In 1966, the folk group Simon & Garfunkel released one of their greatest hits “Sound of Silence” and 50 years later, its surging up the charts thanks to a viral video and a heavy metal band.
When he was asked about unfavorable reviews of his new film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the “Sad Affleck” clip many of us have seen emerged. Shortly after, someone incorporated Simon & Garfunkel into the party.
Trust us Ben, GOB Bluth certainly knows what you’re going through.
Within two weeks, the video has over 22 million views and the actual song has rocketed up to No. 6 on the Billboard Rock Top 10 chart. A rock version by the metal band Disturbed is also on the Rock Top 10 list thanks to their performance of it on “Conan” last month. The combination of the Disturbed song with the Affleck video put the original song into the top ten.
The original song first appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966 shortly after it was released. It topped the charts for two weeks while Lyndon B. Johnson was President of the United States and the U.S. hadn’t even landed on the moon. After 50 years, it’s back on the charts.
“Sound of Silence” was no doubt an influential song in music but I don’t think anyone would imagine a song from 50 years ago back on the Billboard top 10 in 1966 and 2016 due to Ben Affleck and Disturbed.
