# The Summer of Love, Procol Harum, and the 1967 dirge that sold 10,000,000 copies

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-summer-of-love-procol-harum-and-the-1967-dirge-that-sold-10000000-copies/
- Published: 2026-10-22T01:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-22T01:20:54+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-1967-procol-harum-dirge-that-sold-10000000-copies/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- A passing phrase inspired Procol Harum’s hit.
- The song topped the UK chart in June 1967.
- It has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

## Summary

Procol Harum’s 1967 hit ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ grew from a passing remark that songwriter Keith Reid overheard at a party. Its cryptic, melancholy account of a relationship became a defining song of the Summer of Love and one of the most successful singles in music history.

Reid said he wanted to create a vivid mood rather than a straightforward story, drawing on French New Wave films and the storytelling of Bob Dylan, alongside influences including The Beatles, Stax and Ray Charles. Gary Brooker and organist Matthew Fisher shaped its mournful sound, with the melody influenced by Bach’s ‘Air on the G String’. The single reached number one in the UK on 8 June 1967, the same day the Beatles’ ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ topped the album chart; it has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and inspired over 1,000 covers.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.