3 Iconic Songs That We All Only Know One Line Of

Okay, so maybe there are a few people out there who know more than one line to the iconic songs below. Okay, maybe more than a few…However, a significant portion of the population can only sing along to one line of these hits. The rest of the lyrics remain obscured. Whether it gained popularity from a trend or is genuinely the only discernible lyric, the lines below helped keep the songs they belong to in rotation.

Hello, darkness, my old friend… (“The Sound of Silence” – Simon & Garfunkel)

The internet is fascinated by Simon & Garfunkel‘s “The Sound of Silence.” This song has an earnestness to it that the modern age cannot fathom. The opening line, though once an honest expression of emotion, has now been meme’d to death. It’s hard to hear this song without finding it a tad melodramatic—Vine and TikTok made sure of that. Even those that can’t attribute a single song to Simon & Garfunkel can sing along to the line above because of its virality.

You shook me all night long (“You Shook Me All Night Long” – AC/DC)

While the first example on our list of songs only remembered by one line comes from an internet trend, the second stems from Brian Johnson’s unique vocals. The AC/DC frontman has one of the best voices in rock history, but it’s also one of the least discernible. Anyone would be forgiven for simply mumbling along to “You Shook Me All Night Long” until it gets to the chorus. The line above is the only lyric many casual fans can recall; the rest are just a series of noises and syllables.

In addition to being remembered for its clarity, the line ‘You shook me all night long’ has become a familiar euphemism. Although the band may not have come up with the phrase outright, they certainly popularized its use.

We don’t need no education (“Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)” – Pink Floyd)

We don’t need no education, is a line that has seeped into every corner of pop culture. Those in the younger generations likely can’t remember the first time they heard this phrase, but it has certainly stuck either way. Pink Floyd fans will know the breadth of “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)” by heart, but those outside of the band’s scope will still know this song, albeit only a single line.

(Photo by Columbia Records/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)