The origin and history of A Whiter Shade of Pale

[@iamwray]

When this song came out, in the summer of 1967, I was stationed at NSA Danang, and whenever I hear it, I thinkof Vietnam. The last couple of verses, I am, grateful to hear. I was a 21 year old Sailor, and now as a 70 year oldretiree, I am so very happy to have served my Country.

[@lloydking1000]

Thanks for your service, T Wray. Glad you made it home!

[@iamwray]

Thank you Lloyd for your kind comments of appreciation. Being a Vietnam Veteran, and surviving,has made me really appreciate the possibilities of being an American!.

[@wilderbyderminutensell2845]

T Wray Aah, you were smokin' dope and listening to that goofy Hanoi station, weren't ya?

[@randypotter7379]

Thank you for your service. Our veterans are the best!

[@iamwray]

Randy, thank you for your appreciation of veterans service. You are the best, and I wish you a very Happy Holiday season, and the best for 2017!

[@vickiegossard9522]

Love this song. Was the first song my husband and I danced to over 45 years ago. Even though he is gone I still play it every year on our anniversary.June 27. Thanks for a beautiful song.

[@deborahgallo6730]

Dear Murray. you have done a wonderful job of going though the history of so many songs. The first time I heard this song was when I was a child. My parents and I were on holiday at a place in Australia called Nambucca Heads in NSW. One moonlit night, with a gentle warm breeze, high up on a hill, over looking the shining ocean; this song was being played. I sat there on a rock and wished I was older enough to be with all the teenagers and adults who were inside the dance hall. But in the end, it did not matter I created my own world, with this song, with the help of the warm salty breeze, the stars twinkling and the moon shining on the ocean. Every time I hear this song, who ever sang this in the 1960's, I remember that moment in time, and it makes me smile......Many thanks for this from Australia.

[@MurrayBurbidge]

You're most welcome!.That is a beautiful memory!

[@deborahgallo6730]

You are a darling getting back to me.....hugs from Australia...

[@kittona8754]

+Murray Burbidge is right, that is a beautiful memory. I could see and feel my self there. Thank you :)

[@roblough1]

Beautifully put, Ms. Gallo! And hello to you from the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, USA. I share your sentiments regarding this song. I love it perhaps more than any other from that time period. I lost my innocence and came of age in that era, and in some way that I cannot articulate, even today, this song was an important part of it all. I wish you all the best, now and in the future.

[@deborahgallo6730]

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[@neilburn1684]

Many, many thanks . . . this is my favourite song of all time (I'm 82). So lovely to follow the history of this gorgeous song. I've saved a version on my computer and enjoy playing it from time to time. M a n, this song has really got something!

[@rce4462]

so now that you're 83, is it still your favorite song? i share your love of this song :)

[@rayllompart]

NEIL BURN-------------you look FANTASTIC for 82!!!!!! May you live and die in great joy and harmony!!!!

[@mialite7959]

&!rc!e !! - you idiot..Lol

[@mialite7959]

&!rc!e !! - He may be listening to the angels signing it in heaven now.

[@dinkchow]

I'm almost 66 and this is also my favorite song.The Denmark live performance is amazing.My Uncle had a band in the '80's and if I wanted a slow dance for a chance to ask a lady to dance this was always my go to song.

[@mjrotondi5086]

Long gone are those days of beauty, heartache, war, peace and everything in between. Especially, we had the music that TOLD THE TALE of our lives. Many of us are still here to talk and after so many years OUR TIME was the GREATEST , MOST WONDERFUL TIME TO BE ALIVE. I can say that now at 75 that nothing beat the 60 and the 70’s. We were and are THE BEST GENERATION.

[@amishpope]

One of the most beautiful songs ever written. Takes me back to a different time and place. Thanks

[@sudilos1172]

Tim Caldwell Man things sure are different now.

[@johntechwriter]

Tim Caldwell That place you're referring to is our youth, which at times seems like a distant isle we visited much too briefly. Music from our youth returns us briefly to the intensity of life as we felt it then. There's always a trace of sadness, because we know there's no going back.

[@janetsmartin2326]

i used to think of John Lennon when I'd hear this song. then heard that he said this was the greatest song ever written

[@randyrudd5485]

John Techwriter I've never heard EXACTLY spoken as to how I've personally felt about the past , as you have just done. Wow.

[@johnnymcm9763]

me too

[@koa2341]

The anthem of the Summer Of Love 1967 and my favorite song ever- Great job

[@starrcormier1625]

I was lucky to grow up with some of the best bands of any generation... this song transcends any generation I loved it the first time I heard it and I still love it today. what great memories I have from that time. Thank you Poco harem.

[@jwong2252]

A sad sad song, but I loved it, so out of this world, never get tired of listening to it. A classic!

[@BobForsberg1946]

Thanks so much. I heard this for the first time on an airplane coming back from Vietnam in the late 60s and it's become one of my most favorite sounds in life.

[@paulmccuytney]

Gary Brooker's excellent voice in combination with Matthew Fisher's awesome organ lines made this so huge. One of the greatest songs of all time despite the quite mysterious lyrics.

[@dr.martiwolfe7824]

The description said it would give some clues to the songs meaning, but never did!

