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I think the best explanation I've heard about this song is "an allegory or metaphor about loss of innocence of artists who find themselves ensnared in the “glittering web” of life in the music industry".
This song is about the [Halfway House] or rehabilitation center of the rich and famous drug and alcohol abusers known as the [Hotel California]. "And I was thinking to myself [this could be heaven or this could be hell]." Refers to what they "The Addict" will be subjecting themselves to during the very painful withdrawal process known as "Cold Turkey." It's the hours long violent and excruciating epileptic like seizures their bodies will be going through. The pain and suffering they will have to endure to rid the body of its drugs and alcohol in their system. "Her mind was tiffany twisted she got the Mercedes Bends. She got lots of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends." Tiffany's is world famous for their fine and very expensive jewelry. Mercedes-referring to rich mans desires. Bends-referring to decompression sickness as being [Dope] sick! She is wealthy with very expensive taste in jewelry. And her friends are actors, models and rich kids. "How they danced in the court yard sweet summer sweat. Some dance to remember some dance to forget." The dance refers to the painful [Detoxing] and gut wrenching withdrawal process one must go through to rid themselves of the drugs and alcohol they have in their system. It's a dance one will never forget. And will never want to do again... "So I called out the captain "please bring me my wine" we haven't had that spirit here since 1969." Refers to the Woodstock era of "Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll." Woodstock was an open air festival and rock concert that took place back in Bethel N.Y. on Mr. Yasgurs farm in1969 with plenty of "Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll." "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 what a lovely place what a lovely face. Plenty of room in the hotel California. They living it at the hotel California what a nice surprise bring your alibis." In every Halfway House or Rehabilitation Center. The staff along with past drug and alcohol abusers who are counselors ...Always welcome one with open arms anytime day or night 365 days a year. "What a nice surprise bring your alibis." Refers to the many excuses the abusers will give to the staff. As to the many reasons why they became addicts. "Mirrors on the ceiling the pink champagne on ice. And she said we are all just prisoners here, of our own device, and in the master's chambers they gathered for their feast they stab it with their steely knives but they just cant 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 night man we are program to receive you can check out anytime you like but you can never leave!" Mirrors on the ceiling refers to the big room where all the addict gather to receive their drug substitutes to ween them off of the hard drugs. Pink champagne on ice refers to the drug substitute 'Methadone" which is a liquid, and is pink in color. The drug and alcohol addicts are prisoners of their own self destruction. And they themselves are to blame for letting themselves become drug and alcohol abusers. The Beast is the "Drug and Alcohol Addiction." An addict will have to live with the [THE BEAST- THE ADDICTION] for the rest of their lives. The addict will never be rid of the addiction. It will be a constant battle for the rest of their lives to live drug and alcohol free. You can check out anytime you like but you can never leave refers to "ONCE AN ADDICT ALWAYS AN ADDICT." I hope this help those who were always confused by the songs lyrics...Peace!
Thanks. I always thought that the person died and was in a lavish place but eventually realized that he was in eternal torment but didn't realize he was dead until he tried to leave. Thanks again for clearing it up for me
The opening verse 'My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim I had to stop for the night." He was driving to the drug rehab center known as the Hotel California. He was already high as he was smelling colitias "A Mexican name for marijuana buds or roach." Peace!@@raviniaray5556
You are very welcome Peter. Love your handle...I am a big Errol Flynn fan and he is my favorite actor of the 30's & 40's. Peter Blood was his greatest character from the movie "Captain Blood" Peace!@@peterblood50
Not a solo! Was a duet between Don Felder and Joe Walsh, although Felder did write it as a solo when he composed the entire song musically he shared it with Joe on the album and when playing live.
I danced to the eagles all time this is a great song they were very popular.I danced to them and others to forget the things that were going on at home.Thanks for all the old songs you play.I have forgotten them.I am 60years old.
Pretty sure this song is about selling your soul to the devil..sacrifice ..to the devil ..stab it with their steely knives...the Eagles were a great sounding band but I just saw a documentary about them and they had lots of infighting, and prideful problems in the band..lots of jockeying for position..good people left to be replaced by other good musicians..great sounding but Hotel California is definitely an occultism song
@@naturemom57 except the song is about drug abuse, the music industry and the superficial lifestyle of southern California......it has nothing to do with anything occult
@@theresistance2641 The song IS about excess, the dark side of "The American Dream", certain women they knew, and how mainstream music had become superficial during the disco era. The only one needing a wake up call, is anyone who thinks it's about something else. It's pretty obvious. Seeking out the American dream, being tempted by hot women, who turn out to be all about how much money you're got and cheat on you every chance they get, the lack of depth in the music industry (spirit isn't referring to alcohol), partying all the time and doing shit you shouldn't like illegal drugs (bring your alibis), hedonism, not being able to escape your own mind (the beast is their memories and addiction), not being able to escape fame.
