Now that it's been certified 18-times platinum, “Don't Stop Believin'” ranks as the biggest song in America–but it's not alone in this position. Journey's most beloved single ties with the only track in U.S. history that has already reached that milestone.

In 1964, the American music duo Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel released a song titled The Sound of Silence. Garfunkel, one half of the duo and co-writer of the famous song, summed up the meaning of this song by stating, “this is a song about the inability of people to communicate with each other” (Patton, 2023).

Caution: One phrase–“the smell of wine”–may make the song inappropriate for some classes; otherwise, the song and the official videos are classroom friendly.

The song's origin and basis are unclear, with some thinking that the song commented on the assassination of John F. Kennedy, as the song was recorded three months after the assassination, although Simon & Garfunkel had performed the song live as Kane & Garr two months before the assassination.