Hotel California (song)
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| "Hotel California" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Eagles | ||
| from the album Hotel California | ||
| B-side(s) | "Pretty Maids All In A Row" | |
| Released | February 22, 1977 | |
| Format | vinyl record | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 6:30 | |
| Label | Asylum | |
| Writer(s) | Don Felder, Glenn Frey, Don Henley | |
| Producer(s) | Bill Szymczyk | |
| Chart positions | ||
| Eagles singles chronology | ||
| New Kid in Town (1976) |
Hotel California (1977) |
Life in the Fast Lane (1977) |
"Hotel California" was the title song from the Eagles' album of the same name, and was released as a single in early 1977. It is one of the best-known songs of the Album Oriented Rock era. Writing credits for the song are shared by Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Don Felder.
The lyrics of the song describe the title establishment, a hotel where "you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave". On the surface, the song is a tale of a weary traveler who becomes trapped in a nightmarish hotel that at first appeared tempting; as a metaphor the song may be commenting on drug addiction or simply the decadent lifestyle the hugely successful band had been caught up in. Another theory is that the song is about a mental hospital or a federal prison. The expression "check out" is also considered a metaphor for dying.
The original version of the song is performed in slow rock style, opening with a long, repeated electric guitar motif. During the verses, guitar and bass provide melodic counterpoint to the vocal. The end section of the song consists of a series of guitar solos building to a multi-layered variation on the opening theme with multiple guitars in chorus. The song is also well known for its guitar solos, which are performed by both Joe Walsh and Don Felder.
"Hotel California" won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1978.
It is rated by many polls to be one of the greatest songs of all time: Rolling Stone magazine, for example, states it is the forty-ninth greatest song of all time.[1]
As one of the group's most popular and well-known songs, "Hotel California" has been a concert staple for the band since its release; performances of the song appear on the Eagles' 1980 live album and, in an acoustic version, on the 1994 Hell Freezes Over reunion concert CD and video release.
A few cover versions of "Hotel California" have been released, notably by flamenco band the Gipsy Kings. In 2004, it was recorded by American Idol reject William Hung. Australian band The Cat Empire recorded a version of the song in French (L'Hotel Californie), for Triple J's Like a Version segment and subsequent CD compilation. Marc Anthony has often sung the song live. Brixton (England) based band Alabama3 also covered the song on their 2000 album "la peste". Country group Rascal Flatts performed their own version of the song at the 2007 Grammy Awards.
The song may have been influenced by the 1969 Jethro Tull song "We Used to Know", from the album Stand Up. The chord progressions are nearly identical, and the bands toured together prior to the release of the song. While recording in Miami, Don Felder had to phone home to California to have his maid send him a copy of the demo in order to reproduce the introduction and end solos, which may have accounted for the words "copyright in dispute" in the liner notes and the use of compulsory license, as noted by the EU copyright designation. Additionally, fans have noticed thematic similarities with Don Henley's solo single "Sunset Grill".
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[edit] In popular culture
- At Camp Nama, a secret detention and interrogation facility outside of Baghdad International Airport operated between mid-2003 and mid-2004 by U.S. Army unit known (then) as Task Force 6-26, high-value detainees were housed in a separate area of 6-by-8-foot cubicles known as Hotel California.[1]
- In the television show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "Pirates Of The Third Reich," the song is referred to in a comparison to a clinic. Greg Sanders says "This clinic is like the Hotel California. You can check in anytime you like but you might never leave."[2]
- In an episode of Family Guy, Peter and Lois separate to date other people. Peter moves in with Mort Goldman who, when asked what he does for fun, replies that he watches old films and listens to "Hotel California" to see if it links up in a significant way, admitting that it has yet to do so.
- In an episode of My Name Is Earl that features events taking place in both America and Mexico, "Hotel California" is played as background music for a montage juxtaposing main characters Earl Hickey and his brother Randy with two Mexican brothers that humorously resemble Earl and Randy in their demeanor, behavior and appearance. The original version of the song plays during the segments showing the American brothers, and the Gipsy Kings cover plays during the segments showing the Mexican brothers.
[edit] Trivia
- Hotel California is one of the top 15 best-selling albums of all time in any category which makes the Eagles as the only band to have 2 albums in that list - Eagles Greatest Hits Vol 1 (1971-'75) which is ranked 1, ahead of Thriller (rank 2), and Hotel California (rank 13). This also makes them one of the top 5 best-selling bands of all time, the list including two other rock bands - The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. Information verified from http://www.classicbands.com/bestsellers.html
- The term "colitas," in the first stanza of the song is a Spanish term for "little buds" and thought to refer to marijuana.
- The lyric "They stab it with their steely knives/But they just can't kill the beast" was widely believed to be a nod to Steely Dan's lyric "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening" in their song "Everything You Did" (and in the liner notes of Eagles: The Very Best Of, Glenn Frey confirmed this).
- "Hotel California" was rumored to have been the nickname for the the Camarillo State Mental Hospital. The hospital was closed in 1997 and reopened in 2002 as "California State University, Channel Islands".
- Others state that "Hotel California" actually refers to Church of Satan which happens to be located in a converted church on California Street. Some believe that the lyrics, " ... kill the beast," and "... that spirit here " refer to black magic. Also, others believe on their inside cover of the Hotel California album, looking down on the festivities, is either Satan or Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan. These rumors, however, were proven false.[3]
- The version of this song in the live album "Hell Freezes Over" is performed by 8 guitars in total.
- The first few bars of the song (all instrumental) are included as part of the theme-development background music of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim, California.
[edit] External Links
- Snopes.com article debunking the Satanic myth
- Schmitt, Eric; Carolyn Marshall (19 March 2006). "Task Force 6-26: In Secret Unit's 'Black Room,' a Grim Portrait of U.S. Abuse". New York Times.
- Cecil Adam's "Straight Dope" article: In the song "Hotel California," what does "colitas" mean?
[edit] References
- ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", Rolling Stone, 2004-12-09. Retrieved on December 13, 2006. (in English)
| Preceded by "Southern Nights" by Glen Campbell |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single May 7, 1977 |
Succeeded by "When I Need You" by Leo Sayer |
| Eagles |
| Glenn Frey | Don Henley | Joe Walsh | Timothy B. Schmit |
| Randy Meisner | Bernie Leadon | Don Felder |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio albums: Eagles | Desperado | On the Border | One of These Nights | Hotel California | The Long Run | The Long Road to Eden |
| Live: Eagles Live | Hell Freezes Over | Farewell 1 Tour-Live from Melbourne |
| Compilations: Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) | Eagles Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 | The Very Best of the Eagles |
