A Whiter Shade of Pale – is it really based on Bach? She said, 'There is no reason' And the truth is plain to see. Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale Lyrics | SongMeanings. Procul Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale / Bach - Air on a G String. "A Whiter Shade of Pale" is the debut song by the British band Procol Harum, released 12 May 1967. But I wandered through my playing cards. “I had the phrase ‘a whiter shade of pale,’ that was the start, and I knew it was a song,” he said. I'm a huge fan of the song A Whiter Shade of Pale. Reid overheard someone using the phrase “you’ve turned a whiter shade of pale” at a party. John Lennon was a huge fan of the song and would play it repeatedly… This was the first song Procol Harum recorded. Without much promotion, it reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. Also they have some common words on both songs ! The first verse is pretty clear to me: they are a band, they are very coked up while doing a show, skipped a light show and did everything they could to impress instead. It sold over 10 million copies. It is a great song and it perfectly captured its time. “A Whiter Shade of Pale” is one of my favorite songs, not so much for the lyrics or their meaning, but for the music. On 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' have 'skip', 'for another drink', 'the waiter brought a tray' and ' the truth is plain to see', On 'A Hazy Shade Of Winter' have 'carry your cup in your hand', ' an easy to thing to say' and 'drinking my vodka and lime' they took it casually together but the woman got carried away. I was troubled to find the article on your website by the now-anonymous contributor (above). The single reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June 1967 and stayed there for six weeks. 11. A Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum was released in 1967. Reid formed Procol Harum in 1967 with Gary Brooker, becoming an official member even though he didn't sing or play any instruments. It went to #1 in the UK and #5 in the US. They may well skip the light fandango and turn cartwheels across the floor, but Procul Harum are also some of the cheekiest pop borrowers we can think of. The story of “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” started with a phrase overheard by lyricist Keith Reid. Musicologist, Allan Moore deconstructs the track and dismisses the almost universally accepted idea that it … Most art can be interpreted in multiple ways. It's about a relationship. My intepretation is that it's about a man who lost his woman who died because of drugs.