What does the song 'Whiter shade of pale' mean?

Question

What is it about?

Answer 1

Ahhhh, Procol Harum. It's about a rock concert, the guy meets a girl he'd like to make. There's a lot of drinking and tripping going on...the girl and her group of friends (15 vestal virgins) are on their way to California, prob. San Francisco and the Summer of Love.
The "minstrel telling his tale" is of course whoever was playing at the concert...and her face, at first just ghostly (remember the waiflike superthin girls started in the 60s with Twiggy and co), turned a whiter shade of pale. Either something in the song upset her, or the drugs and smoke started to get to her (they speak of the roof flying away), or perhaps he starts to trip out and just *sees* her as this ghostly form that is fading fast.
Don't try to understand some of the 60's lyrics in too much detail, bro. Remember what they say, "If you can remember the 60's, you weren't there."
I was there...so they tell me...

Answer 2

Whiter Shade Of Pale Meaning

Answer 3

A whiter shade of pale ... I've pondered what these five words might mean for many years. As life goes on, and you experience more, you begin to realise that in many respects life slowly but ever so surely moves towards a central perspective, or in terms of a color life becomes gray, and one might use the word ... pale. I think a whiter shade of pale is the same as saying 'a brighter shade of medium, or gray'. So from a spiritual perspective, we all eventually return to the 'middle', and once you accept this for the truth it is, there are few thoughts more exhilarating than to ponder the possibility that something out there just might exist as ... 'a whiter shade of pale'. I think all the rest of the words of this song are a muse, a riddle of sorts, serving the singular purpose of keeping the world guessing, and thinking, forever.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What does the song 'Whiter shade of pale' mean?
What is it about?

Answer 5

"The lyrics came from a poem by Keith Reid, and were a collection of abstract phrases about boy/girl relationships using sailing metaphors. They sound very profound, but were actually a spoof of psychedelic lyrics popular in songs at the time.
Reid got the idea for the title when he heard someone describe a party where a girl 'Turned a whiter shade of pale.'"
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1131

Answer 6

Don't exactly know, but I did have it played as I walked up the aisle on my wedding day 29 years ago! (My first marriage, that is - couldn't bear to have the old "hear comes the bride, all fat and wide"!) Sorry I can't help you more, but it will be interesting to find out.

Answer 7

It's about a guy who's a bit nervous and who's trying to seduce a girl. He gets drunker and drunker and the song is about his thoughts and images that go around in his head.

Answer 8

that title sounds familiar to me but i cant remember the actual song,
but my definition is pale is the palest colour you can get and 'whiter than pale' is a colour paler than pale can ever get, hhmm reading this back it doesnt seem to make much sense, haha sorry im prob no help to you but their prob talking about something sad.

Answer 9

Good question. Those guys, Procol Harum, have the most obscure lyrics of rock history. Try A Salty Dog and you'll definitely give up trying to understand them.

Answer 10

Dude, it means only one thing, ' Music' ( from a time when people knew how to play an instrument. )