. 2 for the two weeks that "The Sound of Silence" was No. 1. Overall, "The Sound of Silence" spent 14 weeks on the Billboard chart.[29]
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 No. 1, a story he repeated in numerous interviews:[30]
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.[31]
For his part, Garfunkel had a different memory of the song's success:
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.[30][32]
1974 release
Paul Simon released a solo acoustic version of "The Sound of Silence" in the spring of 1974. His version reached #84 in Canada[33] and #97 on the US Cash Box chart.[34] It also was also a minor Adult Contemporary hit (US #50, Canada #42).[35][36]
Legacy
In 1999, BMI named "The Sound of Silence" as the 18th most-performed song of the 20th century.[37] In 2004, it was ranked No. 157 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".[38]
On March 21, 2013, the song was added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress for long-term preservation along with the rest of the Sounds of Silence album.[39]
In popular culture
Film and television
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.[40]
With the practice of using well-known songs for films becoming more commonplace, "The Sound of Silence" has since been used for other films, including Kingpin (1996), Old School (2003), Bobby (2006), Watchmen (2009), Trolls (2016), and A Twelve Year Night (2018). In the German TV movie Ein Drilling kommt selten allein the song was sung by grandparents to calm down crying triplets.
The song was used during the fourth season of the television series Arrested Development in 2013 as a running gag alluding to characters' (primarily GOB's) inner reflections. It was also used as part of the soundtrack of episode 4 of The Vietnam War, the 2017 documentary series by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.
Other allusions and parodies
The Canadian band Rush alluded to the song lyrics in the last lines of their hit song "The Spirit of Radio."[41]
The song was parodied by faith-based comedian Tim Hawkins (as 'Sounds of Starbucks') on October 16, 2018.[42]
Personnel
- 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 – bass guitar[5]
- Bobby Gregg – drums
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Certifications
|
Cover by Disturbed
"The Sound of Silence" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Disturbed | ||||
from the album Immortalized | ||||
Released | December 7, 2015 | |||
Recorded | 2015 | |||
Studio | The Hideout Recording Studio Las Vegas, Nevada | |||
Genre | Orchestral pop | |||
Length | 4:08 | |||
Label | Reprise | |||
Songwriter(s) | Paul Simon | |||
Producer(s) | Kevin Churko | |||
Disturbed singles chronology | ||||
|
50 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.[63][64] A music video was also released.[65] Their cover hit number one on the Billboard Hard Rock Digital Songs[66] and Mainstream Rock charts,[67] and is their highest-charting song on the Hot 100,[68] 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. The chord progression is F#m, E, D, A. The first two verses are almost an octave lower than the original and jumped up an octave for the last three verses.[69] His vocal span goes from E2 to A4 in scientific pitch notation.[70]
In April 2016, Paul Simon endorsed the cover.[71] 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."[72] As of September 2017, the single had sold over 1.5 million digital downloads[73] and had been streamed over 54 million times, estimated Nielsen Music.[74] The music video has over 500 million views on YouTube, while the live performance on Conan has over 100 million, making it the most watched YouTube video from the show.
On September 27, 2016, the Disturbed version of "The Sound of Silence" was released as downloadable content for the video game Rock Band 4.
The Disturbed version was used in the episode "Ian Garvey" of The Blacklist in November 2017.[75]
A live version of "The Sound of Silence" with guest Myles Kennedy is included on Live at Red Rocks and Evolution (Deluxe Edition).
The AMC show Into the Badlands features Disturbed's version of "The Sound of Silence" in episode 13 of season 3 ("Black Lotus, White Rose") in April 2019.
Accolades
Region | Year | Publication | Accolade | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 2015 | Loudwire | 20 Best Rock Songs of 2016[76] | 1 |
10 Best Rock Videos of 2016[77] | 2 |
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
|
Other cover versions
- French singer Marie Laforêt released a single in 1966 titled La Voix Du Silence covering the song in French.
- Los Angeles punk band the Dickies recorded a cover of the song, released on a single in 1978.[120]
- A cappella group Pentatonix recorded a cover of the song, released as a single in 2019. The video amassed more than 50 million views in a year.
- Progressive Metal band Nevermore released a version of the song with considerably heavier instrumentation and slightly altered lyrics on their 2000 album Dead Heart in a Dead World.
- Heavy Metal band Bobaflex released a cover in their 2011 album Hell in My Heart.
References
Notes
- Fontenot, Robert (October 29, 2015). "What is Folk-Rock Music?". ThoughtCo.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- "Original versions of The Sound of Silence by The Bachelors [IE] | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com.