I actually did 28 days in the , Hotel California, Laguna Beach. That was in 2001. Praise God that's behind me now. This song ... I will never forget. "+" 💓
I grew up listening to the Eagles, my father loves them along with Jackson Brown, The Hollies & countless others. I've seen the Eagles live twice & they were GREAT💯 Harmonies are insane, great music takes me back to my childhood 😏 Much ❤️🙋 from Bama!!!
While there have been many theories that contemplate what the song represents, the Eagles' band members have revealed in multiple interviews that the true meaning behind "Hotel California" is a commentary on the hedonism and self-indulgence of America. “It’s basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in America, which is something we knew a lot about,” Henley said in a 2002 interview with "60 Minutes."
The song has been described as being "all about American decadence and burnout, too much money, corruption, drugs and arrogance; too little humility and heart."[9] It has also been interpreted as an allegory about hedonism, self-destruction, and greed in the music industry of the late 1970s.[38] Don Henley called it "our interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles",[39] and later said: "It's basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in America, which is something we knew a lot about.
Thank u Frank for getting it!!! It's driving me nuts trying to explain it to people. I thought I was alone out there. I don't see how they don't get it if they just think about it a little. The song uses metaphors and images of life in California to talk about those things.
Henley decided on the theme of "Hotel California", noting how The Beverly Hills Hotel had become a literal and symbolic focal point of their lives at that time. Henley said of their personal and professional experience in LA: "We were getting an extensive education, in life, in love, in business. Beverly Hills was still a mythical place to us. In that sense it became something of a symbol, and the 'Hotel' the locus of all that LA had come to mean for us. In a sentence, I'd sum it up as the end of the innocence, round one." Frey came up with a cinematic scenario of a person who, tired from driving a long distance in a desert, saw a place for a rest and pulled in for the night, but entered "a weird world peopled by freaky characters", and became "quickly spooked by the claustrophobic feeling of being caught in a disturbing web from which he may never escape.” In an interview with Cameron Crowe, Frey said that he and Henley wanted the song "to open like an episode of the Twilight Zone", and added: "We take this guy and make him like a character in The Magus, where every time he walks through a door there’s a new version of reality. We wanted to write a song just like it was a movie." Frey described the song in an interview with NBC's Bob Costas as a cinematic montage "just one shot to the next ... a picture of a guy on the highway, a picture of the hotel, the guy walks in, the door opens, strange people." Frey continued: "We decided to create something strange, just to see if we could do it." Henley then wrote most of the lyrics based on Frey's idea, and sought inspiration for the writing by driving out into the desert as well as from films and theater. Part of the lyrics, such as "Her mind is Tiffany twisted, she got the Mercedes bends / She got a lot of pretty pretty boys she calls friends", are based on Henley's break-up with his girlfriend Loree Rodkin. According to Glenn Frey's liner notes for The Very Best Of, the use of the word "steely" in the lyric, "They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast," was a playful nod to the band Steely Dan, who had included the lyric "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening" in their song "Everything You Did". Frey had also said that the writing of the song was inspired by the boldness of Steely Dan's lyrics and its willingness to go "out there", and thought that the song they wrote had "achieved perfect ambiguity." In the 2013 documentary History of the Eagles, Henley said that the song was about "a journey from innocence to experience... that's all...
According to an interview that I saw with Joe Walsh of the Eagles, the song is about all of the people who go to California to try and make it big and get caught up in the excesses of the California lifestyle at the time that they wrote this song.
Thank u for getting the freakin meaning!!!! Its driving me nuts explaining it. Had to leave a long explanation for everyone else Don't know how people don't get it considering it's one of the most popular songs ever.
I remember this song from my childhood. Yes I’m old. I, in my 7 year old mind with no knowledge of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, thought this was about limbo. I guess because he didn’t know whether it was heaven or hell. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. I got older and figured out the real meaning.
