Sound of Silence

This November will mark 50 years since the assassination of President Kennedy.

According to today's edition of The Wall Street Journal:

"A popular tune by Simon and Garfunkel written after John F. Kennedy's assassination and Chubby Checker's 1960s dance hit "The Twist" will be among 25 recordings selected for preservation at the Library of Congress.

"These are just a few sounds of the 20th century being added to the National Recording Registry on Thursday for long-term preservation due to their cultural, artistic and historic importance. The library said Checker's rendition of 'The Twist' became a symbol for the energy and excitement of the early 60s after 'American Bandstand' host Dick Clark chose Checker to record a new version of the song.

"Later, the 1966 album 'Sounds of Silence' by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel was a hit in its day but not before the duo struggled and split early on. Their song 'The Sound of Silence' from the aftermath of President Kennedy's assassination 50 years ago this year had initially flopped — but it became a hit after it was re-edited as a single. That prompted the duo to reunite and quickly record another album under a similar title."

Simon last performed the song at the funeral of a Sandy Hook Elementary School teacher last December.

The song that received the greatest number of public nominations by the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress was Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.

Here's the original Simon and Garfunkel recording.