- Mastropolo, Frank (March 10, 2015). "51 Years Ago: Simon & Garfunkel Record Their First Classic, 'The Sounds of Silence'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
- Eliot 2010, p. 39.
- Michael Hall (January 6, 2014). "The Greatest Music Producer You've Never Heard of Is..." Texas Monthly. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
- Eliot 2010, p. 40.
- Eliot 2010, p. 42.
- "Paul Simon - Interview - 7/6/1986 (Official)". YouTube. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- Paul Simon chats about his youth. YouTube. April 19, 2011.
- Schwartz, Tony (February 1984). "Playboy Interview" (PDF). Playboy. 31 (2): 49–51, 162–176.
- Paul Simon opens up about hit songs' inspiration. June 5, 2012 – via YouTube.
- Fornatale 2007, p. 38.
- Eliot 2010, p. 47.
- Eliot 2010, p. 48.
- Eliot 2010, p. 53.
- Eliot 2010, p. 58.
- "Sound of Silence Chords (ver 3) by Simon & Garfunkel @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com". Tabs.ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- "Simon & Garfunkel "The Sound of Silence" Sheet Music in D Minor (transposable)". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- Eliot 2010, p. 64.
- Joe Bosso (August 1, 2012). "Interview: Art Garfunkel on his new greatest hits CD, The Singer". Music Radar. Missing or empty
|url=
(help) - Sullivan, Steve (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 2. pp. 109–110.
- Simons, David. Studio Stories. pp. 95–96.
- Eliot 2010, p. 65.
- Charlesworth, Chris (1996). "Sound of Silence". The Complete Guide to the Music of Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel. Omnibus Press. pp. 17–18. ISBN 9780711955974.
- Simons, David (2004). Studio Stories: How the Great New York Records Were Made. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. pp. 94–97. ISBN 9781617745164.
- Fornatale 2007, p. 45.
- "Top Sellers in Top Markets". Billboard. Vol. 77 no. 45. November 6, 1965. p. 14. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
- "Top Sellers in Top Markets". Billboard. Vol. 77 no. 47. November 20, 1965. pp. 14–15. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
- Billboard Charts Archives for 1965 and 1966
- Fornatale 2007, p. 47.
- Eliot 2010, p. 66.
- Fornatale 2007, p. 48.
- "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. May 25, 1974. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- "Cash Box Top 100 1/29/66". Tropicalglen.com. January 29, 1966. Archived from the original on May 30, 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
- Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-1993. Record Research. p. 216.
- "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. June 8, 1974. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- "BMI Top 100 Songs of the Century: 8 Million+ Performances". Archived from the original on July 12, 2001. Retrieved April 20, 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), 1999 (archive.org copy)
- Hoffmann, Frank (2005). "Folk Rock". Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. Volume 1 (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge. p. 408. ISBN 0-415-93835-X.
- "Simon & Garfunkel song among those to be preserved". CFN13. Archived from the original on April 10, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- Harris, Mark (2008). Pictures at a Revolution. Penguin. pp. 360–1.
- Prato, Greg. "The Story Behind The Song: The Spirit Of Radio by Rush". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- "Comedian Tim Hawkins Performs Parody Of "Sound Of Silence" And Has Internet Rolling In Laughter". FaithTap.com. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
- "The Sounds of Silence". Retrieved September 17, 2012.
- Canada, Library and Archives (July 17, 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly".
- オリジナルコンフィデンス. 歴代洋楽シングル売り上げ枚数ランキング (in Japanese). 年代流行. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
- "flavour of new zealand - search listener". www.flavourofnz.co.nz.
- "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- Hung, Steffen. "Simon & Garfunkel: The Sounds of Silence". swisscharts.com. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
-
- Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
- "Simon & Garfunkel Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-1993. Record Research. p. 216.
- Cash Box Top 100 Singles, May 18, 1974
- "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1966". Retrieved September 12, 2018.
- "Top 100 Hits of 1966/Top 100 Songs of 1966". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1966/Top 100 Pop Singles, December 24, 1966". Tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
- "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- "Danish single certifications – Simon & Garfunkel – The Sound of Silence". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- "Italian single certifications – Simon & Garfunkel – The Sound of Silence" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved March 17, 2014. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "The Sound of Silence" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli online" under "Sezione".
- "British single certifications – Simon & Garfunkel – The Sound of Silence". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 8, 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type The Sound of Silence in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- "American single certifications – Simon & Garfunkel – Sounds of Silence". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 17, 2014. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH.
