Theories, rants, etc.

Letters to Mojo No 47 (page 8) October 1997

Thanks to you and your panel of judges for acknowledging Procol Harum's A Whiter Shade of Pale as one of the 100 Greatest Singles of All Time (Mojo 45). Thanks also to writer Dawn Eden for citing organist/composer Matthew Fisher as the creator of the song's immortal organ melody. Incidentally, as Fisher explained so well on a 1992 BBC interview, his melody was influenced by the Bach Cantata Sleepers Awake, as well as by Air on a G String. He transformed the bits from Bach and added his own music to create a new and original melody that has become the musical signature of the song. When AWSoP was first released in 1967, the members of Procol Harum were very young, and too busy making music to realize that the composer credits were incomplete, ie Fisher's name wasn't included. But over 30 years later, the importance of Fisher's contribution is finally being acknowledged. We feel that AWSoP will be enjoyed by many generations to come, and that it's never too late for that credit's oversight to be corrected. We just hope the correction occurs in Matthew Fisher's lifetime, and as soon as possible.

Thanks again for a wonderful article.

David and Joan May, California, USA  

See also A Whiter Shade Of Pale and its composers