Homburg (song)
Encyclopedia
Homburg was Procol Harum's
follow-up single to their initial 1967
hit "A Whiter Shade of Pale
". Written by pianist Gary Brooker
and lyricist Keith Reid
, "Homburg" reached number 5 in the UK charts, number 15 in Canada, and number 34 in the United States. It went to number one in several countries, including Australia, South Africa, and the Netherlands.
Reid's "Homburg" lyrics contains the same surreal, dream-like imagery and feelings of resignation and futility as in the debut single. The music also features Matthew Fisher's
rich and deep Hammond organ
, but the piano and guitar have bigger places in the overall sound. The theme is not as clearly Bach
-like as in "A Whiter Shade of Pale"; nevertheless, the single was, on its release, criticised for being too similar to its predecessor.
The B side of the single is "Good Captain Clack" which was taken from the album Procol Harum
.
Procol Harum
Procol Harum are a British rock band, formed in 1967, which contributed to the development of progressive rock, and by extension, symphonic rock. Their best-known recording is their 1967 single "A Whiter Shade of Pale"...
follow-up single to their initial 1967
1967 in music
The summer of 1967 is "The Summer of Love" in San Francisco. It also became an important year for psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles The summer of 1967 is "The Summer of Love" in San Francisco. It also became an important year for psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles The...
hit "A Whiter Shade of Pale
A Whiter Shade of Pale
"A Whiter Shade of Pale" is the debut song by the British band Procol Harum, released 12 May 1967. The single reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June 1967, and stayed there for six weeks. Without much promotion, it reached #5 on the US charts, as well...
". Written by pianist Gary Brooker
Gary Brooker
Gary Brooker, MBE, is an English singer, songwriter, pianist and founder of the rock band Procol Harum. Brooker was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours on 14 June 2003, in recognition of his charitable services.-Early life:Brooker was born in...
and lyricist Keith Reid
Keith Reid
Keith Reid is a songwriter who wrote the lyrics of every Procol Harum song that is not a cover...
, "Homburg" reached number 5 in the UK charts, number 15 in Canada, and number 34 in the United States. It went to number one in several countries, including Australia, South Africa, and the Netherlands.
Reid's "Homburg" lyrics contains the same surreal, dream-like imagery and feelings of resignation and futility as in the debut single. The music also features Matthew Fisher's
Matthew Fisher
Matthew Fisher is an English organist and singer-songwriter, and was responsible for the organ sound on the 1967 single, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum.-Biography:...
rich and deep Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, but the piano and guitar have bigger places in the overall sound. The theme is not as clearly Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
-like as in "A Whiter Shade of Pale"; nevertheless, the single was, on its release, criticised for being too similar to its predecessor.
The B side of the single is "Good Captain Clack" which was taken from the album Procol Harum
Procol Harum (album)
Procol Harum is the self-titled first album by British rock band Procol Harum, released in September 1967. The original Deram release of the LP included a large poster of the album cover artwork by Dickinson....
.
Cover versions
- ItalianItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
beatBeat musicBeat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...
band I Camaleonti released a cover version in December 1967, entitled L'ora dell'amore ("The hour of love"). - Serbian punk rock band Pekinška PatkaPekinška PatkaPekinška Patka is an eminent Serbian and former Yugoslav punk rock band from Novi Sad. Their debut album, Plitka poezija, released in 1980, is considered the first punk rock album by a band coming from Serbia...
recorded a cover version, released on their debut album Plitka poezijaPlitka poezija- The band :* Boris Oslovčan "Bora" — bass, backing vocals* Laslo Pihler "Laci" — drums, backing vocals* Sreten Kovačević "Srele" — guitar, backing vocals* Nebojša Čonkić "Čonta" — vocals- Additional personnel :* Marko Pešić — photography...
in 1980.