Truly Breathtaking With Full Orchestra – Procol Harum Performs “A Whiter Shade of Pale” Live in Denmark

Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale” ranks among the most stunning songs ever composed, yet the band elevated it further by performing it with the Danish National Concert Orchestra and Choir at Ledreborg Castle in Denmark. Lead vocalist Gary Brooker has acknowledged that the song was inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach’s Suite No. 3 in D Major, making it very appropriate that the piece received a complete orchestral arrangement during the August 2006 performance.

The band performed 15 songs alongside the orchestra at the concert, which were subsequently released as a live album. The orchestra truly stands out in “A Whiter Shade of Pale”, featuring a magnificent orchestral introduction that highlights the song’s beautiful melody. Brooker takes the lead after 90 seconds, and despite being 61, his voice remains identical to how it was in the original 1967 recording. This impressive live collaboration became a viral sensation online, garnering 99 million views on YouTube.

Procol Harum’s choice to collaborate with the Danish National Concert Orchestra was highly inspired, as the classical elements in the band’s music create a perfect synergy. The orchestra brings significant depth to the performance, and listening to the choir’s smooth voices is truly delightful.

The performance was warmly welcomed online, with fans leaving appreciative remarks like “Without a doubt the best and most emotionally felt version of this masterpiece” and “One of the greatest songs ever written. No other singer captures the song like he does.” Another standout moment from the concert was “A Salty Dog”, featuring a touching performance by the choir over the song’s iconic piano intro.

“A Whiter Shade of Pale” stands as Procol Harum’s most successful hit, reaching number one in numerous countries around the globe, including the UK, Canada, France, and Germany. Released as a non-album single on May 12, 1967, it became one of the best-selling singles in history, selling 10 million copies worldwide.

“A Whiter Shade of Pale” and its enigmatic lyrics are emblematic of the 1967 Summer of Love. It has often been ranked among the greatest songs of all time by critics, including Rolling Stone, which placed it at number 57 on their The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. The song is also beloved by fellow musicians, with over 1,000 cover versions performed by various artists.

The songwriting credits for “A Whiter Shade of Pale” initially included only Procol Harum members Gary Brooker and Keith Reid, who composed the music and wrote the lyrics, respectively. However, in 2009, their bandmate Matthew Fisher successfully pursued legal action to obtain a co-writing credit for the music.

Reid discussed the inspiration behind the lyrics in an interview with Uncut Magazine, stating, “I was trying to conjure a mood as much as tell a straightforward girl-leaves-boy story. With the ceiling flying away and room humming harder, I wanted to paint an image of a scene. I wasn’t trying to be mysterious with those images, I was trying to be evocative.”

Regarding the inspiration for the song, he added, “I suppose it seems like a decadent scene I’m describing. But I was too young to have experienced any decadence then. I might have been smoking when I conceived it, but not when I wrote. It was influenced by books, not drugs.”