Listening Blog 7 (Sound of Silence)

 I've listened to this song ever since I was a little kid, and every time I listen to it, I learn something new from it. Throughout the entire song, the mood of the song floats between an eerie and joyful song. I think the reason for this is the sound of silence can either mean something good or something bad. Also, the line "hello darkness my old friend" represents that in everyone, there is a little darkness from either past traumas, events or little things that influence the dark side of people. The build up throughout the song all comes to a sudden resolve of the guitar and "the sound of silence". Through some research, this song is about the struggle between material and spiritual wellbeing. Through these five stanzas, this song describes this conflict such as a poem would. This song is also a folk rock song. I like how this song doesn't really repeat anything besides "the sound of silence". At the very end of the song, there is a guitar chord strummed that doesn't really resolve; this chord can represent how this eternal struggle between physical and spiritual does not resolve in just a life time. The Sound of Silence is a great song!

Comments

  1. Ashlin WillesMarch 7, 2022 at 9:08 AM

    That's crazy because I also have listened to this song since I was little. My brother's would play it all the time, but now they play it as a joke because of the eerie tone. I love how you brought up the guitar part and how that could be a resolution for the song. I have never looked at it that way before! Overall, I also like this song and I loved your analysis.

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  2. Paige RisserMarch 7, 2022 at 9:11 AM

    I love this song! I agree that the sound of silence could mean something good or bad, depending on the listener's perspective. The best part of this song is the guitar - it is powerful. I never really thought about it being about a struggle between mental and spiritual wellbeing, but after listening to it again, I can see why this would be the case. It is interesting how this song can be so personal to everyone, yet so broad in the grand scheme of things.

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  3. Connor CurtinMarch 10, 2022 at 11:05 AM

    I aswell listened to this song growing up. There is also a fantastic cover of this song by Disturbed and that version of the song makes it sound even eerier. I love both versions and would suggest listening to the cover version if you have not heard it already!

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