Sounds of Silence-Major Update

I frequently run across music that is life altering…not in big ways but in little chunks that make you think differently, see the world differently and ultimately, make you a different person.

This blog already has the Soundtrack of My Life series but this is different. Mostly, it's just fun, masterfully performed music that leaves me smiling and, sometimes, in tears.

One of the results of YouTube and its ability to host all kinds of things is the phenomenon of "reaction" videos. In these videos, influencers, of all sizes and shapes, some have special skills like voice coaches and others are just people who have found a following on YouTube because of their unique worldviews. They play a music video, a film clip, a game sequence or other media and then provide their own interpretation of it.

My first experience of going down this rabbit hole was a live 1965 taping the Andy Williams show hosting the Righteous Brothers. Bobby Hatfield, in the tenor in the duo gives a virtuoso performance of "Unchained Melody" that may take your breath away. I've watched dozens of these "reactors" and they never get old.  Watching "youngsters" getting their socks knocked by a live performance of a 1960s pop hit is just, well, worth it! I'll probably tackle more of these in another post but the one that's gotten my attention most recently is a cover of the "Sounds of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel.

Here's the original as a reference. It was one of the most moving songs Simon and Garfunkel did and it was a pop standard when I was young.

Several years ago, the heavy metal band, Disturbed, released a truly remarkable cover of the song with an amazing video. It was one of those that knocked my socks off. David Draiman, the lead singer, brings all his vocal training (his dad and grandfather were both cantors) and his heavy metal licks to the song and it is simply stunning.

Most of the video itself was stunning but ended with a strange CGI segment that didn't work in my book but it really didn't diminish the impact of the whole work.

Then a few weeks ago, I came across a reactor discussing a live version on the Conan O'Brien show. It has all the best elements of the original music video with none of the distractions. It is simply stunning. I'd enjoy hearing your reaction. Enjoy!