The Sound of Silence
Why Simon and Garfunkel’s Song Applies to Us Now More than Ever
Paul Simon’s song The Sound of Silence speaks to me today in this current crazy world of uncertainty.
For many of us, things are quiet right now, our normal career paths have been silenced by the pandemic. I’m an orchestra conductor and I know there are many people in all sorts of places and careers who aren’t working or able to dream right now — and feel stuck.
If you are stopped in your tracks right now, and wonder where you are going in your career or aspirations as you hear the “Sound of Silence” in your own life, Simon and Garfunkel’s story reminds us to hang in there and have hope. It’s a testament to the idea of not giving up.
Simon and Garfunkel recorded The Sound of Silence for Columbia Records in 1964 and it was originally a commercial failure — the disappointment of this even leading Simon and Garfunkel to give up, disband and separate for a while.
But then, a year later, the song slowly started to get some airplay in Florida and Massachusetts and by January 1966 it had climbed its way to №1 on the US Top 100 Billboard chart. There was hope after all — it just needed patience.
Now we read these words and instantaneously hear the beautiful, melancholic music within…
