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Photos courtesy of Rasputin
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
-A Whiter Shade of Pale, Procol Harem
Blue-eyed blonde Krystyna from Ukraine trips the light fandango in white pants and red-patterned top; then turns a whiter shade of pale in her purple dress in a field of green.
A Whiter Shade of Pale
Today’s youtube is A Whiter Shade of Pale by the English rock band Procol Harem. The songwriter was recorded in 1967 and reached number 1 on the charts in the UK. It was also a top-ten hit in the U.S. The phrase “a whiter shade of pale” has entered the English lexicon through this song.
A Whiter Shade of Pale has become a standard part of the rock reportoire, and is one of the most played and popular songs of all time, and deservedly so. The lyrics are well crafted and the melody and harmony are masterfully done. The chord progression has a 3 on 4 pattern that is very unlike most popular songs. If you search for it on youtube, you can find covers of it by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, and many other performers.
The haunting organ melody is inspired by a Johan Sebastian Bach piece titled “Air on the G-string“, the second movement from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068. This was written sometime around 1720.
The opening line “We skipped the light fandango” mixes “trip the light fantastic” meaning to dance nimbly, which originated in a poem L’Allegro by John Milton, published in 1645, and the Spanish waltz “the fandango”.
Vocals and piano were by Gary Brooker and Matthew Fisher played the Hammond -102 organ. David Knights was on bass, Ray Royer on guitar and Bill Eyden on drums.
Here is the music video. The boys are filmed around and about London and Trafalga Square.
A BBC television appearance by Procol Harem performing A Whiter Shade of Pale
This is a stero-mixed version.
A Whiter Shade of Pale performed by Annie Lennox. This recording uses a harpsichord in place of the Hammond organ part to good effect. The vocal performance by Annie Lennox is outstanding.
Here’s excellent original rendition of A Whiter Shade of Pale by Moonalice in 2009:
An instrumental version by a great guitarist, Marc Bonilla
PROCOL HAREM: A Whiter Shade of Pale Lyrics
Key: C
(Instro Intro)
We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels ‘cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick, 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
CHORUS
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
(Instro break)
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’ve been closed
CHORUS
(Instro break)
CHORUS
Additional verses:
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
Chords
INTRO
C C Am C
F F Dm F
G G Em G
C F G G
VERSE
C C Am C
F F Dm F
G G Em G
C C Am C
F F Dm F
G G Em G
C C Am C
F F Dm G
CHORUS
C C Am C
F F Dm F
G Em G
C F C G
See A Whiter Shade of Pale on Wikipedia.
