The Sound of Silence
Simon & Garfunkel | Artist Essentials
First released: 1965 (year verified)
Original 1965 electric-overdub studio single recording
MusicAtlas editorial note: Listen to how the electric backing supports the close vocal harmony.
YouTube opens a title-and-artist search. The selected recording and date are identified below.
Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1965 (year verified)
The selected electric-overdub studio recording was first released as a 1965 single. The acoustic recording appeared in 1964; the Sounds of Silence album followed in 1966. Only the supported year is used.
Recording: Original 1965 electric-overdub studio single recording
Credit: Simon & Garfunkel
Role in this collection: Primary artist
Original single: The Sound of Silence
The Sound of Silence - official anniversary history
Separates the acoustic 1964 album recording from the electric-overdub single released in 1965. The year is used; the page month is not promoted to an exact earliest global date. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
Simon & Garfunkel - official biography by Bud Scoppa
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel grew up in Queens, first recorded as Tom & Jerry, signed with Columbia and Tom Wilson, and developed from folk harmony into more elaborate studio arrangements. The electric Sound of Silence single is placed in 1965; Bookends and Bridge album development are discussed. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
Sounds of Silence - official Sony/Legacy album history
Original 1966 album and original tracklist; later bonus demos are identified separately. Earlier singles are checked against the official career timeline rather than assigned this album date. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
Annual version match under review
The selected recording has release evidence, but its version has not been matched to the retained annual entry. It is omitted from Beyond the yearly lists until this match is resolved.
The actual retained candidate supplies a 1965 annotation but no recording edition. Official sources distinguish the acoustic 1964 recording and electric 1965 overdub. The annual date alone does not adjudicate that version; the supported electric selection retains a provisional annual link.
The Sound of Silence - official anniversary history
Separates the acoustic 1964 album recording from the electric-overdub single released in 1965. The year is used; the page month is not promoted to an exact earliest global date. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
Sounds of Silence - official Sony/Legacy album history
Original 1966 album and original tracklist; later bonus demos are identified separately. Earlier singles are checked against the official career timeline rather than assigned this album date. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
About Simon & Garfunkel
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, and first recorded together as Tom & Jerry. Their Columbia partnership developed around Simon's songwriting and their closely arranged voices, with producer Tom Wilson connecting the early acoustic work to folk-rock. The studio records grew more elaborate on Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, Bookends and Bridge Over Troubled Water. The duo later reunited for concerts while each maintained a separate solo career; those performances and solo recordings remain distinct from the original studio catalog.
Artist background sources
Simon & Garfunkel - official biography by Bud Scoppa
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel grew up in Queens, first recorded as Tom & Jerry, signed with Columbia and Tom Wilson, and developed from folk harmony into more elaborate studio arrangements. The electric Sound of Silence single is placed in 1965; Bookends and Bridge album development are discussed. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
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