• Track: The Sound of Silence
• Artist: Disturbed
• Album: Immortalized
• Year: 2015

Lyrics:

Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams, I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, the words of the prophets
are written on the subway walls

And in the naked light, I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

Fools, said I, you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you
But my words, like silent raindrops, fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sounds of silence

Straight from the Department of Cover Songs that Blow the Proverbial Doors Off the Original comes The Sound of Silence by hard rockers Disturbed. I will be the first to admit that I have not been a fan of Disturbed’s previous work, though that’s mostly because I haven’t taken the time to become familiar with their music and because my surgeon has put the ixnay on headbanging after having my neck largely fused into a solid chunk of bone about the same time this album was released. 

Disturbed formed in 1996 in the Windy City and blistered the planet with its scorching alternative metal sound until 2011 when it went on a hiatus. In 2015, the band returned with Immortalized and released its cover version of Simon & Garfunkel’s timeless 1964 hit, The Sound of Silence. Long considered a work of art, the Simon & Garfunkel version has been covered by many folk and soft rock artists, but Disturbed proved that a metal band could take this powerful song and raise it to new heights that frankly, smoke the original.

Vocalist David Draiman was trained as a child to be a cantor*—a Jewish official who sings liturgical music and leads prayer in a synagogue—but was asked to leave because of behavioral problems. Draiman attended  Loyola University Chicago, and in 1996, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science and government, philosophy, and business administration. He had intended to pursue law school but decided that he couldn’t see himself “lying for a living.” The rock gods were pleased and rewarded him with riches and fame.

Disturbed was named the 2006 Rock Artist of the Year by Billboard, has been nominated for two Grammys, and has released six studio albums, 2 live albums, 1 compilation album, 1 EP, and 26 singles. Both its The Sickness and Immortalized albums went platinum (Immortalized is certified triple platinum). Draiman’s rendition of The Sound of Silence reminds me of what a demon who has come to claim your soul might sound like—sweet and gentle at first, then crescendoing into a powerful roar that melts your soul. In the video, his eyes glower with intensity, which drives home the song’s heavy lyrics in a way that Paul Simon and Art Gunfunkel—a diminutive pair of folk singers from Queens—simply couldn’t do.

Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence reached number 1 in 1966 (after initially being a failure in 1964). Simon & Garfunkel would go on to score three other number 1 hits: Mrs. Robinson (1968), The Boxer (1969), and Bridge over Troubled Water (1970). Personal disputes between Simon and Garfunkel led to their breakup in 1970. The duo has reunited several times over the years but has never recaptured the songwriting magic of its mid-1960s heyday. Paul Simon has gone on to have a successful solo career that has continued to this day. Simon Garfunkel disappeared from public view for many years, battling depression. He resurfaced in the mid-1990s as a solo artist. The pair has reunited multiple times over the years only to have old tensions resurface and drive them apart again. In 2005, the pair reunited for a successful tour, and they have toured as recently as 2014.

One final tidbit: Some say the ending lyrics to Rush’s The Spirit of Radio are a reference to the final lines of The Sound of Silence: To wit: “For the words of the profits were written on the studio wall, concert hall. And echoes with the sounds of salesmen…”

* A tip of the hat goes to longtime Dances with Bass friend and fellow rock and roll professorial dude, Mike Muckenhirn, for this fun fact.

Video:

Here is Disturbed’s official video for The Sound of Silence:

And lest you think David Draiman’s voice was aided with some studio magic (it wasn’t), here is Disturbed performing The Sound of Silence live on Conan:

And for comparison, here is Simon & Garfunkel’s 1964 original:

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