When the cover is better than the original (8): “The Sound of Silence”

 

Disturbed:  “The Sound of Silence”  (Simon and Garfunkel)

 

This song has been covered hundreds of times.  It is so iconic, for its musical, social and political significance, that it feels almost sacrilegious to suggest one of those covers is better. I think this one is.  The singer, David Draiman, had formal training as a Jewish Cantor, but found his calling as the lead writer and singer with the heavy metal band Disturbed.  Covering “The Sound of Silence” was a major departure from their usual style, but it became one of the group’s biggest hits. It’s not just his voice—it’s the entire arrangement which gives me the shivers.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Dg-g7t2l4