The track A Whiter Shade of Pale was released on 12 May 1967 (UK, Deram Records). It entered the UK charts on 25 May 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.
A live version of the track can be heard here A Whiter Shade of Pale (live)
Chart positions:
# 1 (UK)
# 1 (Germany)
# 1 (Ireland)
# 1 (Australia)
# 1 (World)
# 3 (Norway VG-lista)
# 5 (USA Hot 100)
A Whiter Shade of Pale
Procol Harum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
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
And so it was that later
Procol Harum's song A Whiter Shade of Pale is a popular psychedelic rock anthem released in 1967. The lyrics tell a story of a night of revelry and drinking, where the singer and his partner dance until the room spins and the ceiling flies away. They continue to drink and dance as the crowd cheers, and at some point, the singer's partner turns white and ghostly, despite claiming there's no reason for it.
The second and third verses provide more context to the story. The singer confesses to being distracted by his playing cards, even though he was with one of sixteen vestal (chaste) virgins who were leaving for the coast. Both verses end with the line "that her face, at first just ghostly / Turned a whiter shade of pale," suggesting that something supernatural or ominous was happening to the singer's partner.
Line by Line Meaning
We skipped the light fandango
We danced carefree and joyfully
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
We twirled around and did acrobatics
I was feeling kinda seasick
I was drunk and dizzy from the excitement
The crowd called out for more
The audience demanded an encore
The room was humming harder
The sound and energy of the music intensified
As the ceiling flew away
The atmosphere felt surreal and dreamlike
When we called out for another drink
We wanted to keep the party going
The waiter brought a tray
The server brought us more drinks to continue the celebration
And so it was that later
After the party was over and time had passed
As the miller told his tale
As someone else shared their story
That her face, at first just ghostly
The woman's pale face was initially hard to see
Turned a whiter shade of pale
But then her face became even paler, almost ghostly white
She said 'there is no reason'
The woman stated that there was no explanation
And the truth is plain to see
But the reality is evident
But I wandered through my playing cards
The singer was lost in his own thoughts and distractions
Would not let her be
He couldn't stop thinking about her
One of sixteen vestal virgins
She was one of many pure and chaste women
Who were leaving for the coast
They were all going on a trip to the seaside
And although my eyes were open
Even though the singer was aware of his surroundings
They might have just as well've been closed
He was so preoccupied that he wasn't really paying attention to anything else
Lyrics ยฉ Onward Music Limited
Written by: Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@riancreamer6904
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
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 just as well have 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
And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
@billmason2785
My wife loved this song....She listened to it....a week before passing from cancer 1.13.24......age 77.....Rest in peace my Michelle โค
@PugLover9955
Sorry for your loss ๐ ๐
@rico_realty
:(
@wandakeeton4575
๐ขSo sorry for her passing ๐
@user-wv5sp7hu2v
Sorry for your Loss ๐๐น๐๐บ
@dottiesanchez1959
She has great taste in music God Bless ๐๐น
@franabreu7594
Gary Brooker died at the age of 76. (R.I.P.) 02.19.2022 Cancer. A remarkable and unforgettable voice. I Love You, Gary. I Love Procol Harum. ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ
@cesarrobles1699
R.I.P ๐
@hiandionotan3027
Turut berdukacita
@saryratha
Mr Brooker lived a full life and left us with forever memory..... RIP