Few songs have reached across the boundaries of genre, generations, and taste like “Sounds of Silence.” From the original rock version to the version by heavy metal band Disturbed, everyone has found a way to enjoy it.
The song was originally a much more folky tune, with the duo singing and Simon playing guitar. However, the single flopped and the two broke up. Then, the recording company dubbed in an electric arrangement with guitar, bass, and drums, and released the single again. The overwhelming success became the jumping-off point for their career – once they reunited.
Simon and Garfunkel
Classic. Memorable. Powerful. Since no one could come up with a good band name, the two took a different track and just named themselves after themselves. The rest is history.
From Tom & Jerry to Simon and Garfunkel was an overnight shift that reflected their changing maturity. They had multiple number one hits, multiple breakups, and a final end to the band after decades, but the name stuck with them through thick and thin. Even the name itself has a little bit of poetic power to it, and it's possible this is why it became such an easy moniker to remember.
Growing Pains
Changing the name didn't lead them to fame and fortune immediately, and neither did their first album. "Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M." came out in 1964, sold rather poorly, and didn't even reach the heights of their success as Tom & Jerry.
Simon once again bounced from the partnership, unable to handle the failure, and this time he even moved across the pond to England. However, their collaboration again hung on by a thread, and their following work would blow everything out of the water when it came to folk song success. It only took four years to change everything.
Five Full Albums
Their first album came out in 1964, and by 1968 they had three more: "Sounds of Silence" (1966), "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" (1966), and "Bookends" (1968). After "Bookends", the duo started working on their most famous, and last, studio album, "Bridge Over Troubled Water".
It came out in 1970 and reached number one on eleven weekly charts, as well as five more year-end charts. It sold more than twenty-five million copies and was platinum in the US, the UK, Germany, France, Canada, and Austria. It also won five Grammy awards...and the whole time, Simon and Garfunkel was coming apart at the seams.
The Cracks Deepen
When "Bridge Over Troubled Water" came out, the two were everywhere. They appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show", "The Andy Williams Show", and lots of other places. They topped all the charts and played from every radio and record player.
When they started recording in 1968, the big problems in their relationship came to the forefront. They'd been frenemies since childhood, appreciated each other's sense of humor, and were incredibly close, but it was never perfect. Garfunkel said in the eighties that they were trying to create “one perfect person,” which just can't be done, as any married couple knows.