Whiter shade of pale

Posted by Lewis on July 03, 2003

In Reply to: Whiter shade of pale posted by Gary on June 30, 2003

: : What is the maning of "the whiter shade of pale" (both the song title and the lyrics), which was written by Procol Harem?

: You'll be lucky! The group have never given any indication that they mean anything in particular. The lyrics appear to be intended to evoke imagery rather than have a definitive meaning. I did some recording work with Matthew Fisher who was the group's organist and he seemed rather pleased that he had no idea what the song was about. In more recent interviews group members seem increasingly irritated that people have been asking them the same question for 30 years.

Of course, it could refer to somebody looking "a bit peeky" before they vomit...
(the imagery is rather Bacchanalian)