A Whiter Shade of Pale

"A Whiter Shade of Pale"
Song
B-side	"Lime Street Blues"

"A Whiter Shade of Pale" is a song by the British band Procol Harum. The single reached number-one in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June 1967 where it stayed for a total of six weeks.

Song profile

With its haunting tonality and Bach flavouring (both provided by Hammond organist Matthew Fisher), vocals by Gary Brooker, and unusual lyrics by Keith Reid, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" reached #1 in several countries all over the world when released in 1967.

In the years since, it has become an enduring classic. In 2004, the United Kingdom performing rights group Phonographic Performance Limited named it the most-played record by British broadcasting of the past 70 years. More than 800 recorded cover versions by other artists are known.

The original writing credits were for Brooker and Reid only. On December 20, 2006, Matthew Fisher won 40% of the music's copyright value and future royalties in a court case, but on April 4, 2008 an appeals decision reversed the earlier outcome and returned the rights to Brooker.

This song has been used in many music and movie soundtrack compilations over the decades.

There have been two versions of "Pale." One is an earlier recorded longer (5:51) alternate take of the song (that version exists in stereo). The most well-known version of the song, the one released as a single, is of shorter duration. However, nearly all released versions of the single version have been in monaural sound as no stereo master had been known to exist. A stereo incarnation of the single version has since become available on the compilation CD Dick Bartley Presents Classic Oldies: 1965-1969.

Recording and personnel

The song was performed and recorded at Olympic Studios by Gary Brooker providing the vocals and piano, Matthew Fisher on a Hammond M-102 organ, David Knights on bass and Ray Royer on guitar. Drums were provided by session drummer Bill Eyden. A few days later drums were overdubbed by the band's then newly-recruited drummer Bobby Harrison. That version, though, was considered inferior, and one of the original mono recordings was chosen for release.

Producer for the record was Denny Cordell and Keith Grant was the sound engineer.

Chart performance and acclaim

The single was released on 12 May 1967 (UK, Deram Records). It entered the UK charts on May 25, 1967. In two weeks, it had reached number one, where it stayed for six weeks. All in all, it stayed 15 weeks on the UK chart. A May 1972 re-release on Fly Records stayed in the UK charts for a total of 12 weeks, and reached number 13 as highest. In the US, it reached #5 and sold over 1,000,000 copies.

Chart positions: # 1 (UK), # 1 (Germany) , # 1 (Ireland), # 1 (Australia), # 1 (World), # 3 (Norway VG-lista), # 5 (USA Hot 100)

Over time, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" has earned extensive critical acclaim.

• It was named joint winner (along with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody") of the Best British Pop Single 1952-1977 at the BRIT Awards, part of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee.
• Rolling Stone magazine placed "A Whiter Shade of Pale" as #57 on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list in 2004.
• British TV station Channel 4 also placed the song at #19 in its chart of the 100 greatest number one singles.

Resemblance to the work of J.S. Bach

The Hammond organ line of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" was inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach's "Sleepers Awake" and "Air on a G String", but contrary to popular belief, the song is not a direct copy or paraphrase of any music by Bach.

Authorship lawsuit

In 2005, Procol Harum organist Matthew Fisher filed suit in the Royal Courts of Justice against Gary Brooker and his publisher, claiming that Fisher co-wrote the music for the song. Fisher won the case on 20 December, 2006 but was awarded a 40% share of the music copyright, rather than the 50% he was seeking and was not granted royalties prior to 2005. Gary Brooker and publisher Onward Music were granted leave to appeal, and a hearing on the matter was had before a panel of three judges during the week of October 1, 2007. The decision, on 4 April 2008, by Lord Justice Mummery, in The Court of Appeal was that even though Fisher had 'contributed the organ theme' and was thus entitled to co-authorship,, he should receive no royalties as he had taken too long (38 years) to bring his claim to litigation. Full royalty rights were returned to Brooker.

