According to Claus Johansen, author of Beyond The Pale, Reid heard the phrase "you've turned a whiter shade of pale" at a party. When he sat down to write the lyrics, the saying came back to him. Speaking to Uncut, the lyricist recalled "trying to conjure a mood as much as tell a straightforward, girl-leaves-boy story," he said. Procol Harum borrowed from this piece for their international hit, "A Whiter Shade of Pale."Gary Brooker of Procol Harum told Uncut magazine: "If you trace the chordal element, it does a bar or two of Bach's 'Air On A G String' before it veers off. That spark was all it took. I wasn't consciously combining Rock with Classical, it's just that Bach's music was in me." Keith Reid, who wrote the lyrics for "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and about 100 subsequent songs by the British band Procol Harum, died March 23 at a hospital in London. He was 76. The cause was "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" by Procol Harum - Cover by Emily LingeI'd like to pay tribute to Gary Brooker with this timeless masterpiece by Procol Harum. This s The man responsible for imbuing this late 1960s anthem with its Proustian charm was the late Procol Harum lyricist Keith Reid. Here, he explains how those captivating lyrics came together. 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' was one of 15 songs Keith Reid and Gary Brooker wrote for Procol Harum's debut album. "We were really excited about it and Original lyrics of A Whiter Shade Of Pale song by Procol Harum. Explore 23 meanings and explanations or write yours. Find more of Procol Harum lyrics. Watch official video, print or download text in PDF. Comment and share your favourite lyrics. CQPWTy.

what is procol harum whiter shade of pale about