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Fun Music Information -> Procol Harum

This is the most recent information about Procol Harum that has been submitted to amIright. If we have more information about Procol Harum, then we provide a link to the section where it appears (the actual page whenever possible).

Our newest site, amIwrong has an albums order quiz where you need to put this performer's albums in order of release.

Possible Misspelled Names:

These are the alternate spellings of the performer's name we've had to correct in submissions to amIright.

Procul Harum, Procol Harem, Procal Harum

Band Name Origins:

The band's manager picked the name. He had a friend who had a cat called Procol Harum, and he thought it sounded good. The band didn't know what it meant, but later found out the (differently spelt) Latin phrase 'procul harun' means 'beyond these things', which they thought appropriate. Why the cat was named procol harum is not known. Submitted by: Paulmarkj
Bastardized Latin for "beyond these things" ? should be 'procul his' ? and allegedy the name of a pedigree cat. Submitted by: dash

Stupid Band Names:

The name is actually bastardized Latin for "Beyond these Things"!...Or their Manager's cat. But I wouldn't name my band after a cat! Submitted by: Paul Warren

Better Off Solo?:

Name	New Career	Comments & Submitter Name
"Robin Trower"	"After going solo in the 1970's, Trower's FM Hit 'Bridge of Sighs' becomes a fan favorite. He also sang 'Crucification Lane' and after that, he never sang on his own songs."	- Paul Warren

Song Titles Not Used as Lyrics:

Song Name	Comments & Submitter Name
"A Christmas Camel"	It's not even a Christmas song either! - Paul Warren
"Boredom"	This is one of the many songs that Procol Harum released that don't mention the title. They have released other songs like that such as 'Quite Rightly So', 'All This and More', and 'Wreck of the Hesperus' to name a few. - Paul Warren

New Song Names:

Original Song Name	New Song Name	Submitter Name
"A Peppery Cat"	"A Salty Dog"	Tess O. Gosset
"The President Came To Kansas"	"The Devil Came From Kansas"	Paul Warren
"A Salty Duck"	"A Salty Dog"	Paul Warren
"Greener Shade Of Chartreuse"	"Whiter Shade Of Pale"	Susan M.

Literally Impossible Song Titles:

Song/Performer	Comment	Submitter Name
"A Salty Dog,"	A salty dog is a pretty much dead one	Susanna Viljanen
"She Wandered Through the Garden Fence,"	Not without a chainsaw	Susanna Viljanen
"The Devil Came From Kansas,"	I didn't know Topeka was that bad place!	Susanna Viljanen
"A Whiter Shade Of Pale,"	I doubt there's anything whiter than pale.	Larcen Tyler

Use a Song Title to Answer a Different Song:

Song & Band Name	Song & Band Name
"Tangerine," The Salsoul Orchestra	"Fresh Fruit," Procol Harum
"Choice Of Colors," The Impressions	"A Whiter Shade Of Pale," Procol Harum
"The Colour Of Love," Billy Ocean	"A Whiter Shade Of Pale," Procol Harum
"The Devil Went Down To Georgia," Charlie Daniels Band	"The Devil Came From Kansas," Procol Harum
There are additional songs titles that answer other songs available.

Remove a Letter From a Song Title:

"A Whiter Shade Of Pal" originally "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"

Wendy Torrance

"Whaling Stores" originally "Whaling Stories"

Peter

"Haling Stories" originally "Whaling Stories"

Star Trek's Lt. Uhuru's stories.

Peter

"A Whiter Shade Of Ale" originally "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"

frauenhorseface

Add a Letter to a Song Title:

"Long Gone Greek" originally "Long Gone Geek"

Correct spelling of band: ProcOl HarUm.

Anita Grade

Change a Letter:

"A Whiter Shade Of Palm" originally "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"

Julia Cox

"A Whiter Shake Of Pale" originally "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"

Julia Cox

"A Whiter Shape Of Pale" originally "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"

Can whiter describe a shape? It might

Julia Cox

"A Whiter Share Of Pale" originally "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"

Serafina

"A Whiter Shade Of Kale" originally "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"

Alex

There are additional song titles with a letter changed available.

