It was March 28, 2016. David Draiman walked onto the Stage 15 set at Warner Bros. Studios with a look that didn’t exactly scream "folk-rock revival." He had the signature double labret piercings and a floor-length black trench coat that looked like it was lifted straight from the set of The Matrix. When Conan O'Brien introduced the band Disturbed, most of the audience—and certainly the folks watching at home—expected the usual high-octane, aggressive nu-metal sound that defined the band's career. Instead, we got something that changed the trajectory of the band's legacy forever. The Sound of Silence Conan performance wasn't just a musical guest spot; it was a cultural pivot point.
Honestly, it’s hard to overstate how much of a risk this was.
Covering Simon & Garfunkel is dangerous territory. You’re messing with a sacred text of the 1960s. Paul Simon’s original is delicate, airy, and haunted by a specific kind of youthful melancholy. But when Draiman opened his mouth that night, he didn't try to mimic Art Garfunkel’s ethereal tenor. He went deep. He went operatic. By the time the performance hit its climax, the room felt like it was vibrating.
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If you go back and watch the clip on YouTube—which has racked up hundreds of millions of views—you’ll notice the lighting first. It’s dark. Moody. It felt different from a typical late-night musical segment where everything is usually bright and snappy. This was cinematic. The Sound of Silence Conan rendition worked because it leaned into the "darkness" mentioned in the very first line of the song.
Draiman’s vocals started in a gravelly, subterranean baritone. It was vulnerable in a way metal singers aren't usually allowed to be. People were used to him barking out tracks like "Down with the Sickness." They weren't used to seeing him standing still, backed by a string section and a pair of massive kettle drums.
The build-up is what kills me every time.
It starts as a whisper. Then it grows. Around the three-minute mark, Draiman shifts from that controlled, low-register growl into a soaring, gritty powerhouse vocal that fills the entire studio. You can see the camera cut to the audience, and they look legitimately stunned. They weren't just watching a band promote a new album; they were witnessing a "moment."
Paul Simon’s Surprising Reaction
Usually, when a metal band covers a folk legend, the original artist ignores it or gives a polite, canned response through a publicist. Not this time. Paul Simon actually saw the Sound of Silence Conan performance and was so moved that he emailed David Draiman personally.
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Think about that for a second.
One of the greatest songwriters in American history reached out to a guy who famousy makes "monkey noises" in his biggest hit to tell him he did a great job. Simon eventually posted the clip on his own social media pages, calling it a "wonderful rendition." That endorsement gave the cover a level of legitimacy that most crossover acts never achieve. It bridged the gap between the Boomer generation that grew up with the 1964 original and the Gen X and Millennial fans who grew up on Ozzfest.
Why This Specific Version Hits Different
There’s a technical reason why this version stuck. It’s the arrangement. Disturbed’s guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren, and bassist John Moyer didn't just play their usual instruments. They stripped it all back. They used piano, cello, and those aforementioned timpani.
- It wasn't a "metal" cover in the traditional sense.
- There were no distorted guitars.
- The tempo stayed slow, resisting the urge to turn it into a power ballad.
- The focus stayed entirely on the raw texture of the vocals.
Most people don't realize that Draiman actually had a lot of religious cantor training in his youth. You can hear that background in the Sound of Silence Conan performance. He knows how to project from his diaphragm without losing the emotional nuance of the lyrics. He treats the words like a sermon. When he sings "Hear my words that I might teach you," it feels like a demand, not a suggestion.
The Viral Afterlife on YouTube and Beyond
The numbers are staggering. As of 2026, the official video of the performance remains one of the most-watched clips in the history of Conan. It outpaces most of the comedy sketches and celebrity interviews.
Why? Because it’s "reaction bait" in the best way possible.
The "vocal coach reacts" genre of YouTube basically owes its existence to this video. You’ve probably seen them: a professional opera singer sits in front of a computer, hits play on the Sound of Silence Conan clip, and then loses their mind when Draiman hits the high notes. It’s a masterclass in vocal dynamics. It proves that "metal" singers are often among the most technically proficient musicians in the industry, even if they don't always get the credit for it in mainstream circles.