[@joecortes6125]

​@dr.martiwolfe7824 this is because it has no meaning whatsoever. The lyrics are most assuredly from a drug filled mind. And the melody (music) was copied from an Orchestral piece from Bach from back in the 17 hundreds.

[@robertbenko6629]

Thank God Matthew Fisher just recently finally got credit for writing this song after Gary took the credit decades ago

[@vengobongo7276]

This is terrific , all this years this song has been like a mystery tale to me. It actually causes me to feel a very deep sense of loss and emptiness inside, I don't know why butit does. anyway I totally enjoyed your perspectives on the lyrics, you are obviously a poet at heart yourself. cheers mate!

[@brucewilson1958]

I'm 70, so I've been listening to this song for nearly sixty years and trying to make it make sense with little progress. No one ever rold me that it had two more verses. Thank you. Hearing these brought big picture and the plot, if I dare call it that, into better focus, not crystal clear, but less fuzzy. Did the original radio release only contain two verses? Do to a time restraint for radio play in the 1960s likely. Thanks again for helping to lift a huge weight off of my shoulders. I'll sleep deeply tonight and dream of her sad smile that melted away my anger and laid me down on the bed of the ocean. Peace. Out.

[@lloydking1000]

This song was new and at the top of the charts. It was on my first trip to the beach ever! The song melted into the waves it seemed...what a feeling. One of my greatest memories!

[@bradplecas4921]

Never had heard this in it's entirety, nor an explaination of the lyrics, thanks for posting...

[@madmanjshum]

This wonderful song may have different meaning to different people, but one thing for sure it stirs up emotions and memories.

[@lavonnacasey5724]

This song is still inducing people to cry after all these years. Amazing the sadist tune ever making peopl cry since 1967😢

[@Grammichal]

⁠​​⁠​⁠Yes. I graduated from high school in 1969 two years after this song came out. Seattle Washington area. My first & very sweet boyfriend left for Vietnam in 1968 as did so many of our classmates. ​​⁠❤️🙏💔🕊️❤️‍🩹🙏❤️🙌🏼❤️‍🔥 Listen to the 2006 outdoor concert in Denmark with Gary Brooker, the band & full Danish National Orchestra & Choir❣️ kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaWZm6x7e8poja8si=0RHgVVSyGHeFeChu

[@cybasmith]

This just proves that you can write ANY words to a catchy tune and people will love it.

[@empresscphillips4082]

One of my FAVORITE TUNES NO MATTER HOW MANY VERSIONS! IT REMINDS ME OF SOMEONE I FELL INLOVE WITH AT A VER YOUNG AGE. WHENEVER I HEAR IT, IT BRINGS BACK EVERYTHING , EVEN THE SMELL AT THE TIME I FIRST HEARD IT! THIS NEVER GETS OLD! LOVE LOVE LOVE FOREVER!

[@jimyzaguirre3183]

This Song Is So Charged With Emotions Inside Of Me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@MurraySnelgrove]

"and so it WAS that later" is the most important part of this song (to me). By hitting "was" so strongly, implies many things.. regret perhaps. Definitely something, or the phrasing would simply be "and so it was that later" a masterpiece of a song. Thank-you.

[@nancicreamer6519]

November 11 2016. Remembrance Day in Canada. This song has always meant loss of loved ones, despite the struggles and battles fought, personal, social, national or even just the give and take between lovers. In memory of all veterans of all wars, and the soldiers still fired up and ready to peace keep or active in the wars that plague our planet, I am thinking of one and all. Rest In Peace. Lest we forget.This is a truly beautiful video. Thank you very very much. It's lovely.

[@lena967414]

Whenever I hear this song, after all these years I still recall nice memories of that time....

[@marukrom]

Outsanding ! Takes me back to 1967 , I was only 11 and its so clear in my mind ..................

[@tonys2705]

Thanks for giving us another look at this monster of a song... I've never heard those lyrics before, and it was quite a treat. Such a mystical song.. Stops me in my tracks every time I hear it.

[@1kinut800]

I was in college and listened to this. Coed dorm with lots of drug experimentation, lots of good memories and feeling connected to this song. I remember almost every night sitting on the floor, smoking pot, drinking awful cheap wine and rapping with friends about all the heavy, deep things 18, 19, 20 year olds know about life, love, death. Yea, yea, we were so "cute" back then as only the young who think they know everything can be. And now we're all senior citizens. How'd that happen???

[@onlyceltic1]

Living in the Bay Area in the 1960's and 1970's - this song was too, too, too hard - most could not listen to it all! It had to do with the mood of the Bay Area - it was changing from "happy love-ins" to broken needles of the Hippies and a dead people in the streets. My husband was back from Vietnam - in his body at least. Thanks for the memories.

[@tuberobotto]

Murray, I must say that you're a fabulous video-storyteller. I just love and admire how you carefully brought in those obscure details and capped it with the contemporary versions. If I didn't know better I would say you must be a huge fan of Procol Harum or music in general. Either that or you're a great resource person to have nearby. Love your work. You are like an archivist who just earned my respect. Thank you for sharing this.

[@dinadouglas8234]

Wow! I love this. Thanks for posting. I've always loved the mystery of the song, always wondered what it meant.

