"A Whiter Shade of Pale" was written by Gary Brooker and Matthew Fisher for the music, with lyrics by Keith Reid. In 2009 the Law Lords recognised Fisher as co-writer of the music. The song was the debut single of Procol Harum, released on 12 May 1967 by Deram Records in the UK and London Records in the US. It was recorded in April 1967 at Olympic Studios and produced by Denny Cordell. It reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June 1967 and held that position for six weeks, and it peaked at number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It became one of the anthems of the 1967 Summer of Love. Its organ melody is derived from J. S. Bach's Air on the G string. The title came from a party remark by Guy Stevens of Island Records.
