"Hello darkness my old friend"...
I remember sitting in front of our TV when I was younger, my parents putting in a DVD of Simon & Garfunkel, we would just listen to the whole DVD from one single concert all evening - I was raised with music loving parents, not raised 'musically', but it was very much understood in our home that if someone from the family would turn up the volume of a song that everyone would show their respect by staying silent throughout the song so that person could fully enjoy it...
Bee Gees, U2, Simply Red, and many other artists were a 'big deal' for my mom, and Simon & Garfunkel as well.
I love them too, it was deeply imprinted in my musical DNA from my youth, and The Sound of Silence is definitely one of the most beautiful songs they ever made - both their singing, their introverted way of performing, the way they aren't charismatic artists but still keep you glued to the screen... It's quite special.
Here's a video from a performance they did in Central Park, oh buy, would I have loved to have been there! I get goosebumps listening to the crowd cheer halfway the song when they sing "Ten thousand people, maybe more".
Now, good songs shouldn't be covered, right? Or can they? I think they can, but if you want to 'touch' a song like The Sound of Silence by great artists like Simon & Garfunkel you have to be pretty damn sure you can top that kind of quality.
The band Disturbed did that - they took the song, made it 'theirs', and you can enjoy the cover without having to compare it to the original anymore. The clip they added to the song is also amazing - musicians, sheet music, them coming together, or not... Will it stay silent? It's just very pleasant to look at, and the same goes for the singer who has this super intense tough face but such great control over his voice.
And just when you think it can't get any better, Dan Vasc surprises you. This is a singer I got to know because he covered 'Toss a Coin to your Witcher', sung by the bard Jaskier in the popular Netflix series 'The Witcher', which I love, especially after season two. He's such a dork (the contrast between his singing and him talking to his audience at the end of the clip is just SO big, he's clearly a great performer because as soon as he stops performing he really turns back into this cute nerdy guy, I love it), and he basically 'covers the cover'. That's more tricky, but I think he definitely matches the original cover and shows what a great singer he actually is.
To me these are the most significant recordings of this one beautiful song. I'll give you a bonus from a Dutch music show 'the best singer', where a (locally) famous Opera Singer is very nervous to perform Disturbed's cover, which he does for his colleague (Floor Jansen, the brown-haired woman that the camera shows a few close-ups of), who is a metal singer. In the show he shares how he doesn't believe he will be able to do the song justice, and since you get to know him through the show and he's never really nervous about anything, you know he's sincere about this concern. But I believe he nails it, and is definitely worth a watch if you still have room for 'another cover' after this post.
Well, that's about it, I was stuck in this Sound of Silence Loop on Youtube and thought I'd share it in a post. Below is the second piece of bonus material, a classical composer first-time listening to Disturbed's cover and giving his feedback, including some background on the song, the lyrics, and views on the video clip... I love 'reaction videos' and this is definitely a nice one :-)
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
What is your favourite song that ALSO has a great cover? I would love to hear it and enjoy a few more of these 'Youtube Loops' during the Holidays!
Enjoy X-Mas if you celebrate it, and make sure you stay healthy and happy and don't eat too much
This is such a great example @kunschj! Yes! Mad World is on my playlist as well. This is one where I feel the cover is even better than the original, although I've listened to both versions just now, and the Jules' version is very very sad (matching the lyrics very well), but the original has that angry and 'chased' feeling I recognize from my depression a while ago, where you just go through the motions, not really feeling/living. Very well done when I think about it.
Thanks for sharing the clip as well, I had never seen it!
This is a 'cover of the cover', incredibly beautiful recording:
Wow! What a great "cover of a cover." Hadn't heard that until today. Thanks!
Me neither! Glad you enjoyed it as well <3
Posted using Dapplr
Wow Rosanne what a cool post. I listen to Simon and Garfunkel. I have some memories of them. My mom was very into Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow and the kids definitely listened to 80s British Pop. It is still my favorite genre.
Happy Holidays to you too!
It's great how we take with us all that music from our youth. Although it can lead to adversity as well I guess :D Neil Diamond was definitely a fav of my mom too, that one never stuck with me though, still I will think of 'home' when I hear a song of him :-)
Enjoy these festive days @sjarvie5! Hope you'll be able to spend them with others :-)
Thanks I am in snowy Oregon. I spent the week with my sister and her family and now we are all going to my brother's and then I will stay and hang out with them and @jarvie for a week. Love all the time I get to spend with my family!
Perfectly timed post for me to wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas :-)
As for the song...I always disliked the insipid Simon and Garfunkel but the Disturbs cover of Sound of Silence is a classic!
You take care and a lovely holiday :-)
As a non-native English speaker I had to look up 'insipid', thanks for getting me to learn a new word today :D
Yes, I can understand why you feel that way, and I think I've started to love the original more after getting to know the Disturbed's version if that makes any sense :-)
Thanks for the Holiday wishes, I wish you and everyone you care about a wonderful Christmas in return! <3
As a native speaker, I often use words incorrectly or misspelled so thank you for googling it and giving me an ego boost knowing I was correct lol lol...
Thanks, catch you on the flip side :-)
:’)
Posted using Dapplr
oh my goodness these are all so beautiful. They all stand on their own merits, Thank you for sharing the renditions of this beautiful song. I have always loved the Sound of Silence. I love Pink's cover of A Million Dreams from the film The Greatest Showman. Her voice is so strong and vulnerable at the same time. She hits the highs and the lows beautifully. Love her.
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the person sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.
Merry Christmas, and thanks for the Dutch music show 'the best singer' he did nail it.
Thanks @bashadow, Merry Merry Christmas to you too, and I'm very glad you watched and enjoyed the 'Dutch' version, I think it's spectacular as it is so far out of his comfort zone! And I just love his voice :-)
Hi there!
I was wondering where were you and if you are ok. You sound relaxed and calm though!
When talking about songs and covers there is only one that comes in my mind. Actually it is so unique case that there are hundredths of covers and no actual original!
You have probably heard the cover by Dick Dale, in Pulp Fiction movie
but there are so many. The oldest recording is this one from 1927 but the song is much older
Actually no one knows for sure if it is Arabic, Greek or Jewish https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misirlou
Myself I prefer this one by a Greek band :)
Dear @soyrosa,
The current HiveBuzz proposal will expire in a few days.
Do you mind supporting our proposal for 2022 so our team can continue its work next year?
You can do it on Peakd, ecency,
https://peakd.com/me/proposals/199
Thank you. We wish you a Happy New Year!