THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

434-Procol Harum-A Whiter Shade of Pale.

1967-Number 1 single. When it was re-issued in 1972 it reached Number 13, and in 2022 it re-entered the top 40 at Number 38.

Best Bit-At 1.18. In 1977, ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ was named joint winner, along with ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen (see also best songs 3) of ‘The Best British Pop Single 1952–1977,’ at the inaugural ‘Brit Awards,’ coincidentally both songs have the word ‘Fandango’ in their lyrics.

Procol Harum were formed in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, in 1967, and were active until 1977, the band was reformed in 1991, and remained active until the death of the groups one constant Gary Brooker in 2022, when Procol Harum were disbanded for good. Procol Harum were founded by Gary Brooker, (1945-2022) (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,’ and Keith Reid, (1946-2023) (lyrics) who did not play any instruments, and did not record with Procol Harum, but wrote the lyrics for all of their original songs, with the exception of their 2017 Album, ‘Novum.’ The other musicians who 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) who was not a band member, but a studio session musician brought in by the songs producer Denny Cordell (1943-1995.) In total since the bands inception there were 24 group members come and go. Procol Harum named themselves after a male blue Burmese cat, who belonged to a mutual friend.

The discography of Procol Harum whose music has been described as ‘Progressive Rock,’ ‘Proto-Prog,’ ‘Art Rock,’ and ‘Psychedelia,’ includes 12 studio Albums released between 1967-2017, and 34 singles released between 1967-2021, there are also three extended plays, (EP’s) 23 official compilation Albums, and 11 live Albums available. In the UK, five of their singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Homburg’ from 1967, the follow up to ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale,’ giving them their only other top 10 hit, when peaking at Number 6. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, three of their singles have made the top 40, with ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ peaking the highest at Number 5.

‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ was the debut single released by Procol Harum, in May 1967, the song was co-written by Keith Reid, Gary Brooker, and Matthew Fisher, with the production being by Denny Cordell. At the time of writing’A Whiter Shade of Pale’ is still one of the top 43 best selling singles worldwide of all time, that have sold in excess of 10 million copies. It is also recognised by the ‘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. At the time Matthew Fisher said, ‘This was about making sure everyone knew about my part in the authorship. One of the five judges who heard the case was Baroness Hale, who said: ‘As one of those people who do remember the ’60’s, I am glad that the author of that memorable organ part has at last achieved the recognition he deserves.’

One of the probable reasons for ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’s’ 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. It’s sort of a film, really, trying to conjure up mood and tell a story. It’s about a relationship. There’s characters and there’s a location, and there’s a journey. You get the sound of the room and the feel of the room and the smell of the room. But certainly there’s a journey going on, it’s not a collection of lines just stuck together. It’s got a thread running through it. I feel with songs that you’re given a piece of the puzzle, the inspiration or whatever. In this case, I had that title, ‘Whiter Shade of Pale,’ and I thought, There’s a song here. And it’s making up the puzzle that fits the piece you’ve got. You fill out the picture, you find the rest of the picture that that piece fits into.’

‘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.’