Song Parody Lyrics:

Original Song Name	Parody Song Name	Parody Author
"A Whiter Shade Of Pale"	"A Whiter Shade Of Male"	The Comedian
"A Whiter Shade Of Pale"	"A Wider Shape Of Whale"	Onan the Barfarian
"A Whiter Shade of Pale"	"A Darker Grade of Ale"	Lionel Mertens
"Whiter Shade Of Pale"	"Wider Slick Of Oil"	Malcolm Higgins
"Whiter Shade Of Pale"	"(The Night I) Laid A Whale"	Malcolm Higgins
"A Whiter Shade Of Pale"	"A Biter Made Me Wail"	Andy Primus
"A Whiter Shade of Pale"	"A Whiter Sarah Palin"	Rich murphy
"A Salty Dog"	"A Faulty Dog"	Andy Primus
"A Whiter Shade Of Pale"	"A Blighter Maid To Nail"	Tommy Turtle
"Homburg"	"Hamburg"	Andy Primus
There are additional song parodies available.

Songs for Commercials, That Haven't Been Done Yet:

Song Name	Product	Submittor
Shine On Brightly	Light Bulbs	Paul Warren

Bad Choices for On Hold Music:

Song Name	Company/Organization	Submittor
Power Failure	Electric Company	Paul Warren
A Rum's Tale	Alcoholics Anonymous	Paul Warren

Songs for Duets, That Haven't Been Done Yet:

First Band/Song Name	Second Band/Song Name	New Song Name	Submittor
American Idiot Green Day	The Idol Procol Harum	The American Idol Idiot That's anyone who stars on that show!	Paul Warren
Ocean Breathless Modest Mouse	A Salty Dog Procol Harum	An Ocean Breathless Salty Dog At least he dosen't have doggie breath.	Paul Warren
A Certain Shade of Green Incubus	A Whiter Shade of Pale Procol Harum	A Certain, Whiter Shade of Pale Green	Raphael Bivas
Robert's Box Procol Harum	Shoebox Barenaked Ladies	Robert's Shoebox It's been there since 1994.	Paul Warren
There are additional duets that haven't been done yet available.

If Groups Combined, Their Names Might Be:

Procol Harem Scarem

Procol Harum combined with Harem Scarem

Submitted By: Kirsten Abercrombie

Misheard Lyrics:

"A Whiter Shade Of Pale" Misheard Lyrics: We skipped a life and Dango Original Lyrics: We skipped the light Fandango.	"Whiter Shade of Pale" Misheard Lyrics: And Toby was the ladle, As the mirror told its tale, That her face just burst with gold sleep, Turned a whiter shade of pale. Original Lyrics: And so it was the lady, As the miller told his tale That her face at first just ghostly Turned a whiter shade of pale.
"A Whiter Shade of Pale" Misheard Lyrics: I saw a wise little baby. Original Lyrics: And so it was that later.	"Whiter Shade of Pale" Misheard Lyrics: That our faces burst just ghostly Original Lyrics: That her face, at first just ghostly
There are additional misheard lyrics available.

Misheard Lyrics Stories:

"A Whiter Shade Of Pale"

Misheard Lyrics:

We skipped a life and Dango

Original Lyrics:

We skipped the light Fandango.

Story about this misheard lyric by: Bill Hayles

It was only forty years later that I discovered the true lyrics.

There are additional misheard stories available.

Nonsensical Song Lyrics:

"Whiter Shade of Pale"

The Nonsensical Lyrics:

One of sixteen Vestal Virgins

Why They're Nonsensical:

There were never more than six Vestal Virgins at one time.

Submitted by: Bill Kenney

Dirty Song Lyrics:

"Grand Hotel"

The Dirty Lyrics:

Where's my Continental Bride? We'll Continental Slip and Slide
. Early Morning Pinch and bite, these French Girls always like to fight.

Why They're Dirty:

The whole song probably has a lot of innuendos, but some seem less subtle than others like in this line where it seems that this is more about foreplay.

Submitted by: Paul Warren

Song Lyrics That Name Check Celebrities:

"Pandora's Box"

The Lyrics:

While Handel plays his melody, doctors cause uncertainty.

Who They Mention:

George Fredric Handel

Submitted by: Paul Warren

Song Lyrics That Mention Brand Name Products:

"Long Gone Geek"

The Lyrics:

The door flies open, in strides geek. Looking like the front Page in Newsweek.

Product Brand Name:

Newsweek Magazine

Submitted by: Paul Warren

Song Lyrics That Mention Other Songs:

"Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone)"

The Song Lyrics:

I will wait here for the band to play The Trumpet Voluntary.

