Simon & Garfunkel were composed of American folk rock duo Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. The pair skyrocketed to fame in the 1960s and became one of the bestselling music icons during that era.
One of the band’s greatest hit songs is “The Sound of Silence” which was released in 1964. It was penned by Paul Simon in 1963 and included in the band’s debut album “Wednesday Morning 3 A.M.” Up until today, this song is still widely performed in different shows, with a multitude of artists belonging to diverse genres creating their own rendition of the phenomenal song.
One of the groups who covered the classic is American heavy metal band, Disturbed. The Chicago-based band was formed in 1994 and since then, they’ve been releasing albums and songs that top the charts.
The band went on a 4-year hiatus in 2011 to focus on their respective side gigs and returned in 2015 with another chart-topping album, Immortalized, which proved their status as one of the most commercially successful acts of their genre.
In 2016, Disturbed guested in the late-night show Conan and treated audiences to a live performance of “The Sound of Silence”. Frontman David Draiman impressed everyone with his incredible vocals and impressive range, surprising everyone with his ability as a heavy metal artist to give justice to this kind of song.
Little did the band know that one important person witnessed their powerful performance.
On their Facebook page, Disturbed shared a screenshot of an email message from a certain “P S”, who was complimenting them for their performance in Conan.
It read:
“Really powerful performance on Conan the other day. First time I’d seen you do it live. Nice. Thanks.”
As it turns out, that “P S” was the great Paul Simon himself! The band was obviously thrilled, and David posted another screenshot, this time, of his response to the music icon.
David wrote:
“I am honored beyond words. We only hoped to pay homage and honor the brilliance of one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Your compliment means the world to me/us, and we are eternally grateful.”
Paul Simon not only emailed David to express his appreciation, but he also posted on his own social media page about the performance and even promoted the band’s album!
To be recognized by someone you look up to is an unforgettable experience. And as it turns out, the same applies even for artists who have long been thriving in the music industry.
Check out Disturbed’s live performance of The Sound of Silence, and see for yourself why Paul Simon himself was impressed!