Class #4: Hello Darkness my old Friend, I come to talk with you again

That’s right, now I’m going to talk about the 1964 hit “Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel. Now I’m going to be very clear: this is NOT my favorite song. It’s a great tune and probably one my favorites, but it’s not the number 1 on my list. I just think this song is good enough to dedicate a post about it. So let’s start with a little bit of history.

Yes, this is the song who appeared in "The Graduate", a very deppresing tune for a film who was labeled as comedy in their time...

Released in October 19 of 1964, this song was written in response of the assassination of John F. Kennedy according to Paul Simon who was trying to describe the angst and depression provoked by this tragic event. The song became an instant hit was described by a lot of critics as the anthem of a new generation.

A lot of teenagers associated this song with the Vietnam War because the lyrics describe a sad old man who feels empty and think his life has no purpose, just like the people who enlisted on the army because they had nothing to lose.

And of course, this song was used in the 1967 movie “The Graduate” with Dustin Hoffman, and believe it or not, the director Mike Nichols didn’t choose this song because it sounded pretty, no. He chose this song because “The Graduate” is a story of a young man who studied in college a career that he didn’t like it, was constantly manipulated by his parents and felt that his life has no real direction.

And what makes it more interesting is that the song is played three times in scenes that reflected the emptiness that the character was going through.

The Lyrics, like I said, describe the feeling of emptiness that a man is suffering because he suffered an existential crisis. The Title, sound of silence makes reference to the fact that nobody is listening to him and the void in his soul it’s so big that even the silence have a sound. It’s the desperation of listen something, have a human response.

I just this little gem from the 60’s because the lyrics are honest and direct, the melody it’s simple and beautiful and the movie “The Graduate” gave it a new meaning that makes it more timeless and culturally significant.

And if you don’t believe me… just listen and judge by yourselves. Take Care.