Song They Mention:

Jeremiah Clarke's "Prince of Denmark's March (The Trumpet Voluntary)"

Submitted by: Paul Warren

Songs That Open With Their Titles:

"The Blink of an Eye"

Opening Lines:

It was all over in the blink of an eye

Comments:

Submitted by: Sutch

"Conquistador"

Opening Lines:

Conquistador, your stallion stands...

Comments:

Originally, this song was written in 1967, but it wasn't a hit song until five years later when they play it with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

Submitted by: Paul Warren

Made Up Words in Songs:

"Good Captain Clack"

The Made Up Words:

Jumberlack

Comments:

Spoonerism for "Lumberjack".

Submitted by: D Nu_2000

Scary Song Lyrics:

"The Dead Man's Dream"

The Lyrics:

My legs were deformed, yet I move quite freely.
My head was on fire, yet my hands were icy.

Why:

This song is about death and hell. And in the end of this song, you hear the singer say in a deep voice 'As I slithered under'. It seems that this dead man's dream is a nightmare.

Submitted by: Paul Warren

Song Title Anagrams:

"Glad To Say" originally "A Salty Dog"

Submitted by: Alyssa Jayne

"At A Sly Dog" originally "A Salty Dog"

Submitted by: Alyssa Jayne

"Do Stay, Gal!" originally "A Salty Dog"

Submitted by: Alyssa Jayne

"Sly Goat Ad" originally "A Salty Dog"

Submitted by: Alyssa Jayne

"Say 'Old Tag'" originally "A Salty Dog"

Submitted by: Alyssa Jayne

There are additional Song Title Anagrams available.

Real Places Mentioned in Songs:

"The Devil came from Kansas."

The Lyrics:

The Devil came from Kansas, where he went to I can't say.

Why:

The state of Kansas.

Submitted by: Paul Warren

"Souvenir in London"

The Lyrics:

Got a Souvenir in London, got to hide it from my mom.

Why:

London, England

Submitted by: Paul Warren

Super Long Pop Songs:

"Whaling Stories" Length: 7:06

This song perfectly orchestrated with Trower's guitar later was orchestrated with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra a year later.

Submitted by: Paul Warren

"In Held 'Twas In I" Length: 17:39

This is actually the first epic-song. It's divided into five songs, 'Glimpses of Nirvana', 'Teatime at the Circus', 'Autumn of my Madness', 'Look to your Soul', and 'Grand Finale'. It also appears on the 'Live in Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra' album which is 2 minutes longer than the original.

Submitted by: Paul Warren

Song Title Spoonerisms:

"A Whiter Paid of Shale" originally "A Whiter Shade of Pale"

Submitted by: Raphael

Foreign Language in English Songs:

"Grand Hotel"

The Lyrics:

Les nuits quon passe l'hotel grande.

Why:

This is the French saying of 'The Nights we stayed in Hotel Grande' since this song commemerates the hotels throughout Europe.

Submitted by: Paul Warren

Upbeat Songs With Depressing Lyrics:

"Toujours L'amour"

The Lyrics:

She took all the pleasure, but not all the pain.
All of the credit, but none of the blame.
I came home to an empty flat.
She left me a note, and taken the cat.

Why:

This whole song is about a man who suffers from a divorce or seperation and he makes a decision of moving on with another lady or commiting suicide.

Submitted by: Paul Warren

Song Lawsuits:

"A Whiter Shade Of Pale"

The band's former organist Matthew Fisher filed suit in 2005 claiming that he co-wrote the song. In December of the following year, he won the suit but only received 40% of the composer's share of the copywright instead of the 50% he was seeking. A later ruling denied Fisher royalties saying he had taken too long to file his suit. (Note: I can see why he'd want to receive credit for this song. It's just beautiful.)

Submitted by: Brian Kelly

Lighter Side of Serious Bands:

"Fresh Fruit"

For an band with an interesting name and not using titles for some of their songs, these guys intend to make a novelty song. Fruit is good for doggies too.

Submitted by: Paul Warren

Backwards Messages:

"Autumn of my Madness"

Between 8:24-8:27 of the epic "In Held 'Twas In I: Autumn of my Madness" you will hear some backwards nonsense and when you play it backwards, you will hear the ending of their song "Homburg".

Submitted by: Paul Warren