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.

This is one of my favourite songs. So I learnt the meaning … El condor pasa, “The condor passes”, denotes the spirit of freedom. It is about being in control of your life.

Simon had started writing “The Sound of Silence” late in 1963, possibly as a response to the assassination of John F Kennedy, a hero of his, on November 22. He took his guitar into the bathroom where he liked the acoustics and, as was his habit, turned off the light and sat there playing.

Original zarzuela version In 1913, Peruvian songwriter Daniel Alomía Robles composed "El Cóndor Pasa", and the song was first performed publicly at the Teatro Mazzi in Lima. The song was originally a musical piece in the Peruvian zarzuela (musical play), El cóndor pasa.