The song's lyrics were written by Keith Reid and its music was written by Gary Brooker when he was on tour in Switzerland; Brooker also sang. It was featured on the band's 1969 album, A Salty Dog. Reid's lyrics describe sailors crossing the unknown seas with the crew dying during their voyage.[2] The string arrangement recalls Frédéric Chopin.[3] The song is reportedly one of Reid's favourites.[4]
... and, er, that was 'A Salty Dog,' which was once released as a single, and should have done, er, a lot better in fact as a single than it did; unfortunately, um, seeing as it was longer than two-and-a-half minutes long and isn't exactly a bright tempo, a lot of my colleagues won't play it because they feel that, er, more than two-and-a-half minutes without some, er, feeble quip from them, er, is going to make the world a sadder place ...[6]
The song was generally well received by music critics. Matthew Greenwald of Allmusic praised the narrative as "brilliant" and carried by "an expansive melody and epic performance from the entire band". The string arrangement was "fabulous" and "only adds grandeur to the song and recording, making this one of the group's most fully realized moments".[3] Perhaps the greatest praise came from Melody Maker's Chris Welch, who called it "their finest hour" and "one of the greatest pop singles to emerge in recent years". He added, "The tune is beautiful, the arrangement brilliant, the performance perfect".[7]Cash Box described it as a "stunning effort."[8]Record World said that "Procol Harum is as eerie and gothic as ever."[9]
"A Salty Dog" is notable for not including any contributions from guitarist Robin Trower who, when the band became a quartet in 1970–71, would play bass in live performances of the song.[citation needed]
