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From album
Sounds of Silence
Simon & Garfunkel · 1966 · Track 7
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The story behind
There's something that has always struck me about Richard Cory: the way the narrator, a simple worker, builds his image of the man everyone admires. Paul Simon doesn't tell a story; instead, he shows it from within, as if the listener were hearing that worker during their lunch break. Each verse lists Cory's privileges—his elegance, his education, his serene presence—but the detail that hurts the most isn't in what is said, but in how it's said: the chorus repeats after the tragic ending, as if the desire to be him never fades. The song doesn't judge; it simply exposes that envy we've all felt at some point for someone who seems to have it all.
They recorded it in December 1965, just as the duo had taken their first steps with The Sound of Silence. Paul Simon wrote the lyrics inspired by a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson that he had to study in high school, at Forest Hills High School in New York. The song was included in Sounds of Silence, the album released in January 1966, which, unintentionally, ended up defining the sound of folk rock at the time. Produced by Bob Johnston, the original version lasts exactly 2:57, a tight timing so that every word and every silence carries the right weight. Columbia Records released it as part of that album, but its impact went beyond: years later, even Wings included it in their 1975-1976 tour, with Denny Laine changing Cory's name to John Denver in a nod that made the audience laugh.