Cover versions

Hundreds of artists have covered the song. A few by well known artists:

• Angela Aki, the b-side on her Kiss Me Good-Bye single as 青い影 (Pale Shade).
• Roland Alphonso, "Hop Special" rocksteady
• Michael Bolton, covered the song in his 1999 album Timeless: The Classics Vol. 2
• Marc Bonilla, included two versions on his 1993 "American Matador" album, one Instrumental and one with vocals.
• The Box Tops, covered on The Letter/Neon Rainbow LP (November, 1967)
• Sarah Brightman, released an operatic version as a single on "A Whiter Shade of Pale/A Question of Honour" and it featured on her 2000 La Luna album.
• Richard Clayderman
• Eric Clapton in a live New Years Eve Performance with Ringo Starr on the CD Trusted Servants and a Beatle.
• Joe Cocker
• King Curtis, jazz/blues
• Alton Ellis, rocksteady
• Charly García, a Spanish version
• Girl Talk sampled it in his 2008 album Feed the Animals
• Gov't Mule, rock arrangement
• Grand Slam, a band formed by Phil Lynott on their live album Live in Ireland 1984.
• Sammy Hagar
• HSAS, performed a rock version on the Through the Fire album.
• Glenn Hughes
• Engelbert Humperdinck on his 2007 The Winding Road album.
• Pat Kelly, reggae version
• David Lanz, with Matthew Fisher on Hammond organ, performed an instrumental version
• Annie Lennox, released as the second single of her album Medusa, and became a Top 20 hit for her in the UK in 1995. The video for this version was directed by Lennox herself and Joe Dyer.
• R. Stevie Moore, on his 2004 album Tra La La La Phooey!
• Mariano Moreno, lounge version, released on Ultra-Lounge - On The Rocks, part one
• Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings, country
• Doro, German heavy metal band, on their album Force Majeure (1989).
• Dan Reeder
• Buddy Richard, a Spanish version, included in the LP Buddy Richard, en vivo en el Astor
• Frutos del País, Chilean band, as "Sin Ti"
• Johnny Rivers, pop
• Tommy Sands, (not the American) on To Shorten the Winter: An Irish Christmas
• Helge Schneider, funky free jazz
• Percy Sledge, R&B
• Wailing Souls, reggae
• Barrett Strong, Motown Soul 2008 cdbaby.com/BarrettStrong
• Big Jim Sullivan, 1968 RPM Records UK. Recently re-released on the Asian Lounge (vol 2) range from Irma Cafe.
• Bonnie Tyler, on her 1981 Goodbye To The Islands album.
• Zakk Wylde with Black Label Society covered the song in Hangover Music Volume VI
• Elliott Yamin, provided as an iTunes bonus track on his 2007 Elliott Yamin album
• Justin Hayward with Mike Batt and the London Philharmonic Orchestra
• New York Rock and Roll Ensemble, "classical baroque rock"

References to the song

• Among its many appearances in film are: a version by saxophonist King Curtis in the motion picture Withnail and I (it being Richard E. Grant's favourite song), the "Life Lessons" episode of New York Stories, the Alan Parker feature film The Commitments, where it is briefly analysed without agreement, the hit film The Big Chill whose soundtrack was also a bestseller, as the end credit music for Sandra Bullock's The Net and the TV miniseries The 10th Kingdom and the Italian movie I Cento Passi (One Hundred Steps, 2000), by Marco Tullio Giordana.
• It has been rumored that this was John Lennon's favorite song.
• Comedian Spike Milligan stated that he made a tape loop of the song so that it could run continuously.
• In the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the song is on a mixed tape Charlie makes for Patrick.
• The song can be heard playing over the house PA system just before the Jimi Hendrix Experience takes the stage at the beginning of Jimi Hendrix Experience - Live at Winterland.
• Mylo Hatzenbuhler spoof, "Whiter Shade of Pail" from album, "To All the Cows I've Milked Before"
• Tony Soprano greets his family in the morning with the chorus in the second episode of "The Sopranos"
• A piece of musical history education software in William Gibson's 1996 novel Idoru mentions the song during a discussion of its distinctive musical structure.
• A Japanese near-cover of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" is an important plot element in an episode of the tokusatsu television show Ultraman Tiga that focused on a pop singer.
• The song is heavily referenced in Oscar Zeta Acosta's Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo, the pseudo-autobiography that chronicles the Chicano's personal journey towards self-discovery in the America of the late 1960's.
• The song "I Wish I was a Punk Rocker" by Sandi Thom features the line "...and when God Saved the Queen she turned a whiter shade of pale".
• The song can be heard playing in the background during a party scene in the movie "The Falcon and the Snowman".
• Barrett Strong of Motown Fame sang 'Whiter Shade Of Pale' on his Stronghold II release on www.cdbaby.com/BarrettStrong
• The song can be heard playing in a section of the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas, which highlights events of the Sixties.