Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale

[PoliteTia]

Gorgeous video! Great find Glurk :-)

[imaginerie1]

souvenir...ils n' ont rien perdu de leur charme et ils sont toujours d 'actualité.chapeau bas ,messieurs.

[soulflytribe67]

Excellent song and video

[ccecstatic]

Hey very cool! I grew up in the grounds of Witley Court, lovely to see it in a pop video! Thanks for sharing, Caroline

[bombsmacked]

great song thanks for taking the time to upload

[inogi339]

Great song of all times~~

[SuperChepots]

nice song... !!!!!! 

[thekilling13]

im 14. i saw this song on pirate radio and fell in love with it;] and yes i know i should be watching that movie but... that whole movie filled with music that made me feel something that music now doesnt. to me rock n roll will always live on. if not in the new records of today in the hearts of the youth like me ;]

[mrmjb1960]

At the time of this recording,the group consisted of Brooker,Reid,Fisher and two who'd left shortly after the session,Roy Eyden and another member...they would be replaced by B.J. Wilson and another member..Wilson dubbed his drums alongside Roy's on the released version of "Homburg",also recorded at those '67 session.

[VeronikRosa]

Awesome song,brings back great memories from the sixties.

Muchas gracias for the lyrics....estupndo!

[lily8236]

great song !!!

[keylemtp]

Is that Robin Trower on the guitar? Mabe in Red coat?

[anibalnikov47]

@1.47 epic !

[mrornsby]

never mind the bullocks, just enjoy B)

[SuperEKARAJ]

Good song Good music video Good content thanks Mr.Procol Harum

[gummibroetchen]

i have always loved this song. But only this here, the original of 1967 sung and played by Procol Harum!

[tigger16x]

First time I heard this song it was my last day at school, I will always remember this great song, nice one lads

[zynjan]

#126 Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale best songs of the 60s

[arthurkitchener]

Thats Ray Royer on guitar who was procol Harums first Guitarist.He left the band with Drummer Bobby Harrison to form a band called Freedom.Bobby harrison did not play Drums on''Whiter shade of pale''.A session Drummer was used on that.

[1FISHEY]

i thought Robin trower was in this band but i did not see him

[steveconn]

this inspired i am the walrus, but is much prettier.

[sebastiansap2003]

The 60s and 70s music, is totally mind blowing!!

[Wattsini1]

Does anyone know what all the settings and drawbars is on the organ? I'd love to get an organ that matches that sound.

[spacepatrolman]

@Wattsini1 In not 100 percent sure but keith emerson uses 888000000 like booker t. jones could be the same for mathew fisher

[aniagniech]

...beautiful.....

[lisaluvsjoee]

That guy looks like Jasper Cullen (Vampire) from the Twilight Saga. Scary!!

[tetrisclock]

For God's sake don't bring up Twilight on Whiter Shade of Pale...

[MegaMaxleon]

2 deaf people listenend to this ........... they disliked it because they heard nothing

[drohegda]

@MegaMaxleon one of my all time favorite masterpieces of rock music. For me it has that haunting sound. What a voice on Gary Brooker who also wrote and arranged this beauty. Thank for the video.

[SWEETSISTER1969]

@MegaMaxleon Can you say mental midget

[joguipe]

Pra mim, esta é a melhor musica de todos os tempos. Demais, letra inteligente, melodia incrivelmente bonita e envolvente, ouço esta musica desde 1970 umas 3 vezes por semana e não enjoarei nunca de ouvi-la.

[SuperNevile]

Interestlingly, this is the line up before the classic line up ~ Trower on lead and B.J. Wilson on drums. This video was banned because of the 'nam footage, but the classic TOTP featured Trower and Wilson. Neither Harrison playing drums here and Wilson played on the original record, it was jazz session drummer Bill Eyden who layed down the classic drum track

[titan511]

This song is the bee's knees. Gary Brooker is hauntingly amazing. For one of his other works and one my top 3 songs, check out 'Limelight' by The Alan Parsons Project featuring Gary Brooker on lead vocals.

[designguy50]

Who the hell is that ONE IDIOT that hates this song?!

[TheChrisDahl]

@designguy50 me

[drohegda]

@designguy50 he fell asleep at the mouse.

[SWEETSISTER1969]

@designguy50

The one that thinks Jessica Simpson is the best singer ever! What a fool! Give her a Q-Tip so she can clean out those ears of hers, cause she obviously has problems hearing. Nothing worse than straight up ignorance. I hear it fine and absolutely love it.

[LadyWard1st]

The building in this video is Witley Court, Worcs. A fire in 1937 damaged the building, and with subsequent abandoment & stripping of the roof & fireplaces etc., the mansion became a ruin. Although the property has changed somewhat since the video was shot, it still remains very atmospheric....