My first memory of this song was in 1995 I was at a 3 day youth rally and we had a person there who was speaking about "the evils of rock" so when me and my buddies got back to our room we started playing a lot of rock and one of my friends played Hotel California I should mention that the speaker was in the room next to ours lol
And now we have access to most songs so can find what type of music they like and find offensive songs in that format for them to have to listen to. Nothing like seeing someones reaction to that lounge song you have playing to turn out to be gin and juice (Richard Cheese).
evils of rock lmao... every single new genre of music is blasted by the older folks so scared - it simply never ends. Nowadays it is rap... if you go back before R&R the old folks thought swing bands and jazz was the evil product of demons.
This band had it all. They could write, sing, play, harmonize. What sets them apart from many bands is the fact they did it at the highest levels. Love me some Eagles.
The Eagles are one of my most favorite groups. When they were doing their thing I was blowing trumpet at North Texas St. U. Did a version of this song for jazz band. (if you are unfamiliar with the jazz music program at NTS please do research.. The school puts more musicians on non-electronic instruments, i.e., trumpet, trombone, saxes, etc. in the music recording studios than any other school). We used to decompress listening to the Eagles, drink some cheap beer, go to sleep, get up, go to class, rehearsals, and do it all over again. Bring back the mid to late 70s. I would be a young man again! Good times had by all for sure.
Ah, the sound of my youth. I was born in the 80's, but my parents had/have awesome taste in music. I'm proud to say that I have inherited their vinyl collection, and there's at least 2 Eagles albums 😁
This song is about L.A in any time since the beginning of its "entertainment industry". From the birth of "pictures"(movies) to the modern day. The stars change, the faces change, the dead people are different every generation, but "the life" remains the same. Along with Madonna's "Hollywood", these are two anthems of the L.A high life.
Not only a great song but a great album. Every song on that album was a masterpiece. I was away at college in 1976 when the album debuted. Many great times listening to The Eagles.
@Modern Renaissance Man. I went to high school in the 1970s and grew to love Reggae. I always wished that a Reggae artist would have done a great job with this song. It has a built in vibe that would be great in Reggae.
@@theresistance2641 You're right, the official version is a lie! The Eagles were involved with the Church of Satan! This song is about abuse, pedophilia and satanic rituals. And no, I'm not a crazy Christian.
@Adrian A Heaven and hell are the metaphor for fame. It's seductive and thrilling, but you sell your soul to it. There's a dark side to it, and you can never get back to the person you once were. NOT a Satanic song.
This takes me back to Sophomore year in High School, Southern California....sneaking over to my boyfriend’s house instead of studying at the library! You can bet every kid in High School knew these lyrics by ❤️The Eagles were the soundtrack of my teen years!
It's about people making it rich and being basically addicted to wealth and getting caught up in the lifestyle. They're living it up but they're not really happy. And they don't know how to go back to their simple lives.
Oh man love the Eagles and this intro!!!! The Eagles rock! First time I heard this song I would have been 12 or 13 yrs old in the late 70’s doing a school report on a famous Australian bushranger Ned Kelly, fell in love with the band and their music 💕
While there have been many theories that contemplate what the song represents, the Eagles' band members have revealed in multiple interviews that the true meaning behind "Hotel California" is a commentary on the hedonism and self-indulgence of America. “It’s basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in America, which is something we knew a lot about,” Henley said in a 2002 interview with "60 Minutes." Henley further explained the meaning of the song to Rolling Stone magazine, “We were all middle class kids from the Midwest," Henley said. "'Hotel California' was our interpretation of the high life in L.A.”
This reaction was priceless. I laughed out loud. Don't feel bad Ty. Nobody knows what it means. The mystery is part of the charm. The song originated off of guitar riffs that Don 'Fingers' Felder recorded at home and brought to the band. Frey & Henley did their lyric writing magic and then of course Henley's voice - he could sing the phone book. The "Eagles Greatest Hits" album was the #1 seller of the 20th Century. One of the greatest bands of all time & as with many "artists", a lot of jerkdom involved.
QUEEN, THE EAGLES, THE ROLLING STONES, REDHOT CHILI PEPPERS( especially the John Frusciante era in the group), they among great bands and among my favorites.
'What a nice surprise, bring your alibis' means celebrities give fake names when they enter rehab. You can check out any time you like but you can never leave is a double or triple entendre. One meaning is that once you are addicted and have gone through rehab, you are still an addict even if you never take it again. Another is that you never actually leave rehab even after you check out. Another meaning, like the rest of the song, is a reference to the abusive Hollywood culture and the way it shackles you. Even in death 'checking out', they still drag your name through the mud and cause your family drama. Even suicide makes it worse.
