THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

434-Procol Harum-A Whiter Shade of Pale.

1967-Number 1 single. When re-issued in 1972 it reached Number 13.

Best Bit-At 1.17. The songs title has become so ingrained in people’s consciousness that it has almost become a cliche.

Procol Harum were formed in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, in 1967, and were active until 1977, the band was reformed in 1991 and remain active. The groups one constant is Gary Brooker (vocals and piano) who had been a former member of the English beat group the ‘Paramounts’ who had a 1964 UK Number 35 hit with a cover version of ‘Poisen Ivy.’ The other four founding members who played on this track, the bands debut single, were Matthew Fisher (Hammond organ) Ray Royer (guitar) David Knights (bass) and Bill Eyden (1930-2004) (drums.) In total since the bands inception there have been 24 group members come and go. They have released 12 studio Albums between 1967-2017, and 21 singles between 1967-1977, with five of those singles reaching the UK top 40.

At the time of writing’A Whiter Shade of Pale’ is still one of the top 40 best selling singles worldwide of all time, with sales in excess of 10 million copies. It is also recognised by ‘Phonographic Performance Limited’ as the most played record by British Broadcasting in the last 70 years. The songs lyrics were written by Keith Reid, and the music by Gary Brooker, but on July 30th 2009 after many years of legal wrangling the name of Matthew Fisher who provided the distinctive Hammond organ on the song had his name added to the writing credits.

One of the probable reasons for the songs enduring popularity is it’s unusual lyrics. Keith Reid has said he was at a party and he heard someone saying to a woman,’You’ve turned a whiter shade of pale,’ and the phrase stuck in his mind. Of the song Reid has said,’I was trying to conjure a mood, as much as tell a straightforward girl leaves boy story. With the ceiling flying away, and the room humming harder, I wanted to paint an image of a scene. I wasn’t trying to be mysterious with those images, I was trying to be evocative.’

‘We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels ‘cross the floor. I was feeling seasick, but the crowd called out for more. The room was humming harder, as the ceiling flew away. When we called out for another drink, the waiter brought a tray.’