[@tantajudy7]

Thank you so much for your compilation of recordings of "A Whiter Shade of Pale", one of my all-time favorite songs. I can't pretend to understand the meaning of the lyrics,, but is an anthem of my generation which resonates as a mystical message that will stay with me for a long time...

[@gaddkeltner]

Excellent...this, along with A Salty Dog are two of my deserted Island songs....Procol Harum was a big part of my early listening. Some great insight here. I never knew there were cats called Procol Harum !! Thanks so much....

[@innerbanks]

I still love you, Lark. You were from Vestal, and I was a virgin. We walked the shore for miles...I will never forget you.

[@petechau2317]

I was 12 when I first heard this and didn't think much of it. Now in my final days it one of my favorite songs from that era.

[@chrisellis1089]

And you forgot to mention Robin Trower (guitarist) he's in the original film clip that was filmed at Whitley Court, Worcs England

[@marthavaldez3549]

This song is not about sexual intercourse. It is about the beginning and the ending of life. When the miller told his tale is a reflection of life, it does not matter if it came from the advice of our parents but from the reflection of how we lived our life and if we stepped up to society's norms, values, and expectations. Its about judging ourselves and if our lives are worthy of heaven. The pale waitress is death coming for us and the vestal virgins are our guides to travel to the underworld and be judged. Did we gambled our life away? Was it the last fandango? Did death finally catch up to us? Did we celebrate our last accomplishments by turning wheels across the floor? Did death just came upon us and as the miller told his story, was it my life past, and did the miller's happy story turned pale when our death was about to come. Are we sailing to hell or are repenting about our life, did we do justice or did we fill our life's with vice. Did those virgins come to us to take to our ending path, are we traveling to heaven or are we internally to suffer for our past. I strongly feel that this song and its lyrics are the reflection of our life. Did we accomplished something with our lives or did wasted them on vice. This song and it's lyrics it's a timeline of when we become aware of life and death, and the many events that are very meaningful to us before the vested virgins come and take us to voyage that comes after death. Comments by Oziel Guerrero, Brownsville, Texas.

[@parkphooma]

that's absolutely right meaning. Superb Cool!

[@sue7024]

Call me old fashioned but I prefer your version on the meaning of the song & A Whiter Shade of Pale is best sung by Procol Harum.

[@maddmorg1]

Martha Valdez

[@ardalla535]

I, too, don't hear any sexual imagery in this song. Nothing that would even remotely imply that a sex act has occurred. When I hear the song, I'm transported to a club where a guy is sitting at a table, probably drunk or drugged out of his mind; he sits there with his girlfriend, his head spinning. She wants to break up; he argues, but his brain is all muddled and he gets lost in his thoughts. He says, "Why?" She says, "There is no reason." She just wants out. He wanders through his playing cards, trying to think of something to say. She wants to go to the coast with her friends, but he won't let it be -- he keeps arguing and trying to change her mind. Even if he had an open mind about the breakup, it would not matter. Open or not, it amounts to the same result in the end. And with that, the song ends.

[@MrSymbolic7]

One thing that is never spoken of concerning this song is the Heavy Masonic overtones in the 3 rd verse . Go and watch the video that was released along with this song and check out the Lead Singers jacket closely , although you must understand what you are seeing or it is meaningless !

[@quasarvillenights3266]

Thank you for this. I have heard this song all my life and had only a vague idea what it was about.

[@luckystoller6171]

...and Matthew Fisher composed and played the organ solo on his Hammond organ. Never would have happened without him and just this week the House of Lords finally recognized his right to receive royalties.

[@joerohling7615]

Wonderful, wonderful. Thank you for the work and posting this . I remember getting my first kiss on a dance floor to this song.

[@larrybettie7112]

there's no one in the world that could sing this song as beautiful as Mr Gary Brooker

[@michelleroberts4476]

agreed,,,peace to all x

[@larrybettie7112]

this is a very beautiful song and there's no one in the world that can sing this as beautiful as Mr Gary brooker.

[@peacepipe18]

+larry bettie I agree with you Bro, there is only one Gary Brooker. Peace

[@sheercarnivores]

I could see Peter Frampton cover this, easily...

[@victorjorge3949]

Mr. Murray Burbidge, a big bunch of congratulations for this excellent work, either in sound or in images. I never knew there were the 3rd and 4th verses. Thank you very much again for this "posting".

[@stuartgrenier2003]

J.S. Bach most certainly needs to be mentioned if anyone is going to talk about this song.

[@kjeldgluckstadt3021]

Air on a G string.

[@strat8333]

yes

[@battragon]

agree

[@MrZootalores]

mentioned as "not being the composer of Whiter Shade of Pale", I hope

[@ternitamas]

it was inspired by it

[@Toudie6649]

I first heard this on Pandora and fell in love with the song. Thanks for posting, greatly appreciated.💗

[@CurmudgeonExtraordinaire]

Always liked this song, but never understood the meaning of it. Even with the lyrics, I don't see the meaning that is claimed for it. So, I guess I'll just continue to listen to it and not care what the lyrics supposedly mean... :)

[@Jmarkusic]

Grumpy OldMan : As Keith Reid says, "girl leaves boy" that is the main jest of the lyrics.

