Alfred Brendel: The Thinking Pianist, is credited for the putting into plain words the following observation:

“The word LISTEN contains the same letters as the word SILENT.”

This phrase has been at the forefront of my mind since my ENT sentenced me to 2 weeks of total silence.  As I’ve prepared for my post-surgical period of silent recovery by significantly reducing my conversational activities and completely eliminating all singing, I’ve had plenty of time on my hands…to think. Maybe someday I’ll be known as “The Thinking Singer!”

Today, I thought about all the songs that have been written that have to do with being silent or about listening. I decided to go online and look for songs with the words SILENT or LISTEN in their titles.  I also expanded my search to include song titles containing the word QUIET. I know it’s not got the same letters, but it definitely shares a common theme.

There were fewer than I anticipated. Is that because we live in such a noisy culture?  Is silence just not important enough to sing about?

Below is the list I’ve come up with so far.

1. Sounds of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel (Nothing like the original, IMHO)
2. Silent Night recorded by Josh Groban
3. Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode
4. Silent Lucidity by Queensryche
5. Listen to the Music by the Doobie Brothers
6. Listen to Her Heart by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
7. Listen to What the Man Said by Paul McCartney
8. Listen by Collective Soul
9. Listen to the Rhythm of the Falling Rain by the Cascades
10. Listen to Your Heart by Roxette
11. It’s Oh So Quiet by Bjork
12. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars by Frank Sinatra
13. Quiet Storm by Smokey Robinson
14. Quiet Your Mind by the Zac Brown Band

I’m sure there are others. Send me a comment with any other songs you find with SILENT, LISTEN or QUIET in their titles. (Please include the link if possible.)  Maybe together we can create “The Silent Top 20.”