August 22, 2026, marks the 60th anniversary of the recording of “7 O'Clock News / Silent Night.” On the same day, another recording was made with “For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her” for “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.” Both tracks are among the recordings created during the work on the duo's third studio album. The album was released on October 10, 1966.

On “For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her,” Art Garfunkel takes on the sole lead vocals, accompanied by the acoustic guitar of his duo partner. The track describes the longing for an idealized romantic figure; “Emily” does not stand for a specific, real person. The recording is one of Art Garfunkel's distinctive vocal moments on “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.”

With “7 O'Clock News / Silent Night,” a track with a completely different musical arrangement was created on the same recording day. Art Garfunkel is not only heard as a singer here either: together with his duo partner, he sings “Silent Night” in two-part harmony and at the same time takes on the piano part for this track. A unique rarity in his musical work: “7 O'Clock News / Silent Night” is the only track by the duo on which Art Garfunkel plays an instrument himself.

Another special feature of the piece is its structure. While the Christmas carol is being sung, the voice of American radio announcer Charlie O'Donnell can be heard. The news segment was designed for the recording as a separate spoken contribution and combined with the sung part.

The news reports refer to events from August 3, 1966, and provide an insight into the political and social news of that time. The news segment is thus chronologically separated from the actual recording on August 22, 1966, and was integrated into the musical recording as a component of the piece.

Even after its original release, “7 O'Clock News / Silent Night” remained part of Art Garfunkel's musical history. The recording was later released on “Old Friends” and “The Essential Simon & Garfunkel,” among others.

“Silent Night” is one of the most famous Christmas carols in the world today. Joseph Mohr wrote the lyrics in 1816, and Franz Xaver Gruber composed the melody in 1818. During the first performance on December 24, 1818, in Oberndorf near Salzburg, Mohr and Gruber sang in two-part harmony; Mohr accompanied the singing on guitar. Almost 150 years later, Art Garfunkel recorded “Silent Night” again in two-part harmony and took on the piano part.

In both cases, “Silent Night” is thus placed in a concrete historical context.