The chart was compiled by the British performing rights group PPL (the Phonographic Performance Ltd) who took in data from 70 years of radio, club, shop and jukebox plays to find out which song got the most airing (from its original release through to recent exposure) from 1957 until 1994.

Surprisingly Procol Harum's 1967 single ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ hit the top spot, beating Queen's ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ into second place.

"When poor old Freddie Mercury died, it gave a huge boost to 'Bohemian Rhapsody’,” Procol Harum bandmember Gary Brooker told Billboard in a statement of breathtaking tactlessness, “But 'Whiter Shade' has never been the subject of a lot of hype, and it wasn't when it came out."

At time of writing, no representative for Freddie Mercury has come forward to defend the Queen singer’s blatant and unreasonable attempt to hype his song into the top ten by dropping dead of AIDS.

The earlier recording in the top 70 is Glenn Miller’s Orchestra with ‘In The Mood’ from 1939, at No. 35, while showing the power of the seasonal single, ‘White Christmas’ (1942) and ‘Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town’ (1943) by Bing Crosby got the No. 16 and No. 58 slots respectively.

The top ten list is:


Procul Harum ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’
Queen ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
Wet Wet Wet ‘Love Is All Around’
The Everly Brothers ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream’/’Claudette’
Bryan Adams ‘(Everything I Do) I Do It For You’
Abba ‘Dancing Queen’
Elvis Presley ‘All Shook Up’
Rod Stewart ‘Maggie May’
The Beatles ‘Hello Goodbye’
The Beatles ‘Get Back’

Very interesting. My first thought when I saw the title of this thread was "Bohemian rhapsody". It went to #1 twice in the UK. It was not only sparked by Freddy's death but also by it's use in "Wayne's world". The #1 song is a little suprising to me. It is a great song though.

"We skip the light fandango...."

"We skip the light fandango...."

"Turned cart wheel across the floor, I was feeling kind of sea sick"

Couldn't help myslef I love that song. :)

Slayergrrl, you've got to see this!! this dude translated the lyrics of Whiter Shade Of Pale to his native language (what ever that is) and then translated them back. This is how Whiter Shade Of Pale turned out:

CHECK IT OUT! (http://www.crazylyrics.com/procul-harum-whiter-shade-of-pale.htm)

I totally lost it when I saw "a whiter colour of slats" :laugh: too funny!!

ha! ha! :lol: heres Bohemian Rhapsody (http://www.crazylyrics.com/queen-bohemian-rhapsody.htm)

"I see a small silhouetto a man
Scrape they, scrape they,
Will do you to fan hiring marriages.
Thunderbolt and lightning,
very very much frightening I "

Im in fits of laughter right now!!!! :lol:

Yeah, number 5 has been FAR TOO OVERPLAYED already.

Bryan, apart from Summer of '69 and Run To You, YOU SUCK :lol:

I love the song "Whiter Shade of Pale". It's a fantastic song, and I don't mind hearing it over and over again. :)

Yeah, number 5 has been FAR TOO OVERPLAYED already.

Bryan, apart from Summer of '69 and Run To You, YOU SUCK :lol:


I liked his 1983 and earlier stuff before he was a big name, cuts like knife, straight from the heart


I love the haunting sound of Whiter Shade of Pale.... but can someone smarter than me tell what the lyrics are about?..... I'm still working understanding Funky Town?