THE HIT HAMMER REQUESTS: Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale"

(The Hit Hammer Requests are requests from people who want me to review songs that did NOT hit #1, but still charted on the Hot 100. Right now, there is only one request per person, but if you're reading this, and you haven't already sent me a request, feel free to do so. I will try to do a request once a week, while still continuing my main project of reviewing each #1 song on the Hot 100)

Procol Harum - "A Whiter Shade of Pale"

Peak Date: July 28, 1967

Peak Position: #5

#1 Song At That Time: "Windy" by the Association

Requestor: Sam Feldstein

It's funny how some songs just seem to click with people. When British band Procol Harum released their debut single "A Whiter Shade of Pale", it became a hit during the Summer of Love, peaking at #5. But as the story sometimes goes for hit songs, they have their moment of stardom before they fall off the charts and become distant memories for those who were around during the song's popularity. However, other songs stand the test of time, becoming more popular than they were even when they were first released. In England, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" is one of those songs. Reportedly, it is the most played song in British public places, and according to Phonographic Performance Limited, it is the most played song on British broadcasting.

Songwriter Keith Reid got the term "whiter shade of pale" while he was at a party. He heard someone tell a woman that she "turned a whiter shade of pale," and that phrase stuck in his mind. The song's lyrics are hard to make any sense of, and the song could be about a million different things. The most commonly believed theory is that it's a song filled with metaphors describing a relationship between two lovers that engage in sexual acts. Taking a look at the lyrics that's pretty believable, but it's still hard to make sense of them that way in some parts. With some of the lyrics being so nonsensical, some have assumed that Reid was high when he wrote the song, which he denies. In his words, he says that it was influenced by books instead of drugs.

So yes, the song's lyrics are very strange, and so is its composition. It's just over 4 minutes long, but only has two verses/choruses. The backbone of the song isn't the lead vocals. Instead, that would be the thundering Hammond organ riffs and the powerfully rhythmic drum pattern. To me, those lyrics are just placeholders and it doesn't matter what the hell they're saying. The song is still chill-inducing, and what makes it so powerful is that I have no idea why it's so chill-inducing. Maybe it's that mesmerizing instrumental craftsmanship. Maybe it's the nonsensical lyrics that can be left up to the listener to decide their meaning. Or maybe, it's both of those together to create a very good song.

I knew about the existence of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" before I sat down to write about it. However, what I didn't know was how much of a legacy it held, or just how good the song was. Some of these anthems during the Summer of Love are pretty cheesy and easy to make fun of. Either that, or they're alright songs that rely on hooks on top of more hooks. "A Whiter Shade of Pale" makes you think unlike the rest of the songs during its time. It's more intelligent than them, even though it makes less sense than them. (Does that make sense?) On one hand, yes the song is hard to understand. But on the other hand, it's rich in metaphors that have the power of making a listener stop what they're doing and listen closely. That's songwriting at its finest. It's a very special thing.

GRADE: 9/10

(Thank you Sam for this request!)