"White Room", written by Jack Bruce and Pete Brown, is a single by Cream from their 1968 album Wheels of Fire.
After bassist Jack Bruce wrote the guitar pieces, Cream's lyricist, poet Pete Brown, grouped colorful four-syllable phrases, loosely organized around images of waiting in an English railway station influenced by the drugs he was taking. The combination is often considered one of the shining moments in British psychedelia. "White Room" is further noted for its unusual time signature of 5/4 in the introduction and bridge, with triplets played on toms by Ginger Baker, his thunderous bass drum part also lacing the verses. Finally, "White Room" is notable for showcasing guitarist Eric Clapton's best known use of the wah-wah pedal (possibly aside from "Tales of Brave Ulysses") in the bridge and extended solo.
Along with "Sunshine of Your Love" and "Crossroads", White Room is one of Cream's most notable songs, reaching number 6 on the U.S. pop charts.
"White Room" was placed at #367 on the 2004 List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
White Room is played after wins at Keyspan Park for the Brooklyn Cyclones.
"White Room" has been covered by the following artists:
The KLF released three long form videos during their career - Waiting, The Rites of Mu, and The Stadium House Trilogy. They also worked on an ambitious road movie - The White Room - which was never released (although bootleg copies are in circulation). All of the videos were pressed in limited editions on VHS video.
The soundtrack of The White Room was remodelled and reworked in 1991 to create the album The White Room, and the soundtracks to Waiting and the The Rites of Mu were released on a 1997 CD (presumed to be a bootleg) called Waiting for the Rights of Mu.
Some footage from The White Room was used in in the 1991 music video for "3 a.m. Eternal".
