White Room

Cream

Industry	Music
Founded	1966
Founder	Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Music recordings, live performances

White Room is a track performed by the British rock ensemble Cream, with the music composed by bassist Jack Bruce and lyrics penned by poet Pete Brown. It was featured on the studio portion of their 1968 double album Wheels of Fire. In September, a shortened single version was issued in the US for AM radio play, whereas FM stations broadcasted the complete album cut. The UK single release in January 1969 presented the full-length recording.

Recording and composition

The musical foundation of "White Room" was crafted by Jack Bruce as an homage to Jimi Hendrix, who later expressed admiration for the piece during Cream’s recording sessions in New York. Initially, lyricist Pete Brown wrote about a "hippie" girl but subsequently transformed the lyrics into a more intimate poem reflecting a stark apartment where he confronted his addiction, which heavily influenced the song’s imagery.

Recording sessions commenced in London in July 1967 and extended through several dates at Atlantic Studios in New York City, concluding by June 1968.

The lineup on this track includes Jack Bruce providing lead vocals and bass, Eric Clapton playing guitar enhanced with wah-wah pedal effects, Ginger Baker handling drums and timpani, and producer Felix Pappalardi contributing viola parts. The chord structure closely resembles Cream's earlier song "Tales of Brave Ulysses". The distinctive introduction was collaboratively developed by Bruce and Baker from what began as a composition in . Bruce later reflected that this unusual time signature caused hesitation within the record label regarding its commercial viability.

Credits

• Jack Bruce – bass guitar, lead vocals, composer
• Eric Clapton – rhythm and lead guitars
• Ginger Baker – drums, timpani
• Felix Pappalardi – viola, production
• Pete Brown – lyricist

Recognition and other recordings

Rolling Stone placed "White Room" at number 376 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". A live rendition can be found on Cream's Live Cream Volume II (1972). Eric Clapton has performed it alongside Phil Collins during Live Aid (1985), at his 24 Nights concert series at the Royal Albert Hall (1990), and with Sheryl Crow in 1999. The reunited Cream included the song again during their Royal Albert Hall concerts in 2005, which were released as Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic highlighted the song’s widespread influence, noting covers by artists ranging from Broadway performer Joel Grey to Finnish metal group Apocalyptica, demonstrating its combination of theatrical flair, complex musicianship, and hard rock vigor. Billboard characterized the single as a "solid, driving rocker."

Weekly charts

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Chart (1968–2019)	Highest ranking
Australia (Go-Set)	1
Canada (CHUM Chart)	1
Finland (The Official Finnish Charts)	10
France (Institut français d'opinion publique)	73
Malaysia (Radio Televisyen Malaysia)	1
New Zealand (New Zealand Listener)	2
Spain (Productores de Música de España)	15
US Cashbox Top Singles	5

Year-end charts

Chart (1968)	Position
Canada	39
US Billboard Hot 100	81
US Cash Box	48

Deep Purple rendition

In 2021, Deep Purple recorded a version of this song for their album Turning to Crime, underscoring its lasting significance within rock music.

Personnel

• Ian Gillan – lead and backing vocals
• Roger Glover – bass guitar
• Ian Paice – drums
• Steve Morse – guitar
• Don Airey – keyboards