A Whiter Shade of Pale
The song "
A Whiter Shade Of Pale" was released in
1967 by the band
Procol Harum. With its haunting tonality and Bach flavouring, both provided by
Hammond organist
Matthew Fisher, soulful vocals by
Gary Brooker and mysterious lyrics by
Keith Reid, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" reached #1 on the British charts, was a hit in
Europe, and reached #5 in the
United States. In the years since, it has become an enduring classic, and has earned extensive critical acclaim.
Rolling Stone magazine placed "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" as #57 of its
500 Greatest Songs of All Time in
2004. British
TV station
Channel 4 also placed the song at #19 in its chart of the 100 greatest singles [
1].
The musicians on the original recording:
Gary Brooker, voice and piano;
Matthew Fisher, Hammond organ;
David Knights, bass; Ray Royer, guitar and Bill Eyden, drums. Producer:
Denny Cordell; sound engineer:
Keith Grant. Location:
Olympic Studios, Barnes, London, England. Official Release Date: May 12, 1967. For further information about the recording, see Post #24
here.
The
Hammond organ line of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" was inspired by the
Johann Sebastian Bach's "
Sleepers Awake" and "
Air on a G String", but contrary to some belief, the song is
not a direct copy or paraphrase of these or any other Bach piece. [
2]
Regarding the lyrics of "A Whiter Shade of Pale," despite a huge upswell among the
Internet fans of Procol Harum, Gary Brooker has disclaimed any intention of ever explaining or assigning additional meaning, and the man who actually wrote those words,
Keith Reid, has expressed similar sentiments. One interpretation is that the song held odd and unrelated lyrics, possibly from a
poem by Reid about boy/girl relationships that used
sailing metaphors, which were a pun on or spoof of the
psychedelic songs written at the time which had bizarre metaphors and droll phrases. On the other hand, the fan site linked to at the bottom of the page contains an "interview" with Reid and Brooker commenting on what they DO know (remember) of the song's genesis.
A
huge number of artists have
covered the song, e.g., to name just a few:
Jimmy Castor Bunch (who made an instrumental, more
jazz-like arrangement), another instrumental version by pianist David Lanz, with
Fisher on Hammond organ, a pop rendition by
Annie Lennox,
Joe Cocker's soul arrangement,
Percy Sledge's R&B,and a reggae version by the Wailing Souls. It has also occasionally been played with the Hammond part (and occasionally other parts as well) transferred to a real
organ, frequently with impressive results. At least one
docent at
Benaroya Hall has told at least one tour group that it sounds particularly good on the Fisk organ there. The song was also recorded as a duet by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings in 1982 on Nelson's legendary album, Always on my mind.
A
Cambodian recording of the tune, with a love lyric in the
Khmer language, was in recent years a
karaoke hit in that country.
Among its many appearances in film are: a version by
saxophonist King Curtis in the
motion picture Withnail and I, the
Alan Parker feature film
The Commitments, where it is briefly analysed without agreement, the hit film
The Big Chill whose soundtrack was also a bestseller, and the TV miniseries
The Tenth Kingdom.It has been said that
John Lennon, in
1967, loved this song so much that he would listen to it through headphones over and over during long journeys in the back of his limo. Upon reaching his destination, he would remain lying on the back seat, saying he had to hear it just a few more times before getting out of the car.
In
2005, Procol Harum organist
Matthew Fisher filed suit in the
Royal Courts of Justice against Gary Brooker and his publisher, claiming that Fisher co-wrote the music for the song. [
3]
*
Procol Harum fan site page on the song â€" extensive information
