Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel

        Since the 18^th century, protest music has embedded itself into American culture and has reshaped the face of the country. It reached its peak by the 1960s and established itself as an important moment in our country's history. A time of need for social reform was what the country fell under, and for some time a nation was weak and divided. The music helped bring all of that to a clear realization. Lyrics became the shouts of the people while the sounds of the songs made it possible to access the people in a different manner. There are many examples of this “genre”, but there is no time to explain every piece. So a very specific one will be chosen, and that is the song by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. Their song, Sound of Silence, which was originally called Sounds of Silence was a piece with unknown potential.

The song was originally the final act that separated the duo, which would not be the last time that they would separate  The song was then redone with the addition of some new elements, including new instruments, done by Tom Wilson. When it was redone, it quickly climbed to the top of the charts and brought the two back together. This song was far different from any other protest song which was how it went above and beyond. It was a huge hit, but the funny thing was that neither Simon nor Garfunkel knew about the change. It was more interesting in terms of Paul Simon because he wrote it, and because he was in England when it became popular, his return to the States led him to realize something big had happened. “When he returned, he had discovered that he had become famous” (Piero Scaruffi, Paul Simon).

         So enough of the background story, now we need to understand WHY it was so different from the rest of any other protest song out at the time. How did the improvisions of Tom Wilson make the song a hit? First off, Tom Wilson made the change in the song to keep it up to date with the current style of music that was very popular at the time. He gave the song a taste of folk rock, and that was just what the song needed. But the main key in this hit protest song was what it was protesting about. “The Sound of Silence is a protest song protesting the lack of protest” (The Tooners-Rock and Roll Rehab, The Sound of Silence as the Sound of Social Protest). As awkward as that quote sounds it is all too true. It may have seemed that “some” people were speaking out against the chain of troubling events, but in fact there was no change from all of this ranting and protesting. As the decade progressed times got worse in the boundaries of social conflict. There just were not enough hands being raised to participate against the hardships that America faced. This was only intensifying the wound that the country endured. The wound would not heal unless a united, strong front approached the injury. This song was far different from the others because it protests were attacking the people, rather that the government or the issues the country was facing. The real “enemy” was us all along, in our lack to unite and protest together. Another major difference in this song and any other written by this duo, was the tone. Rather than an angry vibe or a direct assault on the listeners, Simon and Garfunkel held a tone of a calm call out to the people. The lack of communication between people was the issue and it was soon realized and it quickly took hold of the emotions of the young protesters. The lyrics all simply imply a message of what the American people have let themselves become and it leaves them with a feeling of guilt. The song leaves with them with implications of a change in that behavior. This was a song that had many Americans evaluating their lives and having them see that the war was not elsewhere[Vietnam], but rather back at home with each other.

        The capabilities that simple songs can to to the human emotions is remarkable. In a time of turmoil with many events backing it up, including the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel made a masterpiece that would forever change the face of the American people. In an ironic twist, their “protest song” was all about a lack of protest. Rather than a cry for war, they portrayed a cry for change in the communication between all Americans. A song that was understood as a message for reform from within, will still be remembered as a classic piece of music!