As the Miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale
I use those words in memory of Gary Brooker who has died. For me Procol Harum are what I would call a fringe group.
That means a group that I like without going over the top about. A group that has contributed to my musical past without being a major feature.
But Whiter Shade of Pale is one of the greatest songs ever written (imho of course). It is also a song that means an awful lot to me for a number of reasons. Firstly I love lyrics. I love lyrics that seem to have no meaning whatsoever. Lyrics that are unfathomable and just challenge you (think MacArthur Park by Jimmy Webb and Surfs Up by the Beach Boys). Nobody has ever really unravelled the lyrics to Whiter Shade of Pale. They can mean whatever you want them to mean.
Secondly the song reminds me of happy days at the Norwich School and in particular of music teacher Bernard Burrell who is mainly responsible for my love of music - both classical and rock. I have written about this before but I find it needs repeating in the light of the demise of Mr Brooker who was co-writer and the voice behind Whiter Shade of Pale.
When it came to music, Bernard Burrell had an open mind. In one particular year we had a double music period either side of lunch. He called it our musical appreciation periods. Before lunch we could take in our own LPs and play whatever we liked. After lunch Bernard would play his musical choice. The only rule was we had to discuss the music. I really think that was the start of my reviewing albums, concerts etc, something I still do today.
Somebody brought in Whiter Shade of Pale. Bernard (known to everyone as Bernie) listened intently and then ran his hands down the side of his face as he often did when he was about to ask a question.
"It was interesting but can anyone tell me why the singer is singing in an American accent?" he enquired. I can't remember what the answer was but he got us seriously thinking about the music and not just listening to it. I remember someone bringing in the rock opera Tommy by the Who which I then went out and bought.
Then in the afternoon he played Smetana, Dvorak and the likes and we discussed those as well. I particularly remember his love of Beethoven's First Symphony.
Thirdly Whiter Shade of Pale was played at our wedding in West Yorkshire. We wanted to include something contemporary in the service and gave the organist the sheet music the week before. What he played was something but it certainly didn't sound like Whiter Shade of Pale. He had obviously never listened to the song.
Fourthly (my English grammar teacher always pointed out that if you are going to make a number of points you have to use the words firstly, secondly, thirdly etc. Too many people omit them and say "I'm going to make three points and just forget to number them," he used to say). So fourthly, I was addicted to Noel Edmonds' Sunday morning Radio Show which would have been on Radio One. He used to do wind-up telephone calls with the public which were always fun and something he later took into television shows. He also had a slot where people would send in mangled up songs with a description.
I remember two of these. One was about a tribe in Africa which had a number of concubines who lived together in a village. Each winter to stop the floods they had to shovel dirt onto the river banks. A local man invented something to help them in the form of a less weighty shovel. It all became known as Local Harem's Lighter Spade of Shale.
The other one I remember was a song that referenced an American President. Dwight Eisenhower was known to be lazy but loved golf. When he retired as President he set-up a golf school with the emphasis on hitting the golf ball. It all became known as Idle Eich to Teach the World To Swing (The actual song was the New Seekers' I'd Like to Teach the World To Sing - you know the one. It was later used as a Coca Cola advert).
I have just checked my own personal top 100 songs of all time and find that Whiter Shade sits at number 19, which on reflection might be a bit low.
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Today is my eldest son's 40th birthday. So happy birthday Chris. I remember when he was 25 saying "25 is a good age to be." I hope he feels the same about 40. I have lots of stories about the day of his birth and will relate one tomorrow. He of course was too young to remember them!
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The problem writing these blog is that after 1,000 or so you just forget what has gone before and the things you have mentioned numerous times.
I guess today also marks the end of COVID restrictions. The pandemic is still here but it's time to get on with our lives without isolating and testing. Mind you there was a salutary reminder on television last night with Kate Garraway's second documentary about her husband Derek.
Derek is still suffering horrendously from long COVID and it doesn't look as if he will ever fully recover.
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Finally today hope you enjoy some of the Norwich riverside photographs which I promised you yesterday. Sorry this blog has been overlong today but once I get started I can't stop.