Ashley Johnson

Professor Caroline Reynolds

ENG 1201
December 5, 2021

“The Sounds of Silence”

The beautiful thing about art and song is that it is open to interpretation by both the performer
and the listener. The stark differences in interpretation can often be felt while listening to variations of
the same song, such as can be experienced when listening to “The Sound of Silence”, performed by both
Disturbed and Pentatonix. With the freedom to interpret the lyrics, each performer can transform their
art to entertain various audiences, tell diversifying stories, and appeal to various emotions. Pentatonix
and Disturbed did exactly that when performing “The Sound of Silence” as they uniquely transformed it
to meet their own styles of music, all while painting a visual of the lyrics with their talents. I never would
have thought it possible for the worlds of heavy metal and acapella to combine to create such an
experience, yet they have through the creative performances of both groups.

Before we dig into the lyrical interpretations and the emotional appeal of the two variations, let’s
look at the two genres represented by the two very different groups of Disturbed and Pentatonix, and
how their target audiences may overlap. To begin, Disturbed is an American heavy metal band, while
Pentatonix is an American acapella group. Because these groups are both wildly different, they would
appeal to their respective audiences: those who listen to heavy metal and those who prefer acapella. It is
my opinion however, that regardless of taste in music, most people could enjoy both versions. To be more
specific though, I think the version performed by Pentatonix would appeal to maybe younger individuals
who have a unique taste in music like acapella while I can see a rougher crowd listening to the heavy metal
version, maybe motorcyclists and bar goers.

In addition to examining the audiences that may listen to or observe either of these versions of
“The Sound of Silence”, we must look at the differences between each version, especially in regard to how
the story of the song is portrayed. The biggest difference in performances by Disturbed and Pentatonix is
the way the story is acted out and relayed to the listener. In the video by Disturbed, we see an actual
visual interpretation of the lyrics. The video opens in what appears to be a desolate land, while the lead
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singer begins with the lyrics “Hello, darkness my old friend.” We see guitar that has been buried in some
earthen medium slowly begin to emerge. A drum is found abandoned in a treetop. Piano keys are seen
burning without context. A man is walking all by himself, carrying the guitar. It appears as if he is in some
strange dream, according to the lyrics, “because a vision softly creeping, left its seeds while I was sleeping”
(Simon).

In stark contrast, there is the performance of Pentatonix. They appear in a warehouse of some
sort, instead of the acting characterized in the previously mentioned music video. Instead of having a
scene from a dream played out as in the video performed by Disturbed, they allow the power of their
voices and intonations to tell the story. There are no props or actors, and the only instruments are the
sounds that the singers can make themselves with their voices. They may not act out the story, but their
performance is still an experience to be had by the viewer.

Disturbed and Pentatonix both had diverse ways of telling the story of “The Sound of Silence”,
which in turn, creates an emotional impact through the power of pathos. Both renditions of “The Sound
of Silence” give me chills when I listen, but for different reasons. For the Pentatonix version, it is the sheer
power and quality of the voices of the performers, harmonizing together, while the version by Disturbed
gives me chills through the music itself. By listening and watching the music video performed by Disturbed,
I feel as if I am being transported to the desolate land I previously mentioned.

Both adaptations of the song “The Sound of Silence” clearly exemplify the creative power artists
and performers have in transforming art into something other than the original piece was intended. While
they played to various audiences and styles of music, I believe both versions by Pentatonix and Disturbed
can be enjoyed by the majority of those who take the time to listen. Both groups give a visual
representation of the song with their own unique flare and can trigger emotional responses in the listener
or viewer because of their artistic talents and abilities.
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Works Cited

Disturbed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Dg-g7t2l4. 2015 December 2015. 25 September 2021.

Pentatonix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdVjVtpr55M. 15 February 2019. 25 September 2021.

Simon, Paul. "The Sound of Silence." Columbia, 12 September 1965.