Oh my goodness. This is going to be great. I have not seen anyone do a reaction to this one. I don't know why. It is a classic. And I, to this day, have no idea what it is about. Maybe it is someone having a nightmare. lol But the instrumentals are awesome as are the vocalist. The Eagles have never sung a band song. Each and every one of them can and has stood on their own. They are all lead singers and lead instrumentalist.
Because The Eagles is one of the bands that tends to get copyright strikes easily. The song is about a number of things. The idea of "the American dream" and it's dark side, partying, hedonism, drug abuse, women who only care about how much money you're got, how shallow music had gotten compared to the social awareness of the 60s, and being famous.
I always thought that this was one of their "mysterious songs" and they didn't discuss what it really about, although I tend to agree it was about adiction. And, RIP Glenn Frey (autoimmune diseases kill)
Don Henley the most talented in the group, drummer singer, any type of percussion grew up in a small town called Linden, Texas which is about 20 miles from where I sit typing. Henley won't come out and say what it's truly about, he says it means different things to different people. Personally, since the song was written back in the mid 70's or so and the Eagles were heavy into the drug scene. Who wasn't back then ? I was too young, just a kid. Anyway, some people think it the place (which is a real Hotel but not named Hotel California) was the Eagles dabbling with the Occult. I will say this about Don Henley. He is as good of a person as you will find. Henley comes back to Linden (population 3,000) each year to do a weekend festival with some of the original Eagles tagging along, and they donate every dollar to the local hospital and the children who are of parents who cannot pay their medical bills. In conclusion, they are now, since having grown older along with the death of Glenn Frey, have become more somber and none are on drugs. Don Henley, the drummer, is perhaps the greatest all around talent America has produced as far as writing songs, singing and singing quite well while playing difficult rhythms on his drums and I know for sure, Don is one of the nicest and most giving people who have made it to the top. PFA
Not only that but Linda also went out of her way to introduce Glenn and Don to many industry record people and gave them a big head start when they told her they wanted to set out on their own. Linda Ronstadt was not only very talented and gorgeous, she was also a great person.
In "History of the Eagles," Don Henley said it was, at the essence of it, a journey from innocence to experience. Have to give props to Randy Meisner for the bass line in that song.
When I heard this song as a child, I figured this related to purgatory. Although I was raised in a religion that doesn't believe in hell or purgatory, what the song describes never really related to heaven or hell in my mind. It did, however, paint a vivid picture of being caught in limbo. As I've gotten older I can relate it to addiction as well. The lady that's addicted to jewellery, brand names, and men. The unkillable "beast"... There's also references to the seven deadly sins for those that care to hear them. This is why the song is timeless. Many people can relate to it for so many different reasons and it grows and changes as our experiences and knowledge grows.
In the band’s own words.... Henley decided on the theme of "Hotel California", noting how The Beverly Hills Hotel had become a literal and symbolic focal point of their lives at that time. Henley said of their personal and professional experience in LA: "We were getting an extensive education, in life, in love, in business. Beverly Hills was still a mythical place to us. In that sense it became something of a symbol, and the 'Hotel' the locus of all that LA had come to mean for us. In a sentence, I'd sum it up as the end of the innocence, round one." Frey came up with a cinematic scenario of a person who, tired from driving a long distance in a desert, saw a place for a rest and pulled in for the night, but entered "a weird world peopled by freaky characters", and became "quickly spooked by the claustrophobic feeling of being caught in a disturbing web from which he may never escape." In an interview with Cameron Crowe, Frey said that he and Henley wanted the song "to open like an episode of the Twilight Zone", and added: "We take this guy and make him like a character in The Magus, where every time he walks through a door there’s a new version of reality. We wanted to write a song just like it was a movie." Frey described the song in an interview with NBC's Bob Costas as a cinematic montage "just one shot to the next ... a picture of a guy on the highway, a picture of the hotel, the guy walks in, the door opens, strange people." Frey continued: "We decided to create something strange, just to see if we could do it." Henley then wrote most of the lyrics based on Frey's idea, and sought inspiration for the writing by driving out into the desert as well as from films and theater. Part of the lyrics, such as "Her mind is Tiffany twisted, she got the Mercedes bends / She got a lot of pretty pretty boys she calls friends", are based on Henley's break-up with his girlfriend Loree Rodkin. According to Glenn Frey's liner notes for The Very Best Of, the use of the word "steely" in the lyric, "They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast," was a playful nod to the band Steely Dan, who had included the lyric "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening" in their song "Everything You Did". Frey had also said that the writing of the song was inspired by the boldness of Steely Dan's lyrics and its willingness to go "out there", and thought that the song they wrote had "achieved perfect ambiguity." In the 2013 documentary History of the Eagles, Henley said that the song was about "a journey from innocence to experience... that's all..."
