"Homburg" is a song by the English
rock band
Procol Harum, released as the 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 6 on the
UK Singles Chart,[1] number 15 in Canada, and number 34 in the United States. It went to number one in several countries, including the Netherlands. An Italian cover ("L'ora dell'amore" by
I Camaleonti) reached number one in the
Italian Hit Parade Singles Chart on December 16, 1967, and remained there for 10 weeks.
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.[citation needed] 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.[2]Cash Box said that it is "a solid, slow-paced ballad with the same haunting quality in the melody and lyrics which made 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' such a big hit."[3]