\u201cA Whiter Shade Of Pale\u201d<\/a>. In many ways, the song proved to be a double-edged sword for the band, even as it catapulted to No. 1 in the UK and the Top 5 in the US.<\/p>\nBecause it had such a distinct, slow-moving sound, it caused their record company to expect more of the same. But this was a band that featured a lightning-throwing guitarist in Robin Trower. Meanwhile, Matthew Fisher, whose organ part distinguished \u201cA Whiter Shade Of Pale\u201d, felt lingering frustration over the fact that he wasn\u2019t included as a co-writer in the song\u2019s original credits.<\/p>\n
By the time Procol Harum reached their third album, they were coming apart at the seams. Bassist Dave Knights joined Fisher in leaving the band after the release of the LP A Salty Dog in 1969. But Fisher stuck around long enough to produce the title track, which included a stirring orchestral score.<\/p>\n
As was the case with many Procol Harum songs, lyricist Keith Reid wrote the words, and lead singer Gary Brooker handled the music. \u201cA Salty Dog\u201d, which clocked in at nearly five minutes, was a bit too long to be a hit single. But it nonetheless became a classic rock staple over the years, a kind of last hurrah for that version of this wonderful band.<\/p>\n
Examining the Lyrics of \u201cA Salty Dog\u201d<\/p>\n
Keith Reid tended to favor lyrics that could be interpreted in many different ways. The tale he tells in \u201cA Salty Dog\u201d is no different. For those who don\u2019t know, the title phrase is nautical jargon for an old sailor. The song takes place out at sea, with a bunch of sailors either blessed or cursed as they weather an interminable trek.<\/p>\n
At first, the sailors seem to be preparing for battle with another ship. \u201cLet no one leave alive,\u201d the captain orders the men. But shortly after that, it appears the narrator\u2019s crew is also off to uncharted territory, with death a distinct possibility: \u201cA twisted path, a tortured course\/And no one left alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The leader of these men has a powerful hold on them. \u201cNo lofty peak, nor fortress bold,\u201d Brooker sings. \u201cCould match our captain\u2019s eye.\u201d And where is he leading them? \u201cA sand so white, and sea so blue\/No mortal place at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the final verse, we\u2019re back to the battle, with guns blazing and masts burning. Tears of joy flow from the sailors within the narrator\u2019s crew. Having reached their destination, the narrator leaves us with a somewhat quizzical declaration: \u201cYour witness, my own hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
We can assume that there\u2019s some allegorical meaning behind \u201cA Salty Dog\u201d. Perhaps the captain is a godlike figure, and he has led these men to salvation. The sweeping music would seem to suggest as much. In any case, the song transports listeners to mystical seas and parts unknown, the thrill of the journey far more important than the mystery of the destination.<\/p>\n
Photo by Monitor Picture Library\/Avalon\/Getty Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rock bands throughout the history of the genre have dealt with internal strife and artistic differences, often to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":332153,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[88,216,168135,2156],"class_list":{"0":"post-332152","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-music","10":"tag-procol-harum","11":"tag-rock-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=332152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332152\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/332153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}