[@jamminjoe44]

Grumpy OldMan Same here!

[@RalphDratman]

+Grumpy OldMan A song (but this is a poem as well) alluding to several literary, mythical and symbolic sources cannot be said to carry just a single meaning. This song in particular does not have even a clear narrative framework. Everyone, then, has the right to hear it as they hear it, and to feel it in their own entirely unique way.

[@CurmudgeonExtraordinaire]

+Ralph Dratman I'm an engineer... That's too deep for me.

[@RalphDratman]

+Grumpy OldMan I am an engineer too.

[@ShoreHon]

One of my all-time favorite songs! How very interesting!!! So glad I found this! Thank you!!!

[@JohnGLewis1964]

"A Whiter Shade of Pale", an Analysis, (cont.), Part 2 of 2 --------------------------------- *Third Stanza* : "She said, 'I'm home on shore leave,' though in truth we were at sea so I took her by the looking glass and forced her to agree saying, 'You must be the mermaid, who took Neptune for a ride.' she smiled at me so sadly that my anger straightaway died." A seduction, yes, but of both individuals. They both lost their virginity when they did not want to, So the statement: "I'm home on shore leave" should be seen as being away (at home) from College, for the weekend, perhaps, and where they simply should have been... The response: "though in truth we were at Sea..." is changing metaphors, now, and so interpreted, and as has long been suggested... that they had both left their sacred 'Island' of virginity.... And so he... "... took her by the Looking Glass" [Where they saw each other, i.e. knew each other. And the fourth verse may rather say ...] "...and she was forced to agree..." (...) [Well something happened.] (...) "She smiled at me so sadly..." [Agreeing to the tragedy, that] "that my anger straightaway died." This song, along with VDGG's "Afterwards", which I believe speaks of the same subject, will make Rock's 20 best of all time.. It might be that VDGG's song is more sophisticated musically, and might crack the top ten, yet Procul Harem perhaps had the better lyrics. Certainly more descriptive. The fourth Stanza merely confirms the previous three, and suggests that what had happened was not the way it is supposed to happen, just as "the front is not the back", as truth is not falsity ... etc. *Fourth Stanza* : ------>> This is the most difficult stanza, but in some ways the most important, as it ties everything together, and explains everything. "If music be the food of love, then laughter is its queen." [A throw back now to the party, and of the first stanza, where it all began, and where the relationship commenced.] And likewise if behind is front, then dirt in truth is clean. My mouth by then like cardboard, seemed to slip straight through my head. So we crashed dived straightaway quickly and attacked the ocean bed." The writer of the song was quoting Shakespeare there, in the first line, first verse, fourth stanza, with the second being " ....then laughter is its Queen...." an addition by the writer himself. An impugning of Shakespeare then, to a degree. The whole song has a tragic casting to it, which is important to realize, and as I have conjectured. Additionally, with the involvement of the great bard, do not be so quick to believe everything that is great or famous. He had agreed to the illusory injunction, readily, true, yet it was under the duress of the party -- that music and laughter is indicative and representative of love -- something, however, he would have never agreed to under normal circumstances. Nonetheless, it is unfortunately with eternal consequences here: that one of the most sacred moments of a man''s life -- and of a woman's --had to happen during some crazy party. So the fallacy did indeed "... [seem] to slip straight through [his] head...." and as it so happens sometimes with lies: they can take over us quickly, unless we maintain guard.

[@lindapriorirish8]

John G. Lewis thank you...

[@JohnGLewis1964]

lindapriorirish8 No problem... You are quite welcome.

[@bobbychaurasia7791]

+John G. Lewis Further goes to prove that the lyrics are in sync. and supportive of an imagery as alluded to in the song...

[@JohnGLewis1964]

Bobby Chaurasia Yes.... People have misunderstood this song... largely because they never have heard the third and fourth stanzas. The fourth is brusque, and almost rather shocking ...! I like it though.

[@lindapriorirish8]

John G. Lewis It has always been my cousin Sherry`s favorite song.. I liked it.. as a Teenanger. thought it was sexy. thought I was cool.. I know know that. I did not understand it the way she did. she became a Herion addict. and lived her life caotic and bazzar. they played this song at her funeral. I heard ever single word completely different.. I still very much love his song.. a huge part of my past..

[@bluenote824jones7]

a super video ..thanx.probably in my top ten favorite songs of my lifetime.a super record.a great group.

[@davek8637]

I think that the interpretation is off here. This is what used to be referred to as 'stream of consciousness'. The last two verses included here may bolster the argument that this is really about a sexual encounter but the fact that they were left off the album version and seldom heard may be due to the fact that the creators of the song thought the song was better without them. Artists sometimes think they're creating one thing and then when they see how people react to it, they realize that they created something entirely different. The lyrics don't exactly make sense; the words form a loose sketch let's the listener relate personally to this highly evocative and beautiful music.

[@robertneilson4196]

+Dave K ...This song had a lot of meaning to me, I was at a bar when I was 18 years old (you could drink at that age then in D.C) it was 1967, I was with 3 of my friends then , we were talking about how to not go to Nam at that time, there was a draft then. One of mt buddies died in the Nam, I also went there but came out with all whole and not wounded.. I like the song and I think it was the best song ever , I play it all the time, love the music, wish the music was like this now, all I here is crap on the pop radio now... Thank you for posting the history of this song, I also was interested in what it was all about... Thanks again ..Bob N.

