B-side "Good Captain Clack" Format 7", 45rpm Genre Psychedelic rock | Released 22 September 1967 Recorded Summer 1967 Label Regal Zonophone | |
"Homburg" was the rock band 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 6 in the UK Singles Chart, 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 was "Good Captain Clack", which was taken from the album Procol Harum.