Vid of Sad Affleck sends 1966 Simon & Garfunkel song to top of charts
The song soars after playing a prominent role in a viral video of Ben Affleck appearing to react sadly to "Batman v Superman" reviews.
- Third place film critic, 2021 LA Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards
Sad Affleck has made Simon & Garfunkel very happy.
The folk duo's version of the song "Sound of Silence," released in 1966, is experiencing a resurgence in 2016, likely thanks to a viral video that features the tune playing over an image of Ben Affleck looking sad, oh so sad, when asked about unfavorable reviews of his new film "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."
The video has been viewed almost 22 million times since it posted on YouTube March 24, with Simon & Garfunkel's version of the melancholy song that underscores Affleck's gloomy visage now appearing on the Billboard Rock Top 10 chart. There, it currently sits at No. 6, between "Adventure of a Lifetime" by Coldplay at No. 5 and "Ride" by twenty one pilots at No. 7, a position Billboard attributes to Sadfleck.
Back in 1966, when Lyndon B. Johnson was US president, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, Billboard reports. Metal band Disturbed recently recorded a stunning cover that also now sits on the Rock Top 10 list, probably due to Disturbed performing it on "Conan" late last month. Simon himself praised that interpretation.
As a longtime Simon & Garfunkel fan, I can only hope the beautiful "Kathy's Song" and "America" experience a similar rebirth. Work on that Internet?
Update, 7:17 p.m. PT: Updated to add that the Disturbed cover also appears on the Billboard rock chart and to clarify that Billboard itself attributes the rise of the original version to the Affleck video.