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Sunday, January 31, 2010

Sometimes There Is No Deeper Meaning

I love the line "We skipped the light fandango", which is from the Procol Harum song Whiter Shade of Pale. Why?

First, the line just sounds so very, very cool. And it sounds so very, very deep.

Second, it actually doesn't mean anything. Yes, that's right, it has no real meaning. I recall reading an interview with Procol Harum's keyboard player (and the individual that sings this song) Gary Brooker, who once said that the line actually has no meaning, despite how deep it sounds. In fact, I've read some speculation that the line is an ever so slight lift from an 1890 song "Sidewalks of New York", which has a verse that goes "We tripped the light fantastic".

The moral of the story? Not everything needs to have some deep meaning associated with it. Sometimes it's just okay.

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