[@Blackbirdx61]

+Dave K After 20 years of writing and Story telling, I must concur, when the "artist" gets out of the way of the story, and lets the story find its own voice; what comes through is often so much more than we expected.

[@scoutngem]

robert Neilson thank you for your service.. RIP to all who never came back. In essence...no one really got out alive.

[@tonys2705]

Then again, it could very well have been considered too long for commercial release. Which was probably the case. Back then, songs had to be under a certain length. If memory serves me, the Beatles broke that barrier with the release of Hey Jude... If memory serves me........

[@gregmiller9710]

+Tony Sinopoli yeah pretty much the 3 minute rule...

[@musickluvrr]

Thank you SO much, you did an excellent job on this! One of my all time favorites, I love the haunting melody & everything else about it... wore the record out when I was a kid, & had forgotten the last 2 verses. I've never heard a bad cover of it, especially like Annie Lennox's version, too. Great video well done, Sir!. Best wishes to you.

[@rollymouchaty2707]

a wonderful trip to the deepest corner of my heart

[@reefhotel2438]

This is so awesome! Brings back great and wonderful memories!! Thank You

[@candee62]

What a Cool, interesting, informative video. Also liked the end showing other artists and their performances of this beautiful song. In my opinion, still the BEST BY FAR is PROCOL HARUM. But Annie Lennox did a great rendition. So did Michael Bolton. Thank you so much.

[@dargombez2007]

I go with you...

[@hmb82559]

Hi Candee, they forgot to include Percy Sledge's version.Such a great song sung by all. Thanks Mike .

[@candee62]

Thank you, I will look that up when I have time. I love Percy Sledge too. Appreciate.

[@hmb82559]

Always Candee :)

[@candee62]

I just listened to Percy Sledges', Whiter Shade of Pale, it was good. I still think the best is Procol Harum. Percy Sledge outstanding on "When A Man Loves A Woman". Thanks.

[@zenwolfpup106]

Dec 23rd is my birthday... thanks for the history/post. This song meant so much to me when it was released... played it a thousand times if I played it once.

[@patrickciacco2]

This one of my favorite song's however vague and distant it is in meaning, I don't really understand this songs meaning even though I've heard stories and discriptions of what it's supposed to mean. None the less it's a beautiful song as I remember it from my very early childhood. I prefer Procol Harums 1967 version the most.

[@cassandrabevan5825]

I can't stop listening to this song. Thank you. Cheers Cass xoxo .

[@misterfathersir]

The song came first and then the group. Booker recorded the song with the musicians listed and when it was released they came up with the band name. When they started performing after the song became a hit Royer and Harrison were replaced by Robin Trower and B. J. Wilson. They had been part of a group called The Paramounts along with Booker. Trower and Booker had played together as teenagers. Procol Harum's first gig was as an opening act for Jimi Hendrix. Trower became a big fan of Hendrix and his guitar playing was influenced by him.

[@marcio6067]

Well, looking my records I found that wonderful creation of Murray Burbidge. I watch and heard it again. Impossible not be moved for that song and that story. And I thought: well, in 1967 a group of yong men created somethig eternal. Thanks God for that.

[@RicherPickle]

We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels across the floor, I was feeling kinda 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 and so it was that later as the miller told his tale that her face, at first just ghostly, turned a whiter shade of pale..She said, "There is no reason and the truth is plain to see."..But I wandered through my playing cards and would not let her be, one of sixteen vestal virgins who were leaving for the coast and although my eyes were open they might have just as well have been closed..She said, "I'm home on shore leave," though in truth we were at sea, so I took her by the looking glass and forced her to agree saying, "You must be the mermaid who took Neptune for a ride."..But she smiled at me so sadly that my anger straightway died..If music be the food of love, then laughter is its queen and likewise if behind is in front, then dirt in truth is clean..My mouth by then like cardboard, seemed to slip straight through my head so we crash-dived straightway quickly and attacked the ocean bed......

[@RicherPickle]

Love the 3 minute intro and the full amount of verses! If music is the food of love, then laughter is his Queen!

[@scoutngem]

Richard Picone summed it up.

[@weekendweary1202]

about. 100 years. of solitude last chapter

[@scoutngem]

?

[@harveyabel1354]

What was the point of this post, the lyrics are in the video?

[@JayJoJonny]

Murray, Fine job on bringing to light some interesting revelations related to this classic song. As one who grew up in the 70's, I was always drawn to this song, not so much by the lyrics but more by the haunting sound of the Hammond.

[@barbaraheadden2817]

No one sang it half as good as they did...Awesome song..A Whiter shade od Pale belongs only to Procol Harum...

[@jamesbrown5600]

How true. I would also say the best version is the live symphonic version done with the Danish National Orchestra in 2006 at Lederberg Castle. I think their music, much like that of the Moody Blues and Led Zeppelin, really should be done symphonically, the horns and violins and oboe's and all the other instruments add so much depth to the song and composition.

[@JoseOliveira-io2qv]

Estou de pleno acordo, Barbara; assino embaixo, o seu comentário.

