when was a whiter shade of pale recorded
1967
title: A Whiter Shade of Pale text: A Whiter Shade of Pale "A Whiter Shade of Pale" is the debut single by the British rock band Procol Harum, released 12 May 1967. The single reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June 1967 and stayed there for six weeks. Without much promotion, it reached number 5 on the "Billboard" pop chart in the United States. One of the anthems of the 1967 Summer of Love, it is one of the best selling singles in history, having sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. With its Bach-derived instrumental melody, soulful vocals, and unusual lyrics – title: A Whiter Shade of Pale text: Shade of Pale" at Olympic Sound Studios in London, England. The recording was produced by Denny Cordell. Because they did not have a regular drummer, the drums were played by Bill Eyden, a session musician. The track was completed in two takes, with no subsequent overdubbing. A few days after the session, the band re-recorded the song with their newly recruited drummer, Bobby Harrison, at Advision Studios. This version was discarded, and one of the original mono recordings was chosen for release as the band's debut single. The B-side was "Lime Street Blues", another Brooker–Reid song, which the band recorded title: A Whiter Shade of Pale text: 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 1977, the song was named joint winner (along with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody") of "The Best British Pop Single 1952–1977" at the Brit Awards. In 1998 the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. More than 1000 recorded cover versions by other artists are known. The song has been included in many music compilations over the decades and has also been used in the soundtracks of numerous films, including "The Big Chill", "Purple Haze", "Breaking the Waves", "The Boat That Rocked", Martin Scorsese's segment of "New York Stories", "Stonewall", "Oblivion" and Ken title: A Whiter Shade of Pale text: reached number 5 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and sold over 1 million copies. It also peaked at number 22 on the soul charts there. The song was included on the US release of the "Procol Harum" album, in September 1967, but not on the subsequent UK version. In the Netherlands, the single entered the chart at number 1 in June 1967 and reached number 1 again in July 1972. A May 1972 re-release on Fly Records peaked at number 13 in the UK. "A Whiter Shade of Pale" has continued to receive critical acclaim. Along with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", title: A Whiter Shade of Pale text: "A Whiter Shade of Pale" was jointly recognised as "The Best British Pop Single 1952–1977" at the BRIT Awards, part of Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee. In 1998 the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2004, it appeared at number 57 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". British TV station Channel 4 placed the song at number 19 in its chart of "The 100 Greatest No. 1 Singles". In 2018, the song was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a new category for singles. The first