The Music Court

           Happy Birthday Mr. Gary Brooker. At 66, your enduring classic “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” with your old band Procul Harum is still one of classic rock’s more melodic hits and today it has the unparalleled honor of being The Music Court’s song of the day.

        “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” was released by Procul Harum as a single on June 8th, 1967. Gary Brooker took lead and in his haunting croon bellowed out the lyrics written by friend and poet Keith Reid. Now, one must understand the lyrics of this song are not like a usual rock classic. The lyrics are understandably wierd. Reid is a poet and it shows. Lyrics like:

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.

        Yet, the reason behind the songs success is the miraculous pairing of the lyrics by Reid, the voice of Brooker, and the Bach like hammond organ of Matthew Fisher who, while having a suitable name (the song is about the sea), also had a keen ability to create a whistling ocean-like feel to the song. If one had to put a soundtrack to the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” by Samuel Coleridge this is what it would sound like and The Ancient Mariner would, of course, be Brooker. For this song strikes on a musical rarity. Brooker, Reid, and Fisher lull you into a mystical state where you feel entrapped by the music and the story and you cannot release yourself from its grasp until the four minutes come to a close.

Must Check Out This Video, Old Time Performance of “Whiter Shade of Pale”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbWULu5_nXI

       When I was in a band long ago my friend would always pester me to write a song with a word that is generally not used in music. I always thought it was a cool idea and I do enjoy songs that tend to focus on some unconventional words. I often think to myself, “How do they fit that in.” Well, my band disbanded and our songs remained corny and pretty horrible (probably because I was attempting to write lyrics), but music will go on without us and today, as the spelling bee progresses on ESPN and numerous 10-13 year olds (even a third grader) continue to prove they are smarter then me, let us make our song of the day a song by the word master, Mr. Robert Zimmerman (otherwise known as the much better sounding Bob Dylan).

    In Workingman’s Blues #2 ( I do not believe there is a one but it is Bob Dylan so no one will question him) Dylan finds a way to neatly place the word proletariat in his first verse. Proletariat. Definition: Member of a lower social class. Etymology: Latin. The song is off of his 2006 release of Modern Times which was his 32nd studio album. His wikipedia discography is huge by the way. The song is a classic Dylan release, a soft guitar and piano background highlighting the lyrics of Dylan and his distinctive deep croon. Take a listen and let Dylan sing you some of his Workingman’s Blues (even though he is pretty well off).

Here is the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVQqpILfhpY