1964年,Paul Simon和 Art Garfunkel兩位好友組成二重唱,開始在紐約許多民歌餐廳表演,贏得如潮佳評,並得到一紙唱片合約,經典名曲" The sound of silence 沉默之聲 "在他們的首張專輯即已現身,但純民謠風味的演繹並未受到太多注目,專輯總共才賣出二千張,兩人失望得想放棄踏入歌壇。
1966年,兩人推出第二張專輯,標題曲正是新版的" 沉默之聲 ",專輯中還有一首民謠搖滾風味的" I am a rock 我是一塊岩石 "極受歡迎,如詩般的歌詞確立了 Paul Simon 詩人作曲家的地位。
The sound of silence Simon & Garfunkel
Hello, darkness my old friend
I&9ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left it&9s seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains within the sound of silence
In restless dream
I walked alone the narrow street of cobble stone
Beneath 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 in the naked light
I saw ten thousand people may be more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dare 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 it&9s warning
In the words that it was forming, and the signs said
"The words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls and tenement halls
And whispered in the sound of silence"