What is Eagles' " Hotel California" about ?

[postaldoug]

I used to accept the idea of a person in a California prison, not so sure anymore ! Stones " Brown Sugar" is pretty clear reference to slavery, if you read the lyrics, "Skynyrd", tunes are easy enough to see the message."Hotel California " is tougher, I didn't Google it. it's deep stuff, IMO. Google is cheating.

Doug

 

[wilheim]

One man's interpatation (non-googled) is the Hotel is a state of mind and body, specifically being addicted to heroin. Welcome to the Hotel California, there is plenty of room at the Hotel California, etc. the key line being the last - "you can check out any time you like but you can never leave" as in being addicted and not being able to stop. Then again I could be wrong.

wil.

 

[Mr.Leisure]

I always thought he was in HELL.

 

[RobFunk]

its about money doug. and the eagles made a ton of it. an dan henley had sexual realtions with pat nebetar and the whole nine.

 

[quantumleap]

I heard that the part that mentions the guy asking to "please bring me my wine" and the song says "we haven't had that spirit here since 1969" refers to when the Eagles sold their souls to Satan in 1969. The "wine" refers to the blood of Jesus.

Just a rumor.

 

[blueedwards]

i have heard 3 theories, 2 of which were mentioned already:

1) heroin addiction
2) hell
3) cancer

 

[THE SHRINK]

Wilheim,

One of my favorite songs that I had no idea what the meaning was...

Thanks...

Makes sense...

Ken

 

[Mr.Jones]

Hotel California is an allegory about hedonism and greed in Southern California in the 1970's. At the time of it release, the Eagles were riding high in the music world, experiencing material success on a frightening level.

Though they thoroughly enjoyed the money, drugs, and women fame threw their way, they were disquieted by it all and sought to pour that sense of unease into their music and to warn others about the dark underside of such adulation.

In a 1995 interview, Don Henley said the song "sort of captured the zeitgeist of the time which was a time of great excess in this country and in the music business in particular."

In another interview the same year, he referred to it as being about a "loss of innocence."

The album has as its underlying theme the corruption of impressionable rock stars by the decadent Los Angeles music industry. The celebrated title track presents California as a gilded prison the artist enters only to discover that he cannot later escape.

The real Hotel California is not a place; it is a metaphor for the west coast music industry and its effect on the talented but unworldly musicians who find themselves ensnared in its glittering web.

 

[blueedwards]

now this frickin' song is in my head...

 

[Skyweasel]

On a dark desert highway
Cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas
Rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance
I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy, and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself
This could be Heaven or this could be Hell
Then she lit up a candle
And she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor
I thought I heard them say

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely place (background)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year
Any time of year (background)
You can find it here
You can find it here

Her mind is Tiffany twisted
She's got the Mercedes Benz
She's got a lot of pretty, pretty boys
That she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard
Sweet summer sweat
Some dance to remember
Some dance to forget
So I called up the Captain
Please bring me my wine
He said
We haven't had that spirit here since 1969
And still those voices are calling from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely Place
Such a lovely Place (background)
Such a lovely face
They're livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise
What a nice surprise (background)
Bring your alibies

Mirrors on the ceiling
Pink champagne on ice
And she said
We are all just prisoners here
Of our own device
And in the master's chambers
Their gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives
But they just can't kill the beast
Last thing I remember
I was running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
Relax said the nightman
We are programed to recieve
You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave

 

[blueedwards]

skyweasel, that didn't help.

 

[OMNIVOROUS FROG]

The Eagles and Don Henley were into writing lyrics about the situations they encountered in life. Effectively it was a bittersweet song, with metaphor "Hotel California" being Hollywood, S. Cal, and the music industry. Also referencing the one way street of fame. They were not into Heroin that much, but social statements. Sort of a gilded cage analogy. When Henley went solo he continued the statement with Dirty Laundry, expressing his displeasure with the ever intrusive media or paparazzi. If you want a good Heroin song listen to Nine Inch Nails album Downward Spiral. The song is also done with a fine cover by one of my favorites, Johnny Cash. That is a song of addiction. If I remember correctly, Eagles were drunks. Beatles were experimenting with acid, who wasn't back then, good old Timothy Leary. So you got Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, and to a lesser extent, Strawberry Fields Forever. Ever heard Mary Jane? Cocaine? Guess the next generation will have songs about Ectasy? Or E. Luckily we still have Snoop Doggy Dogg to keep us on the light stuff. Pass the spliff, bro. Best Wishes...OF

 

[Mr.Jones]

"They stab it with their steely knives" was a swipe at Steely Dan, with whom, at the time the Eagles were have an ongoing feud.

 

[Mr.Jones]

This drug lyrics thing can get pretty deep. Like the "warm smell of colitis" for example.

Go back to the 60's and you have the Beatles saying "the girl with colitis goes by".

All a by-product of acid. This I know as fact.

 

[superstar]

its about a satanic ritual..... <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> We haven't had that spirit here since 1969
And still those voices are calling from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the night <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

[DarrylParsons]

Nice analysis guys. I can't really add anything of substance here but I like Mr. Jones' description a lot -- sounds like the truth in a nutshell

 

[RobFunk]

i just looked that word up and that is absolutely disgusting

 

[Mr.Jones]

What word is that Rob?

 

[wantitall4moi]

"Spirit" can also mean the band's spirits (emotions/feelings) at that time, and how even back in 69 they were already losing foucs on why they were playing music to begin with.

 

[RobFunk]

MJ the C word you spoke of