A Whiter Shade of Pale

"A Whiter Shade of Pale"
Single by Procol Harum
B-side"Lime Street Blues"
Released12 May 1967 (1967-05-12)
RecordedApril 1967
StudioOlympic Sound, London
Genre
Length
  • 4:03 (original single/album version)
  • 5:54 (50th anniversary stereo remix)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Denny Cordell
Procol Harum singles chronology
"A Whiter Shade of Pale"
(1967) 		"Homburg"
(1967)

"A Whiter Shade of Pale" is a song by the English rock band Procol Harum that was issued as their debut record on 12 May 1967. The single reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June and stayed there for six weeks.[10] Without much promotion, it reached number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[11] One of the anthems of the 1967 Summer of Love, it is one of the most commercially successful singles in history, having sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.[12] In the years since, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" has become an enduring classic, with more than 1,000 known cover versions by other artists.[13][14]

With its Bach-derived instrumental melody, soulful vocals, melancholic tone, and unusual lyrics, the music of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" was composed by Gary Brooker and Matthew Fisher, while the lyrics were written by Keith Reid.[15] Originally, the writing credits only listed Brooker and Reid. In 2009, Fisher won co-writing credit for the music in a unanimous ruling from the Law Lords.

In 1977, the song was named joint winner (along with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody") of "The Best British Pop Single 1952–1977" at the Brit Awards.[16] In 1998, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[17] In 2004, the performing rights group Phonographic Performance Limited recognised it as the most-played record by British broadcasting of the past 70 years[18] and Rolling Stone placed it 57th on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In 2009, it was reported as the most played song in the last 75 years in public places in the UK.[19]

The song has been included in many music compilations over the decades and has also been used in the soundtracks of numerous films and television shows, including The Big Chill, Purple Haze, Breaking the Waves, The Boat That Rocked, Tour of Duty, House M.D., Memory, Martin Scorsese's segment of New York Stories, Stonewall, Oblivion, Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's documentary series The Vietnam War, and the limited series The Offer and Billions. Cover versions of the song have also been featured in many films, for example, by King Curtis in Withnail and I and by Annie Lennox in The Net.

  1. ^ Ewing, Tom (23 May 2006). "PROCOL HARUM – "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"". Freaky Trigger. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  2. ^ Harrington, Joe S. (2002). Sonic Cool: The Life & Death of Rock 'n' Roll. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-634-02861-8.
  3. ^ Beckerman, Jim (21 March 2015). "'Walk Away Renee' collaborator Michael Brown of Englewood Cliffs, dies at 65". The Record. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ Roberts, David (2015). "Procol Harum - "A Whiter Shade of Pale". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. New York: Universe. p. 216.
  5. ^ Leggett, Steve. Various Artists - The Sixties: Psychedelic Side of Pop (2006) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  6. ^ Faubert, Shane (1998). "Procol Harum". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 895–896.
  7. ^ Lanza, Joesph (10 November 2020). "We Skipped the Light Fandango Into a Funeral Pyre". Easy-Listening Acid Trip - An Elevator Ride Through '60s Psychedelic Pop. Port Townsend: Feral House. p. 50.
  8. ^ Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Plume. p. 451. ISBN 0-452-26305-0.
  9. ^ "Deram Album Discography". bsnpubs.com. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  10. ^ "EveryHit.com". everyHit.com. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  11. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books.
  12. ^ "Procul Harum Signer Gary Brooker Wins A Whiter Shade of Pale Royalty Court Battle". The Mirror, 4 April 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  13. ^ "A Whiter Shade of Pale Versions – Martin's Collection (archive)". Archived from the original on 15 October 2004. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  14. ^ "Cover versions of Procol Harum songs". Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  15. ^ "Show 49 - The British Are Coming! The British Are Coming!: With an Emphasis on Donovan, the Bee Gees and the Who. [Part 6] : UNT Digital Library". Digital.library.unt.edu. 5 August 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  16. ^ "The BRITs 1977". Brits.co.uk. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  17. ^ Grammy Hall of Fame Award (Archived 19 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine) Grammy.org. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  18. ^ "Procol Harum Shades Rivals in UK Survey". 17 May 2004. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  19. ^ "Whiter Shade 'most played' song". BBC News. 13 April 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2012.