A Whiter Shade of Pale

A Whiter Shade of Pale is a very popular and successful song in the history. Originally produced by British band Procol Harum, it is adapted and sung by hundreds of artists over the decade. The song or even only the music can be heard in many movies, sometimes as soundtrack or background score. When released, the single reached number-one in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June 1967 where it stayed for a total of six weeks. In the years since, it has become an enduring classic.

'A Whiter Shade of Pale' is written by Keith Reid, and composed by Gary Brooker and Matthew Fisher. The music of the song is inspired from Johann Sebastian Bach's "Sleepers Awake" and "Air on a G String" though the song is not a direct copy or paraphrase of the Bach pieces. When you listen "Air for G String" for first time, you certainly recognise "A Whiter Shade of Pale", but it is different enough to say that Procol Harum's song is more than an adaptation of Bach's "Air for G String".

The lyrics of "a whiter shade of pale' is remarkably unusual. When I first heard it, The Miller's Tale of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales immediately striked to my mind. And there is no stop to argument for its true meaning. Also I don't want to start a fight here by writing what I understand from the lyrics. I like the lyrics, I love the music, I adore the song. However, you can read various powerful interpretation of the song here.

From hundreds of versions of the song, I like, obviously, the original version of Procol Harum and the version sung by Sarah Brightman in La Luna. Sarah's version is orchestral, soft and more thoughtful.

You can listen both versions here-

More versions here.

The Flame Within

My heart is broken.



Track: The Flame Within
Album: If I could tell you
Artist: Yanni


Listen Here

Aria : Dido

By Dido, you must be thinking about the british singer Dido. No no, Dido is an opera (Dido and Æneas) by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell. Henry Purcell was an English Baroque composer. He has often been called England's finest native composer. Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements but devised a peculiarly English style of Baroque music.

Dido and Æneas is based on a story from the fourth book of Virgil's Aeneid, of the legendary Queen of Carthage Dido and the Trojan refugee Æneas. When Æneas and his crew are shipwrecked in Carthage, he and the queen fall in love. However, Æneas must soon leave to found Rome. Dido cannot live without him and awaits death. This aria is the lament of Dido.

Therefore, the music of this aria is very dark and intense. You can easily get it from Café del Mar Aria vol,1. You can listen the track here.

A trance remix attemped by Armin van Buuren is available in Dj Tiesto's "Summerbreeze" album. Listen it here.