Sounds of Silence

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Sounds of Silence was released on 17 January 1966 as the second album by Simon & Garfunkel. The record owes its existence to a surprise. The opening track The Sound of Silence had already appeared in an acoustic version on Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. Without Paul Simon or Art Garfunkel knowing, Columbia producer Tom Wilson had electric guitars, bass and drums laid under the recording in 1965. That new version came out as a single in September 1965 and then opened the album.

Simon wrote many of the songs in 1965 during his stay in London, and he already knew a number of them from his solo album The Paul Simon Songbook. Richard Cory is based on a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, Anji is an adaptation of an instrumental piece by guitarist Davey Graham, and Blessed was Simon's only truly new song. In 2013 the album was selected for the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry, as culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.

Listening

Track list

1. 1The Sound of Silence3:10Apple Music ↗
2. 2Leaves That Are Green2:25Apple Music ↗
3. 3Blessed3:18Apple Music ↗
4. 4Kathy's Song3:21Apple Music ↗
5. 5Somewhere They Can't Find Me2:39Apple Music ↗
6. 6Anji2:17Apple Music ↗
7. 7Richard Cory2:59Apple Music ↗
8. 8A Most Peculiar Man2:35Apple Music ↗
9. 9April Come She Will1:53Apple Music ↗
10. 10We've Got a Groovy Thing Goin'2:01Apple Music ↗
11. 11I Am a Rock2:49Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