Originally, Gregorian was conceived as a more pop-oriented group in the vein of Enigma. Under this concept, they recorded the 1991 album Sadisfaction, with lead vocals provided by The Sisters of Oz: Susana Espelleta (Peterson's wife at the time) and Birgit Freud. However, this was the only album in that style.
In 1998, Peterson and his team Jan-Eric Kohrs, Michael Soltau and Carsten Heusmann re-invented the project to perform popular songs in the Gregorian style. The criteria for song selection were strict; in order to be considered, a song needed to be translatable into the 7-tone scale. For each album, songs were carefully chosen in addition to original songs written by Jan-Eric Kohrs, Amelia Brightman and Carsten Heussman. Twelve vocalists - previously acclaimed session and choir singers - were then hired to record the tracks.
Each Gregorian album is initially digitally tracked at Nemo Studios, Peterson's Hamburg studio. The vocalists then record their parts in a church atmosphere with dimmed lights and candles, in order to escape what Peterson referred to in a 2001 interview as the "cold and technical" studio atmosphere.
The concept proved to be successful, and the group proceeded to record several more Masters of Chant albums in the same style. Their 2004 album, The Dark Side, was a slight departure from the others, featuring a darker repertoire consistent with the title.
In 2005, The Masterpieces, a compilation album with a live DVD, was released. A fifth Masters of Chant album was released on 31 March 2006. In 2006, a festive album was also released, titled Christmas Chants. A sixth Masters of Chant album was released on 28 September 2007. In 2009 a seventh Masters of Chant album followed.
Gregorian in 2009
On 8 September 2010 the next album, titled The Dark Side of Chant, was announced to be published on 15 October 2010.
The members of the Gregorian choir group are Richard Naxton (Naxos), Johnny Clucas (Johnny), Chris Tickner (Chris T.), Richard Collier (Rich), Gerry O'Beirne (Gerry), Lawrence White (Lorro) and Rob Fardell (Rob F.).
Others who contribute to the vocals or sound of Gregorian are Sarah Brightman (under the pseudonyms Hepsibah or Sarah Hellmann), Amelia Brightman (Sarah Brightman's younger sister), Frank Peterson, and staff of Nemo Studio among others.
A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Gregorian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
But 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
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
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
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
The lyrics of Gregorian's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" describe a surreal and poetic experience that seems to be taking place within the mind of the singer. The first stanza begins with the lines "We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels 'cross the floor." The phrase "skipped the light fandango" is a reference to an old dance from the 17th century, which makes the line feel like a nostalgic throwback to a different time. The second line is more fanciful, with the idea of someone turning cartwheels across the floor suggesting a sense of playfulness, freedom, and perhaps even a sense of disorientation. This is reinforced by the next lines: "I was feeling kinda seasick, but the crowd called out for more." Here we get a sense that the singer is being swept along by something larger than themselves, as if they are caught up in a whirlwind of experience that they cannot control.
The second stanza shifts focus to a particular person – "her face, at first just ghostly, turned a whiter shade of pale" – and suggests that what was once a joyous and perhaps even carefree experience has taken a darker turn. The singer seems to be trying to find some kind of explanation or context for what has happened, but "there is no reason, and the truth is plain to see." The final image of "one of sixteen vestal virgins who were leaving for the coast" feels almost dreamlike, and it is unclear whether the singer is describing something that actually happened or whether it is purely a product of their own imagination.
Overall, the lyrics of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" are open to multiple interpretations, and the surreal imagery and dreamlike quality to the writing create an atmosphere of mystery and intrigue. The song has become a classic of popular music, and its haunting melody and poetic lyrics continue to captivate listeners today.
Line by Line Meaning
We skipped the light fandango
We danced with such grace and energy that it felt like we were jumping up and down like the Fandango, a Spanish folk dance
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
We were so ecstatic that we flipped upside down and somersaulted across the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
I was starting to feel dizzy and nauseous from all the spinning and dancing
But the crowd called out for more
Even though I wasn't feeling well, the crowd was enjoying our performance and wanted us to keep going
The room was humming harder
The energy and excitement in the room was increasing, everyone was caught up in the moment
As the ceiling flew away
The feeling was so intense, it was as if the ceiling disappeared and we were dancing under the open sky
When we called out for another drink
The waiter brought a tray
Even though we were getting carried away, the waiter was attentive and brought us what we asked for
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
As the storyteller spoke, the woman's face turned pale and her expression shifted from ghostly to pure white
She said, 'There is no reason
And the truth is plain to see.'
The woman tried to explain that there was no logical explanation for her sudden change in demeanor and appearance
But I wandered through my playing cards
And would not let her be
The artist was preoccupied with his own thoughts and did not pay much attention to the woman's distress
One of sixteen vestal virgins
Who were leaving for the coast
The woman was one of sixteen young, chaste women who were departing for the shoreline
And although my eyes were open
They might have just as well've been closed
The artist was physically present and watching what was happening, but his mind was elsewhere and he wasn't really paying attention
Contributed by Skyler T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@anzor1514
We skipped the light fandango
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
But the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
And the waiter brought a tray
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
She said, "There is no reason
And the truth is plain to see."
But I wandered through my playing cards
And they would not let her be
One of sixteen vestal virgins
Who were leaving for the coast
And although my eyes were open wide
They might have just as well been closed
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
@anzor1514
We skipped the light fandango
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
But the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
And the waiter brought a tray
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
She said, "There is no reason
And the truth is plain to see."
But I wandered through my playing cards
And they would not let her be
One of sixteen vestal virgins
Who were leaving for the coast
And although my eyes were open wide
They might have just as well been closed
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
@ralphpinkston5033
Mlbay G
@Wolverines77
As is par for the course, another amazing rendering of a masterpiece. It is too tough of a call to make it my favorite version as the live symphonic version performed live in Denmark (2006) is SO chillingly powerful.
@italoeliasvernizi9906
MASTERPIECE!!
@bozenademolka2083
cudowny utwór
@henrystgermain1011
Love it !!!
@marctmello
The most beautiful song from 20th century..
@GabrielJM
So true! An absolute classic from a period that was so abundant with classics....
@rutefaria8183
Lindissima, parabéns.💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
@exgames226
Amei, lindíssima.