[LadyWard1st]

Video building scenes filmed at Witley Court, Worcs. This site has changed somewhat since the video was shot... yet still remains today as atmospheric has it's always been. A fire in 1937 partially damaged the building & with abandoment & subsequent stripping of the roof, interior fireplaces etc, Witley Court became a ruin.

[bluejean74]

This would be a good song to use for the upcoming Dark Shadows movie starring Johnny Depp.  A good vampire song.

[SWEETSISTER1969]

@bluejean74

Find a different song to put in your vampire movie, cuz ur way off base.

[jazevedo1956]

Muito obrigado por partilhar este vídeo.

Para mim,este,é o slow dos slows;fora de série.

Um abraço de Portugal.

José

[colognefootballnews]

Once again - Ein weiterer Old-School-Song A Whiter Shade of Pale wurde am 12. Mai 1967 veröffentlicht und erreichte Platz 1 der englischen Charts. Die Idee für das Lied kam dem änger während einer Party. Es ist anzunehmen, dass Reid verschiedene bildliche Eindrücke von einer Party aneinander gereiht hat, die vermutlich den Zustand während eines Drogenrausches beschreiben, und er zudem von einem mystischen weiblichen Partygast inspiriert wurde (Wikipedia) .. na, ja .. siehmaleinerguck .. ;-)

[KAPNIZW]

The brightness of the music ..... a masterpiece !!!!!!

[jsyhsph]

Also one of my favorite songs...graduated from high school in 1967

[bowwow1964]

24 years ago my now ex wife walked down the isle to this song as she loved it

[morninggirls]

1967 i was only 7 years old then...now am 50 got goosebumps whenever i hear songs like this...fantastic...

[cappy84486]

Great song to dance slow with someone special.

[danagal79]

tuff stuff, stevie winwood vocal/organ. Im gonna wet my paints now

[freespyrit]

@danagal79 pardon?  no it's not stevie winwood!

gary brooker.

[ttr0Oper]

i hope, that that one voice of dislike was made by a drunk man, that wanted to pres the "like" button....

[platovid4]

question what other song by Procol harum gave title to the album

[Bigstooler0]

@platovid4 A Salty Dog

[landheart01forever]

this is best song of 20th century

[pauldaly247]

i love this song,,but the music dates back a powered wig or so,.!!Napolean wars ??

[rockyraccoon1979]

I LOVE the sound of the Hammond B-3 organ. Sounds so haunting but at the same time relaxing.

[eireisthebest]

There's no link to Air on a G String ? haha

[303430]

OMG!  I'm 45 y/o and have always thought this was the Grateful Dead that did this tune....

[empathy97]

Frame 1:56 is simply a work of art...awesome...

[boliwar41]

Down with capitalism and Zionism!

Never again war!

[vonyvone]

still no oneeeeeeeeee

[Mrjosepsaragih]

very nice song

[eclipsedu25]

To my mind, it's the most beautiful song in the world...

[mschoonmaker14]

@eclipsedu25 Ozzy also spoke highly of this song in time mag.

[myyellowshirt]

I first listened to this because of a cover of Annie Lennox ( okay no comments on that one ), then I just had to listen to the original. There's this sense of loss, a sense of magic and a sense of keeping with it even if the magic is gone. Besides that I love his voice. So true somehow.

[bagrat22]

Bizarre lyrics are why we listen, admire and try to decipher these lyrics. The greatest era of music will never die. And I haven't figured out the lyrics 43 year later.

[seenherdressedinblue]

@bagrat22 I'll give you a hint. It's about a breakup ;-)

[rp316117]

The lyrics are quite difficult . I have poured over them and I think they are simply about a girl who gets drunk and feels very pale. She is not sure if she has been in involved in some form of sexual delinquency.She still considers herself a vestal virgin (virgin) even though she had her eyes closed(was dead drunk).She is told by someone what actually happened and she is horrified (a white shade of pale)The songs words are poor but the music and the the sound of the words is great.

[jacesan]

You actually pored over them, but that's okay.

Peace

[rp316117]

@jacesan ,I checked and you are right ,it is pored. I will have to learn to spell.However the words to this song are amazingly difficult to understand. What do you think they mean.

[Avenger325]

I personally, against common ideas, don't think it has anything to do with sexual seduction or an LSD trip. I've listened to a lot of Procol Harum and thought a lot about Keith Reid's lyrics and I don't think that is really where he'd be aiming on this one...

I interpret it to be about an enchanting and almost intoxicating night spent with a woman, almost to a surreal extent. He talks about doing a fandango with her and the crowd calling out for more but all he wants is to sit it out...

