Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade Of Pale (1967)

In summer of 1967 rock music was something you'd hear on the radio, a jukebox, or perhaps from a phonograph or reel-to-reel tape. Some parts of the US, Canada, and elsewhere were already broadcasting rock music on FM radio, in stereo whenever possible since many recordings were still in monaural. But for the most part, the world was still tuned to the AM band. Unless you heard a song on relatively sophisticated equipment from a reasonably close distance, you usually did not hear it under the best of conditions. It was not unusual at that time to have to guess at what some (or in some cases, all) of the lyrics were actually saying. If you could afford the LP the song was on, you might get an album cover that had the lyrics printed on the back, but most of the time the lyrics were not available. Such was the case when I first heard A Whiter Shade Of Pale in the summer of '67 at the beach, courtesy of a well-stocked jukebox. As I lay there at the clueless age of 13 on a large beach towel taking in sun, I was entranced by its loveliness and, never having heard Procol Harum, came to believe that Gary Brooker's powerful, soulful vocal was indeed that of a singer like Percy Sledge or some new soul artist. The classical organ was a great touch, but this was still soul music I thought.

What he was singing about I didn't have a clue! It didn't help that the lyricist was actually a poet and one who employed metaphor in a way not usually found in rock lyrics. Jim Morrison of The Doors was also a poet and could be just as inscrutable at times. Thanks to the Internet, most lyrics are available online as well as some personal anecdotes concerning the songs discussed by the groups and artists. So now we know this is about a couple dating, drinking and dancing up a storm in some pub, the patrons are enjoying the dancing and encouraging them to continue, but the young man is getting dizzy and tired, so they stop and sit down at their cozy little spot. The two order another drink, but they get a tray full of drinks instead, courtesy of the patrons buying them a round. Later, when things quiet down, the miller or barkeep regales upon his patrons a tale, apparently one that may be a good old fashioned ghost story. The impact of his story-telling is such that the girlfriend's face turns white. One verse later, she becomes one of sixteen vestal virgins getting ready to leave for sea in the mind of the young man dating her. Of course his muse-like date is someone he wants to get into a bedroom as soon as possible. All this of course being sung metaphorically as a kind of mariner's odyssey at sea.

This song became a major hit in both the UK and US, released in May 1967. It peaked at #1 in the UK on June 8 and #5 in the US on Billboard and Cash Box on August 12, 1967.