- "Disturbed Return with 'Immortalized' - Billboard". Billboard.
- "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
- "Video Premiere: Disturbed's Cover Version Of Simon & Garfunkel's 'The Sound Of Silence'". Blabbermouth.
- "Hard Rock Digital Songs, Jan 2, 2016". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- "The Sound of Silence-d Guitars: Disturbed's Haunting Simon & Garfunkel Cover Tops Mainstream Rock Songs Chart". Billboard.
- "Simon & Garfunkel's 'Sound of Silence' Hits Hot Rock Songs Top 10, Thanks to 'Sad Affleck'". Billboard.
- "The Sound of Silence Chords by Disturbed @ Ultimate-Guitar.com". tabs.ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- "Disturbed "The Sound of Silence" Sheet Music in F# Minor (transposable) - Download & Print - SKU: MN0164135". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- "Paul Simon Endorses Disturbed's 'Sound of Silence' Cover on Facebook". Facebook.com. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- "Disturbed Receive Paul Simon Approval for 'Sound of Silence'". Loudwire.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- "Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 09/28/2017" (PDF). Nielsen SoundScan. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- Ayers, Mike (May 25, 2016). "With 'The Sound of Silence,' Disturbed Finds a Crossover Moment - Speakeasy - WSJ". Blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- ""The Blacklist" -> "Ian Garvey" Soundtrack". IMDB.com.
- "20 Best Rock Songs of 2016". Loudwire.
- "10 Best Rock Videos of 2016". Loudwire.
- "Australian-charts.com – Disturbed – The Sound of Silence". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- "Austriancharts.at – Disturbed – The Sound of Silence" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- "Ultratop.be – Disturbed – The Sound of Silence" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
- "Disturbed Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201650 into search. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
- "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés - SNEP (Week 38, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Disturbed – The Sound of Silence". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- "Airplay Charts Deutschland – Woche 01/2017". German Charts. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
- "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- "Chart Track: Week 19, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
- "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 30, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
- "Portuguesecharts.com - Singles (Week 22)". Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
- "Portugal Digital Songs". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
- "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- "SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart". slotop50.si. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
- "Swedishcharts.com – Disturbed – The Sound of Silence". Singles Top 100. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- "Swisscharts.com – Disturbed – The Sound of Silence". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- "Disturbed Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- "Disturbed Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- "Disturbed Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
- "Disturbed Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
- "Disturbed Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
- "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
- "ARIA Top 100 Singles 2016". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- "Ö3 Austria Top 40 - Single-Charts 2016". oe3.orf.at. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- "Top 100 Jahrescharts 2016". GfK Entertainment (in German). viva.tv. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
- "Årslista Singlar – År 2016" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
- "Rock Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- "Bald ist nicht nur das Jahr zu Ende, sondern auch das ganze Jahrzehnt. Deshalb präsentieren wir euch ab heute die 50 erfolgreichsten Singles und Alben der Zehnerjahre. Platz 50 der Singles geht an Disturbed, Platz 50 der Alben an Tim @bendzko ("Wenn Worte meine Sprache wären")". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved November 18, 2019 – via Twitter.
- "Decade-End Charts: Hot Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
- "Chart Watch #385". auspOp. September 10, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- "Austrian single certifications – Disturbed – The Sound of Silence" (in German). IFPI Austria.
- "Canadian single certifications – Disturbed – The Sound of Silence". Music Canada. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
- "Danish single certifications – Disturbed – The Sound of Silence". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Disturbed; 'The Sound of Silence')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
- "Italian single certifications – Disturbed – The Sound of Silence" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved May 15, 2017. Select "2017" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "The Sound of Silence" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli online" under "Sezione".
- "New Zealand single certifications – Disturbed – The Sound of Silence". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
- "Norwegian single certifications – Disturbed – The Sound of Silence" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Disturbed; 'The Sound of Silence')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
- "British single certifications – Disturbed – The Sound of Silence". British Phonographic Industry.
- "American single certifications – Disturbed – The Sound of Silence". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH.
- "The Dickies: silent night / sounds of silence 7" [Flex! discography]".
Bibliography
- Eliot, Marc (2010). Paul Simon: A Life. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-43363-8.
- Fornatale, Pete (2007). Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends. Rodale. ISBN 978-1-59486-427-8.
External links
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
- Lyrics of Disturbed cover at MetroLyrics
- Paul Simon - The Sound of Silence on YouTube
- Simon and Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence on YouTube