[Avenger325]

and I think he wants to make a move and make her his own but doesn't know what to do. He talks about wandering through his playing cards (fate? ideas?) and I think the line about virgins leaving for the coast isn't that he's going to seduce her, it's that he's just going to keep her from leaving. I think the chorus is just about interactions she was having with other people at the party, her feeling very disconnected from the world as well.

[Avenger325]

I kinda think the song is metaphorical and tells this story for any time life is moving too fast and you just want to relax, love, enjoy yourself, etc, and a bit of trying to actually go for things you want, like a woman. And sorry for three posts, stupid character limit, lol.

[jacesan]

Psychedelics were prominent around that time, and if "a room is humming harder as the ceiling flew away" I can only guess that someone was having a bad trip. Been there, done that.

I like..."and although my eyes were open, they might just as well've been closed"

The lyrics are brilliant, and the melody is hauntingly awesome. I don't care for much of the music from this era, but this one is a gem.

[seenherdressedinblue]

@jacesan Actually, drugs weren't a big influence on this (according to Keith Reid), According to him, the song describes a couple breaking up at a party and the feelings going along with that. Such as the increasing awareness of the noise of the crowd at a party which would 'hum' and that shrinking feeling you might get, hence the ceiling getting farther away from you. Some fo the more cryptic metaphors were inspired by the classic literature he'd been reading at the time.

[jacesan]

Thanks for clearing that up. I just assumed because of my experiences, and that was wrong. Should've done more research before running my mouth...errr keyboard.

[seenherdressedinblue]

@jacesan lol. No worries. You're quite welcome. For some reason, there aren't very many interviews with Procol Harum members, and the lyrics are quite cryptic unless you know what the song's about.

[seenherdressedinblue]

Well, hit me over the head with an obvious-stick... a friend of mine just let me know that "The Miller's Tale" is about infidelity.

[jacesan]

Nice research! Now we now why they were breaking up. lol

[Avenger325]

@jacesan Yeah, we can all agree it is an amazing song. And I will say one thing, even if we do disagree about meanings, I'm delighted that we had a pleasant conversation about it here on this page, lol, most Youtube comment areas are just violent arguing and trolling. But actually, one other note, Keith Reid stated in an interview he had never read any Chaucer before writing this and it wasn't intentional.

[sapphiretaurus]

@jacesan There's a treasure trove of great music from this era. Give it a try.

[steve371970]

The magnificent fountains in this video have been restored to there former glory. It puzzles me why this group from down south in London would come all the way to Worcestershire to shoot a couple of minutes of film.

[con04167]

The House In This video Is Great Whitly Court, Worcestershire, England

[januschii]

i'm 17 too and i love this. people just don't make this kind of music anymore

[mang4lewisk]

Long live great music and musicianship

[mang4lewisk]

i love this song, im 14 and i cant belive the music that is comeing out nowadays. the pop music nw is totaly laghible compairedto this masterpiece and others alike. i cant belive so many people in my school listen to utter bollocks, like total shit music that has no talent what so ever involved in the making of this So called "music". i am trying to get people to understand what they are listening to nowadays is shit and they should listen to real music like this.

[42bettyb]

mang, I am 67 and I totally agree with you and so does my 43 yr. old son...

[alcalaed]

I have to admit that your comments, along with listening for the thousandth time have shivered me. Because it comes from a generation which is opening their eyes, and all thanks to YOUTUBE. I'm deeply moved. Hope it keeps spreading and we'll soon have better human beings in our planet... Thx for your input mate...

[LamborghiniDon93]

@mang4lewisk

Good on you,i have always loved this kind of music IT IS REAL and it,s not from my generation eitgher you are quite young and you love this music i think thats fantastic,:-)

[brettdude92]

I'm 17, And i couldn't agree more with you mate!

I just wish More teenagers were more like us.

[z3driv3r]

@mang4lewisk you´re damm right!! keep listening to good music like this, try listening moody blues, yes, king crimson and kansas too (and many others)

[mang4lewisk]

@z3driv3r allready listen to moody blues and yes and KC, 21st century skitzoid man !

[MrBonebus]

@mang4lewisk maby the artist should smoke more weed?

[lorac37]

@mang4lewisk

At age of 14 where did you get such a filthy mouth?

[mang4lewisk]

@lorac37 All my "Peers" at school its the ling it catches on, as specially if your upset about how the ship is sinking (if music wer a boat) but i do appollagize if i have offended you ! peace

[camaroontree]

@mang4lewisk The song is actually about a guy who loses his virginity under the influence of drugs. I read this during and interview.