[@rochelledaniels1338]

Barbara Headden Jesse Munter from Buhl Mn does an amazing job. Very talented young man!!!!!!

[@rochelledaniels1338]

Barbara Headden My #1 favorite of all time!!!😍😂😁😀

[@mantisnomo5984]

_"A Whiter shade of Pale_ belongs only to Procol Harum..." ...and the Players cigarettes package!

[@whitneybrown7457]

I was meeting my very 1st boyfriend that night. This song came on, and whomever was playing 45's kept playing it over and over. Sad to say I had never heard it before even though it was 3 years old by then. Needless to say, every time I hear it now, I remember him and the coffee house where we met. I still listen over and ovwr again. I love the Denmark version the most. The richness of voice and symphonics is tremendous. This is the song that is at the top of my charts. For me, it is a sad love lost song that brings me back to one of the greatest loves in my life.

[@KS6stringer]

Like Chris, I suspect the line "as the miller told his tale", a reference to Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales".

[@havefaith3213]

I'm 64 now I heard the song many times when I was younger, but never realize how beautiful it really is. I guess sometimes you can go back and seeing things differently, you can see how beautiful some things you missed were. Like this song, A few old girlfriends that you probably should have stayed with, I'm glad I still have the time to look back. Music truly is the food of love

[@jpopelish]

Are you sure the line is "as the miller told his tale"? I think it goes, "as the mirror told its tale", a reference the later mentioned "looking glass". She saw herself looking white, in the mirror.

[@SuperNevile]

+jpopelish yep...references Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, not Carroll's "Alice Through The Looking Glass". The Miller's Tale, is actually about losing one's virginity. Also references two other English writers, Milton's "Light Fantastick", and Shakespeare's "If music be the food of love, play on""

[@SuperNevile]

GerMart It’s not an exact copy, and there are also elements of Pachelbel’s Canon in D in it, which predates Bach’s Air. Only mentioning this, as it is topical, because of Led Zepp's court case next month ;-)

[@SuperNevile]

+GerMart ...also Matt Fisher had to wait 40 years for co-writers credit when he wrote the organ part which gave the song it's distinctive and hit making potential. As Gary Brooker said at the time, they will be giving backing banjo players royalties next. So what chance JSB after 200 years.

[@junedefour5253]

This is mesmerizing and beautifully choreographed. Reminds me of my younger days!

[@OPHIOHANNAH]

After nearly fifty years I've finally looked up the lyrics to this iconic song. I can't say that I fully understand them, and the seldom heard extra lyrics are even stranger than the more noted ones, but they are interesting and do capture the imagination.

[@wilderbyderminutensell2845]

JACK KANGAROO You people are missing the point entirely, its like that Vream thing "In a Wjite Room" , now goddammit that one makes sense. silver horse, land on moonbeams, in your dark eyes, no cold pavement, good bye windows, tired starlings, restless deeds those , See? OICU812.

[@StarMakersJM]

[@jimdailey1018]

I'm trying to picture Willie Nelson doing cartwheels.

[@grahambrunning7364]

Jim Dailey

[@Spirit0Life]

With a little weed, anything is possible with Willie! :)

[@joaniev96]

Jim Dailey I can see it. He has smoked pot probably longer than you have been alive. I saw him live the first time in 1972. He could have skipped s light fandango and cartwheeled across the floor. Have you read any of the books he has written? He was wilder than a mustang in Texas. JUST hope he is safe on Maui or Kauai and not on the Big Island. Kilauea and Pele are taking the Big.Island back, been spewing lava for several days now. Waylon was too but Waylon liked coke. I read a book by him, one by Jessi and one by his oldest son. Waylon said he was on vote for 31 years He could afford it, no one was going naked or hungry. Problem is now days the illegal drugs are vontaminatrd. I do not do drugs snd never have The illegal contaminated drugs are the reason people are dying todsy. People are not dying if the get them from a reputable doctor and are in pain.when ypu take them and are not in pain gets you addicted. Sex, drugs and rock and roll.

[@anupkafle518]

The song is sweetly nostalgic. Its the Organ that hits me every time and I just can't turn the other way around. As for its lyrics, its a transcendental mosaic of psychedelic romance. Aptly titled and aptly sung - its a perfect example of how a seemingly repetitive tones can hit you where it matters and capture your imagination. Ten on ten for its full version which is so very rare. Appreciate it from within. Great work buddy!

[@cosmos4all]

totally agree

[@tonyoak2230]

I got it all wrong. I thought we skip the life and then go. instead, we skip the light fandango. I also thought that the mirror told its tale. instead, the Miller did it.

[@switch2kryptonite]

Yours just may be cooler. Lol!

[@janetequintanilha5334]

I can't help it. Even now, 2024, and througout 1968 until today, each time I hear this song it brings my at the time boyfriend Sérgio back to me. He loved it. Sweet memories...I wonder where Sérgio is...

[@MrMick51]

You may not remember, but Johnny Rivers does an Excellent cover of 'Whiter Shade of Pale.

[@calopes68]

+MrMick51 I agree. including the instrumental!

[@morningstarsr71]

in live version, the instruments are so lively, all parts are perfect! Thank you Murray!

