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Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum

 
Anonymous Coward
User ID: 122075
United States
07/26/2006 01:52 PM
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Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum
[link to www.youtube.com]
Indigo
User ID: 101239
United States
07/26/2006 01:55 PM
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Re: Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum
One of sixteen vestral virgins.....

One of the best songs ever written.

Peace
shibumi2

User ID: 74188
United States
07/26/2006 02:29 PM
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Re: Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum
pretty clear that DRUGS were involved at some point
Celador

User ID: 2996
United States
07/26/2006 02:34 PM
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Re: Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum
Annie Lennox's version is great, too.
Did you know the original melody's
undertone was based on Bach's Air
for the G, probably why it's so
haunting.



trio
In the gap between your thoughts shines something far brighter than the sun, more profound than all of the universe...and too beautiful to even imagine
LittleBird

User ID: 122515
Switzerland
07/26/2006 03:15 PM
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Re: Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum
the original melody's
undertone was based on Bach's Air
for the G, probably why it's so
haunting.
 Quoting: Celador


Yes, that does seem to be part of the reason why the song is so very haunting...


"A part of the melody is based on the Johann Sebastian Bach's Cantata 140, also known as 'Sleepers Awake' [the original German title is Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme], which is Bach's transcription of the fourth movement of the Cantata of the same name. More so, however, the song is based on Bach's 'Air for G String': if you hear that, you certainly recognise 'A Whiter Shade of Pale', but it is different enough to say that Procol Harum's song is more than an adaptation of Bach's 'Air for G String'."


"The electric organ line of 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' was inspired by the Johann Sebastian Bach cantata 'Sleepers Awake', but contrary to some belief, the song is not a direct copy or paraphrase of this or any other Bach piece. It was combined with a melody flavoured by Bach but also styled after soul singer Percy Sledge's 1966 classic 'When A Man Loves A Woman'. Sledge loved Procol Harum's composition so much that he added it to his live repertoire.

Indeed besides its haunting tonality, 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' is best known for its equally inscrutable lyrics, which, despite a huge upswell among the Internet fans of Procol Harum, Gary Brooker has disclaimed any intention of ever explaining or assigning additional meaning.

Another interpretation is that the song held odd and unrelated lyrics, possibly from a poem by Reid about boy/girl relationships that used sailing metaphors, which were a pun on or spoof of the psychedelic songs written at the time which had bizarre metaphors and droll phrases.

It has been said that John Lennon, in 1967, loved this song so much that he would listen to it through headphones over & over during long journeys in the back of his limo. Upon reaching his destination, he would remain lying on the back seat, saying he had to hear it a few more times before getting out of the car."

Beam me up, Scotty! Beam me up soon!
Never mind, Scotty, cuz... "There is no spoon"
Celador

User ID: 2996
United States
07/26/2006 03:48 PM
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Re: Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum
Thank you for that, LittleBird

:)

I love Bach; this reminds me of his
music (and cathedrals/frozen music):

A universal beauty showed its face;
The invisible deep-fraught significances,
Here sheltered behind forms' insensible screen,
Uncovered to him their deathless harmony
And the key to the wonder-book of common things.

In their uniting law stood up revealed
The multiple measures of the uplifting force,
The lines of the World-Geometer's technique,
The enchantments that uphold the cosmic web
And the magic underlying simple shapes.

-- Ghose
In the gap between your thoughts shines something far brighter than the sun, more profound than all of the universe...and too beautiful to even imagine
Anonymous Coward
User ID: 122506
Canada
07/26/2006 05:16 PM
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Re: Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum
Good ole drugs. If it wasn't for drugs we'd still be listening to lame crap like Elvis





GLP