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It’s also become a staple of funeral playlists and tribute videos. There is a weight to this version that the original doesn't quite have. While Simon & Garfunkel sounded like they were mourning a loss of connection, Disturbed sounds like they are raging against it. It’s a subtle shift in perspective that resonates deeply with people going through grief or isolation.
The Conan Factor
We have to give credit to Conan O'Brien’s team here, too. Conan always had a knack for booking musical acts that were a little left of center. He gave a platform to The White Stripes when they were still playing tiny clubs, and he leaned into the weirdness of the 90s alt-rock scene. By giving Disturbed the space to do a full orchestral setup, he treated the performance with a level of respect that a lot of other talk show hosts might have skipped.
They didn't try to make it a "bit." They didn't have Conan come out and do a joke afterward. They let the silence—literal and figurative—hang in the air.
Common Misconceptions About the Cover
A lot of people think Disturbed just decided to cover this song on a whim. That’s not really how it happened. It was actually Dan Donegan’s idea to do a cover for the Immortalized album, and he suggested a few different songs. When he brought up "The Sound of Silence," Draiman was actually hesitant. He wasn't sure he could do it justice.
They recorded it in a way that felt very organic, but the Sound of Silence Conan live version is actually superior to the studio recording for many fans. There’s a slight imperfection in a live vocal that adds to the humanity of the song. You can hear the breath. You can see the veins popping in Draiman’s neck. It makes the lyrics about "people talking without speaking" feel much more urgent.
Also, some purists hate it. Let's be real. There’s a segment of the folk community that finds this version bombastic or over-the-top. And that's okay. Music is subjective. But you can't argue with the fact that it introduced a 50-year-old masterpiece to a brand-new generation that might have otherwise never heard it.
The Lasting Legacy of March 2016
What happened after that night? Well, the song went Triple Platinum. It hit Number 1 on the Billboard Hard Rock and Mainstream Rock charts. But more importantly, it changed how Disturbed was perceived. They weren't just the "Oooh-wah-ah-ah-ah" band anymore. They were artists capable of profound vulnerability.
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The Sound of Silence Conan performance became the gold standard for how to do a late-night musical appearance. It wasn't just a promotional stop; it was a career-defining moment.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into why this worked, or if you're a musician trying to capture that same lightning in a bottle, there are a few things to take away. First, contrast is king. The reason it worked was the gap between who the band was and what they were playing. Second, don't be afraid of the "ugly" parts of your voice. Draiman uses his grit to tell the story.
What to Do Next
If you haven't watched the video in a while, go back and view it with headphones on. Pay attention to the way the cellos provide the "floor" for the vocals.
If you're a fan of the arrangement, check out the "Live at Red Rocks" version as well. It’s even more massive in scale, though it lacks the intimate "wow" factor of the Sound of Silence Conan debut.
Finally, listen to the original Simon & Garfunkel version immediately after. It’s a fascinating exercise in how the same set of words can mean two completely different things depending on the soul of the person singing them. One is a ghost story; the other is a war cry. Both are essential.
The reality is that we don't get many "unfiltered" moments on television anymore. Everything is polished, autotuned, and edited to death. But for five minutes in 2016, a bald guy in a trench coat stood under a spotlight and reminded us that music can still make your hair stand on end. That's why we're still talking about it. That's why the silence hasn't won yet.
Actionable Insights for Music Fans and Creators:
- Study the Dynamics: If you are a singer, map out the volume levels of the Sound of Silence Conan performance. It starts at a 2/10 and ends at an 11/10. That "crescendo" is what triggers the emotional response in the brain.
- Respect the Source: Notice how the melody is almost identical to the original. Disturbed didn't rewrite the song; they re-orchestrated the atmosphere. If you're doing a cover, keep the "soul" but change the "suit."
- Context Matters: Part of the viral success was the shock factor. If a folk singer covered this song, nobody would care. Because a metal icon did it, it became news. Think about how you can subvert expectations in your own creative work.
The performance stands as a testament to the fact that good art doesn't have a genre. It just has an impact.