Surprise as Simon and Garfunkel song cover reaches top of charts a decade later
Music enthusiasts were taken aback when they discovered that a cover song by a hard rock band had maintained its top position on the charts for an astonishing two years. Despite the fact that the song is nearly a decade old, Disturbed’s rendition of a classic by Simon and Garfunkel continues to reign supreme. Devotees of both the original track and the band were surprised to learn that it was still holding the Number One spot, although not on the mainstream US charts or the Billboard 100. Nevertheless, it secured its place on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart, a position consistently occupied by Disturbed as they solidify their two-year reign as the best-selling hard rock digital song.
Renowned music publicist Eric Alper attested to the band’s enduring success by stating, “Disturbed’s ‘The Sound of Silence’ cover has now ruled Billboard’s Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart for 104 weeks—an incredible two-year streak at No. 1,” confirming their remarkable achievement in a post to X. Fans of the band and the song were astonished by this significant milestone. One fan expressed their disbelief by mentioning, “Isn’t this song like 10 years old?” Another fan chimed in to confirm that the track was indeed from a decade ago, originating from Disturbed’s Immortalized album. They concurred, “Yes. Creed is also on the charts with One Last Breath from 2002. There is nothing new under the sun.”
A fan of the genre showered praise on Disturbed’s cover of the timeless Simon and Garfunkel classic, remarking, “I do love The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel; most of the time you can’t beat an original song. Disturbed did an awesome job on the song. They brought a new power to the song, new life to it. The original is still the best version but Disturbed’s version was on point.” However, not all reactions to the cover were positive, with some labeling it as “extremely bad” or “overrated”. One dissatisfied fan even went as far as to assert that it was “truly one of the worst versions of this song.”
Expressing bewilderment, one individual shared an experience at their workplace where two colleagues cited Disturbed’s cover as their favorite song, stating, “I can not imagine how anyone with ears could prefer it over the original. I just hope Paul Simon is enjoying the money. Never been as baffled by a record’s popularity before.” Concern arose among some fans regarding the possibility that individuals may not have heard the original version and knew only of the Disturbed cover. They remarked, “I can’t stand what they did to that song. Worse is that so many people don’t know it’s a cover or have heard the original.”
However, others pointed out another cover of the song by Cyraxx, praising it as a more compelling rendition. In light of Disturbed’s continued dominance on the charts, some fans lamented the current state of hard rock music, suggesting that it reflects the challenges faced by enthusiasts of the genre. This enduring success of a cover song by a hard rock band has left many music lovers both surprised and divided in their opinions.