[soylentgreenb]

@mang4lewisk 99% of everything is crap. This was as true in the 60's as it is now. As time passes the crap is forgotten and the 1% that was good is kept fresh in memory by continuing to play and talk about the music. The problem with contemporary music is not the lack of good music; it's the 99% hasn't been stripped away yet.

[aguacaterpiller]

@mang4lewisk  BRAVO BRAVO!!!

[specia1airservice]

@mang4lewisk

Oh fuck off you pompous little prick.

There was shit music when this was released too.

There is good and bad music for every generation.

You should try looking beyond the charts...the "bollocks" is you.

[cerronevado]

@mang4lewisk You have got extremely good taste in music I'm 55 now and I don't expect the younger folks to like the old stuff the fact that you do means that people are still listening to everything there is and are willing to judge music on the basis of quality and not generation I know that younger folk like you who care to listen will go beyond the old music to make your own great music, congratulations on your good taste for good music wherever it comes from

[pinchejoe]

@mang4lewisk Hey mang; I bet you got really cool parents ,ya I agree this is REAL

[888checkme]

I dont get this song.what is it about? there are too many english words that I dont understand...

[gfrancisbrown]

I think it's from The Canterbury Tales, wherein the Miller tells a scandalous story to the Innkeepers Wife or about the Inkeepers Wife or some such thing, does anyone know the story I'm referring to?

[aperpetualsuffering]

yeah, kinda.

[ZIPPTPH77]

Yeah the Chaucer stories, funny stuff.....

[meggiblu]

The song that is to each listener that which he interprets it to be. It was said by the writer he hoped it could be such a song.

[poeticinspire]

It actually was popular DURING the summer of 1967. It's always been associated with Vietnam since so many of our boys were being drafted and leaving for there at that time.

[strangetribe]

Regardless of what it may or may not be about , it is one of my favourite songs of all time..It is soul piercing

[hippoism1]

you are so right. i think a part of beeing human is longing for something you do not know what it is. you are sad and you just know that there must be something more and thissong expresses it all

[dianelynn13]

I send this out to you Larry...our song!!!

[paul7494]

From what I have read it was a lark, they were poking fun. It was considered a heavy record by many but it was really just to make fun of how "heavy" records were getting in the '60's.

[kumatosky]

to much lsd in his brain man !!!!!!

[pTruong94]

I heard this song was about Vietnam? Someone collaborate?

[Rayarena]

Actually, the song is supposed to be about a sexual seduction [i.e "he wouldn't let her be one of 16 vestal virgins that were leaving for the coast"], but, the lyrics are so dense and the wording is so unclear [it even borrows from the "Canterbury Tales"] that many people thought that it had to do with an LSD trip. Of course the trippy music added to the confusion.

Personally, I was let down when I heard that it had to do with a seduction. I was sure it had to do with LSD.

[11xzxzxz]

Actually I think no one really knows what the song is about except the writer. A lot first thought it was about death and provided good support. But then it was decided that is was too personal to be interpreted. Well I wish I knew but it is still a great great song.

[Rayarena]

11xzxzxz,

I hope that you are right and it's open to interpretations. I mentioned the seduction thing because I read it somewhere and the source [which I can't remember now] was pretty good. In any case, a song about a seduction would be a big let down to me, because it's really sounds like a song about an LSD trip more than anything else. It was after 1967, the Summer of Love when it came out.

[JonB83]

prob an LSD trip?

[edwardlover88]

i actually realyl like this song

[Lowry42]

The original is the best, but I also like the Paul Potts and the Sarah Brightman versions. It's hard to believe that this song has been around for over 40 years and harder still to admit i was around for the original.

[HeatherMichelle36]

What a wonderful song! I love it.

[josexara]

superbe chanson 5*****

[landru007]

chevere de la ptm oe causa esta de la ptm este video,muy bueno de la ptm jajajaja chochera o eres mujer...

[voyageur555]

Thanx ste 371970, I was wondering where they shot the clip. Kind of amazing such a ruined castle in England, isn't?...

[steve371970]

Some of the footage in the video was shot on location of Witley Court in Worcester.

[marcegambler]

eeeee!!!! meu deus! bonitíssimo vídeo, bem cru... por que tantas cenas da guerra? j rivers é um idolo!!! marcelo, da argentina.

[nskoala85]

what a fantastic song!

[2sdaysonthefon2me]

Most beautiful song of all time!

[operajdflorez]

Thank you very much for posting !

[so394]

Uauuuuuuuuu!! wonderful!!!!! ouvia qdo criança Johnny Rivers na "vitrola"...e creci ouvindo esse som.E curti toda a vida...beijos e thanks!!