RCJ Today
We skipped the light fandango
turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
but the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
as the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
the waiter brought a tray
And so it was that later
as the miller told his tale
that her face, at first just ghostly,
turned a whiter shade of pale
She said, 'There is no reason
and the truth is plain to see.'
But I wandered through my playing cards
and would not let her be
one of sixteen vestal virgins
who were leaving for the coast
and although my eyes were open
they might have just as well've been closed
She said, 'I'm home on shore leave,'
though in truth we were at sea
so I took her by the looking glass
and forced her to agree
saying, 'You must be the mermaid
who took Neptune for a ride.'
But she smiled at me so sadly
that my anger straightway died
If music be the food of love
then laughter is its queen
and likewise if behind is in front
then dirt in truth is clean
My mouth by then like cardboard
seemed to slip straight through my head
So we crash-dived straightway quickly
and attacked the ocean bed
Decision day at the RCJ
Whiter Shade of Pale
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Whiter Shade Of Pale is a song released in 1967 by the band Procol Harum. With its haunting tonality and Bach flavouring, both provided by Hammond organist Matthew Fisher, vocals by Gary Brooker, and mysterious lyrics by Keith Reid, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" reached #1 on the British charts, was a hit in Europe, and reached #5 in the United States. In the years since, it has become an enduring classic, and has earned extensive critical acclaim. Rolling Stone magazine placed "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" as #57 of its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004. British TV station Channel 4 also placed the song at #19 in its chart of the 100 greatest number one singles.
Brooker and Reid have disclaimed any intention of ever explaining or assigning additional meaning to the lyrics.
In 2005, Procol Harum organist Matthew Fisher filed suit in the Royal Courts of Justice against Gary Brooker and his publisher, claiming that Fisher co-wrote the music for the song. Fisher, now a computer programmer in Croydon, South London, is claiming a £1 million share of copyright and past sales and put his argument before a High Court judge in London in November 2006. Brooker insisted that the 1967 song was written before Fisher joined the band
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