[@MichaelSHartman]

I might be wrong, but "as the Miller told his tale" might refer to "The Miller's Tale" by Geoffrey Chaucer.

[@MichaelSHartman]

Thanks for the info.

[@bagrat22]

A miller is someone who worked in the mills, so I surmise the miller was in the bar. But who knows?

[@namafarm]

I thought ah, you are correct.. these guys were well read and the schools for mass public education were so much better.. smaller population, less students per teacher...

[@patriciosousa]

Murray That was wonderful Thanks for the effort and trouble Regards

[@zag888]

I always thought the reference to the "Miller's Tale" referred to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, specifically the Miller's Tale, which also referred to vestal virgins and their pilgrimage to the holy land in the middle ages. Please read Chaucer's story and see what you think. (I think everyone should read the Farmer's Tale just so they can understand that people in those days loved a good joke.

[@luciococeani1547]

Why isn't Bach's Air on a G string mentiond?

[@RR67890]

because it is only similar to Air on a G string. It is not the same tune.

[@colsomemiah6095]

Oh....that's what I thought...that it was sometime by Bach now I can go to sleep thank you so very

[@johnbrothers8226]

The similarity can't be coincidental. Bach came first...

[@mikaelbohlinoja]

Never have heard the two extra verses, forever thankful for your contribution, a perfect song made more perfect!

[@alskndlaskndal]

Very interesting--hope you do more of these histories! Surprised there was no mention of the Bach connection... Boy, the organ sounds fantastic in that live version!

[@altate2780]

+R.D. Dragon Bachconnection? Could you further explain?

[@СветаЛула]

We used to perform this song heard through radio Luklsemberg by the second half of sixties with our local rock band named Telstar in the city of Prizren, Serbia. thanks Mr Brooker.

[@colsomemiah6095]

Plseeeeeze tell me...always thought Bach wrote sometime like this whenI only heard it by Harem please tell me thanx

[@bohemians77]

Likely a reference, at least in part, to: “Air on a G String”; “Sleepers Wake”.

[@jockellis]

Bach wrote In A Gadda Davida or however it is spelled. A news magazine article I read said that Procol Harem lifted it note for note. IDK. But a recording a Bach fugues I have sounds like it.

[@warflynn]

Extremely interesting! I've been in awe for what seems like a million years wondering the meaning... Stunningly beautiful song indeed. Thank you

[@fenderstratguy]

These guys probably have the distinction of "The most often misspelled name of any band, ever."

[@allansorensen2098]

Murray, Thank you for the walk down memory lane!

[@carlitosredsky]

Vídeo WITH MARVELLOUS EXPLANATIONS OF A SONG, "A Whiter Shade Of Pale", and A BAND "Procol Harum" that will stay in History for this "Moment of Rare Inspiration" with this Music and Lyrics !!! Thanks Murray Burbidge for ALL THE WORK IN THIS VÍDEO !!!

[@teresahuff2209]

I've heard Percy Sledge sing this song and it was so beautiful I thought it had to be originally his. Thanks for the background on this unforgettable song. Teresa Huff

[@lolaflores5388]

I always thought it was "as the mirror told his tale" :) That would be a groovy line

[@JohnGLewis1964]

Lola Flores Interesting suggestion.

[@RalphDratman]

+Lola Flores "The Miller's Tale" is the title of the second story from The Canterbury tales, a book of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer between about 1386 and 1400.

[@JohnGLewis1964]

Ralph Dratman Yes... but what would necessarily be the relevance here?

[@RalphDratman]

+John G. Lewis I can't see any obvious connection between the song and the Chaucer story.

[@JohnGLewis1964]

Ralph Dratman Well ... I haven't read it. (Have you?) Maybe there is a connection in the tale itself..? Or I suppose that the writer of the song was more than likely merely using the title because it sounded and fit well here, in "A Whiter Shade of Pale". (....) Lola (fronting post) posited that the lyrics could rather have run: ".... As the mirror told his [its] tale ...." An interesting suggestion. What do you think? ------------------------------------------------------------- You know Ralph, I did not know this was such a massive song, with third and fourth stanzas, but only upon hearing it here. So now understanding what the song is all about, its length, complexity, meaning and depth... this would easily place it as one of the finest songs in Rock history.

[@DirtyLaundryTrueCrime]

Music lead me to a love of all things ancient rock, when musicians still had a soul and all you had was passion. Curious about the lyrics I found this video on Wikipedia and this video and is PERFECTION. I was in tears. I added this to my permanent collection, am sharing the video and want to thank you for appreciating the song enough to craft such an exquisite compliment to the legend behind the song. I will check now to see if you have more videos. I will definitely subscribe and be back. The current music will never come anywhere close to the depth and heat behind these lyrics. Chaucer would be delighted, I'm sure. ;) -Jacksonville, FL USA

[@dimethaltryptamine1]

One thing I have to say is whoever analized the lyrical content telling us what it meant has never had a psychedelic experience that was common at the time this was written. If he had done LSD his take on the lyrics pertaining to what he said would have been completely different. ;)

[@MERRYJERRYL]

+dimethaltryptamine1 IT SURELY IS ABOUT LSD...100 PERCENT FOR SURE!!!!!!!!

