Paul Simon is, without a doubt, the songwriter’s songwriter. He has penned countless hits that did well on the mainstream charts, both as a solo artist and as part of Simon & Garfunkel. But even his deep cuts and lesser-known songs carry the kind of weight that only an extremely talented writer could pen. Let’s look at a few Paul Simon songs from 1965, specifically, that changed songwriting forever.
“The Sound Of Silence” from ‘Sounds Of Silence’
The original version of this Paul Simon-penned tune dropped back in 1964. It was a humble acoustic number that didn’t gain much traction. It wasn’t until the song’s producer, Tom Wilson, remixed the song and released it as a single in 1965 that the song absolutely blew up. And we’re glad it did. This is easily one of the most iconic folk songs of all time. Listeners are still picking apart and analyzing its lyrics to this day.
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“The Sound Of Silence” was a Top 40 hit globally in 1965. The song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and did similarly well in Canada, Japan, South Africa, and a number of other countries.
“I Am A Rock” from ‘The Paul Simon Songbook’
Released as a solo number outside of Simon & Garfunkel, “I Am A Rock” is more than worthy of a spot on our list of Simon songs from 1965 that changed songwriting forever. This is a gorgeous but heartbreaking song about being emotionally isolated. And the way Simon vividly uses the concept of turning into actual stone manages to not be too on the nose. Simon & Garfunkel would later re-record this song together, but I’m partial to the loneliness of the original version.
“I Am A Rock” was originally just released in the United Kingdom and did not chart. The song would be re-released by Simon & Garfunkel in 1966, when it would reach No. 3 in the US.
“April Come She Will” from ‘Sounds Of Silence’
This Simon & Garfunkel song is a great example of what Simon was able to do with his storytelling chops. And many songwriting fans of Simon will cite this particular deep cut as the one that got them to put pen to paper. He uses the concepts of seasons and months to break down a complex emotional affair and romance. It’s simple; surprisingly so. And sometimes, simple is best.
“April Come She Will” is an album cut that wasn’t released as a single (outside of being the B-side of “Scarborough Fair/Canticle”) and thus didn’t chart. However, it has since become a bit of a cult favorite among fans.
Photo by Chris Walter/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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