"The Sound of Silence" is a song by the American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon. The duo's studio audition of the song led to a record deal with Columbia Records, and the original acoustic version was recorded in March 1964 at Columbia's 7th Avenue Recording Studios in New York City for their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., released that October to disappointing sales. An overdubbed electric remix was released the following year and went to number one on the Billboard singles chart.
Artwork for the original 1966 German vinyl single
The Sound of Silence
Paul Simon, the song's composer, c. 1966
The song's heavy airplay in Cocoa Beach, Florida, alerted Columbia to release the single.
Folk rock is a genre of rock music with heavy influences from English folk and American folk music. Combining the elements of folk and rock music, it arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers such as Bob Dylan and the Byrds—several of whose members had earlier played in folk ensembles—attempted to blend the sounds of rock with their pre-existing folk repertoire, adopting the use of electric instrumentation and drums in a way previously discouraged in the U.S. folk community. The term "folk rock" was initially used in the U.S. music press in June 1965 to describe the Byrds' music.
Pete Seeger entertaining Eleanor Roosevelt (center), at a racially integrated Valentine's Day party.
Bob Dylan was the most influential of all the urban folk-protest songwriters.
Bob Dylan in 1963.
Folk rock musicians Simon & Garfunkel performing in Dublin