[@josephkerns1843]

takes me back to a Jersey shore.......great

[@hmb82559]

This song takes me everywhere Bro.

[@jennytmaher]

I was sixteen when it was released and I've always thought that it was about... and written on... an LSD trip.

[@jbr84tx]

No doubt it was written about an LSD experience. The words are just an empty shell and no one can know all of what the artist was experiencing except the one who went thru it.

[@olivijakrnic9505]

Thank You for posting that ! Beautiful song forever !!

[@KSue322]

I still don't know what the lyrics really mean.... :(

[@rosebud3971]

The main theme is hit upon with "...as the miller told his tale..." that refers to Chaucer's Tales. Go to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miller%27s_Tale

[@pallaf100]

Imagine that every mention to the "sea" or the "ocean", in truth means the sexual relationship. And every mention to go to the coast, in truth means to give up the sexual act. The "Miller's Tale" is the second from "Tales of Canterbury", a tale of sex. In this song, the singer insists with the girl, who is reluctant. She said "I'm home on shore leave" which means she wants to leave the sea (sex). But the boy won't ler her be like the vestal virgins who were leaving for the coast. At the end, she agrees and they dive into the "ocean bed" (sex act).

[@rosebud3971]

Excellently put!

[@ceriabestsb3023]

KSue LovastayDrumastay don't worry.. you're not the only one.I don't either.

[@KSue322]

Oh yes THAT music! It get's me every time I hear it! :)

[@stonepark100]

I had no idea there were other verses. They're beautiful and just add to an already great song. Thanks for sharing.

[@philiprushe9268]

The only version is the Procul Harum version - the others are just embarrassing themselves.

[@Mælka88]

I agree.

[@WALLIS3B]

Check Annie Lennox version...Not that embarrassing, although I understand you pretty well. Long live PROCOL HARUM...

[@angel4everable]

True that, because the organ music, lifted from Bach, is essential for giving this song that feeling of "other-worldiness". Annie Lennox does a nice turn on the lyrics, but her version is otherwise unremarkable.

[@THEMOJOMANsince1959]

Right ON Annie Lennox just messes it up.

[@THEMOJOMANsince1959]

Some songs should never be copied. Like Michael does songs.

[@abnerburnett3391]

I recommend the article "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Mike Butler in the book "Lives of the Great Songs". His research is impeccable, includes interviews with the songwriters, and an account of the missing verse.

[@jerrywscott]

They forgot the great version by Johnny Rivers..Maybe not the best but surely better than Willie Nelson.

[@normatible9795]

Jerry Scott plsl listen to joe cockers version. It is beautiful

[@celesteschaub3021]

Jerry Scott That's the only version I remember...of Johnny Rivers.

[@susanmaynard6054]

I have searched for the story about this song and can’t find anything. Would love for someone to tell the tale!

[@markberry3496]

Wow. You actually managed to suck the life out of a beautiful song. This is art -- it doesn't need an ocd level analysis. Just enjoy it.

[@RalphDratman]

+Mark Berry A work of art cannot have the life sucked out of it by a harsh reading or a misguided critic. Forget about all that and enjoy the song as you perceive it.

[@ratso69ful81]

+Mark Berry Bwaaaaaaa...

[@dobypilgrim6160]

I don't agree with the analysis here, but it did nothing to damage the song. Just his opinion.

[@mikelstormraven]

Thank you so much for doing this. I have loved the music for many years and was always curious about the obviously hidden meaning behind the lyrics.

[@rudygillette7186]

Nice job, but you failed to identify J Bach as the original composer. "A Whiter... is a take on Bach's "Air on a G String"

[@BREGGREN]

Rudy Gillette WOW- THANKS!

[@fishman211]

Benjamin Hunt I think the point was made quite well by Rudy but thanks for the additional information.

[@bsorrell98]

Rudy Gillette A little at the beginning and then very different.

[@nevatrejo9917]

du hast recht, mr hunt some nice musicological truffling-all true about the bach; HOWEVER the melody, ostinato bass line, and chord progressions Do Differ entirely, making the procul harem song unique unto itself, a masterpiece if you will though the provenence is unknown. i transcribed it in its entirety and made arrangements for organ and choir and organ solo and performed it for 45 some years to the delight of congregations and audiences across the country, truly a classic by any standards

[@marcio6067]

+Rudy Gillette ¨That information is part of the Legend of that eternal music , as the Bach´s Air on a G String...

[@johnmarkum2144]

Awesome, had to enjoy listening to it for 4 times before responding. Thanks for sharing, great job

[@ne007ne]

I Thought the woman was ugly and when he awoke and saw her he turned a whiter shade of pale

[@evilofisalm]

+ne007ne I read that on youtube too.

[@algs229635]

+ne007ne Eu pensei igual a tu , realmente (turned a whiter shade of pale = da margem para este pensamento

[@RR67890]

Ha ha. good one

[@danielsousasantos1596]

I'm 57yo, from Brasil. I loved this since the first time and sure it was splendid. Thanks.

[@heliotines1280]

this means just a LSD journey

[@Nikolaii2571]

I used to think that this was about an LSD-25 experience, but now I just don't know.

[@TBlue-jo2bu]

T Blue 💙💙💙💙💙💙 love's this, this is my song 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹💜💋