We skipped the light fandango
Turned cartwheels ‘cross the floor.

I am all for any song about a fandango. Let’s walk through the lyrics of Procol Harem’s “Whiter Shade of Pale” because they are a bit obfuscated, making it difficult to cull the meaning. But the story is fairly simple. A guy (the miller) is hitting on a girl. He tells her a story about a time when he was partying at a club.

He was partying hard. He might have said too much to this beautiful fair-skinned girl, and the narrator notices she gets a bit freaked out by his tale. He notices her turn pale at his tale and ask, “what’s wrong”? She says nothing. But he is discouraged because he thinks he might have blown his chance to score.

There are other verses that appear on other versions that may change the meaning, but I have not considered those here. Most of the fun of the song is in the lyrics but the sound from the Hammond organ is instrumental and influential. The organ is such a key part of this song. I wonder what a cover of this song would sound like without it. Could it be done, or would the song lose its essence?

Whiter Shade Of Pale Lyrics

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.

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.

And so it was that later…

Songwriters: Gary Brooker / Keith Reid / Matthew Fisher