@@AC-gb7do "from innocence to experience" I'm not sure about you but, that journey includes everything mentioned and more. But, I'd never read the background on the song. Great art often becomes a symbol for more than the artists ever intended.
Jennifer Dunyon yeah, the song CAN be interpreted in many different ways, but it’s pretty clear what the songwriters intended it to be. It is their song after all.
@@AC-gb7do yes, I understand that they had a clear idea of what they intended the song to be about. I also understand that because it is a piece of art people won't always care about the truth of it, just what it provides for them. It is quite neat to know the story behind it though, underwhelming as it may be.
The main chord changes for Hotel California were lifted from Jethro Tull's "We Used To Know" from their 1969 album "Stand Up." Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull acknowledges that it might have happened because the Eagles opened for them around 1971 and "We Used To Know" was one of the songs they performed live. He states that they did a better job with the chord changes than he did (a matter of opinion) and seems complimented that his musical idea was copied. George Harrison should have been so lucky!
Walsh and Felder were both indeed big assets... but there is no need to diminish the obvious influence and talent of Frey and Henley. Bottom line this band had so much talent it is quite unreal.
The Eagles are frequently in my playlist. Great music, and Hotel California is possibly the greatest tune in their catalog. I also like the harmonies from their acapela version of "Seven Bridges Road". Here's a bit of trivia for ya, Travis Tritt brought the bang together after they broke up with his remake of "Take It Easy", and Joe Walsh did an episode of CMT Crossroads that was pretty cool. I grew up listening to their tunes, and always thought they were country, even though they were more on the rock side of things. Just think of the words of the song as literal, in which case, the Hotel California is sorta like a place for a cult. Now, translate that to other things that have the same theme as a cult. It could be drugs, it could also be the music industry. The part in the song referring to "steely knives" kinda relates to another band at the time, Steely Dan. So you can kinda transpose that meaning over to the music industry. It's a very multi-layered song in meaning, and also one of the greatest guitar solos ever, so great they had to double up and do it as a duo!
How old are you? I'm 43 and I always thought they were country because this and Desperado always played on the country radio station my parents listened to.
@@Lightningrod75 I'm 43 as well. Always heard them on the radio as a kid, and we only listened to country stations back then. I'm one of those "I was country, when country wasn't cool" old schoolers. :D
I believe it's about addiction! In the early days they were into drugs, alcohol, and sex really heavy. I think the "beast" is a metaphor for addiction!
It is about drug addiction and the party scene of the 70's in L.A. and California. The celebs, and the wealthy and their addictions. Excellent song, amazing group.
It's about the dark side of fame.The beast is what you've become, and you can't kill it because you can never go back to the person you were. When they wrote Hotel California, The Eagles were completely unapologetic about their substance abuse. It would be years before they would come to grips with that bottom.
I think the lyrics refer to that time in Southern California in the 70’s when anything a rockstar wanted was available and excess was common. During the 70s when the Eagles were soaring with success, they experimented with all kind of drugs and lived to tell about it as older men. Many great musicians and singers during those years were lost to drugs and I think that lifestyle is the “hotel” they checked into. Unfortunately, some were never able to leave but became “prisoners of their own device” and we lost them too soon.
Glenn Fry is a liar. BTW Frey did not write it so his comments are 2nd hand conjecture. Read the lyrics and you will know it is about the mind fuck of going through drug rehab and drug addiction in general. I think Frey knows that associating with being a former heroine addict does not play well so he tries to dumb it down.
Supposedly the inspiration for the song was an offhand comment by Joe Walsh. It was near the end of a tour, and someone said that they couldn't wait to get home. Joe replied "All these years, and California still doesn't feel like home. But after all these years in California, no where else feels like home, either. "
michelle ortega Have you heard the bluegrass version of Stairway to Heaven? I know it’s sounds like it would be a total screw up, but it is great. I think Iron Horse did it. Maybe someone else will know. There is another bluegrass band that does rock and pop songs to bluegrass. They are so much fun. Lol
It was the 70's, Living on "California st" in a beach city, OC, Ca. The apartment complex was Spanish design. Apts surrounded the pool all sides One arched entrance to the complex. Mostly surfers lived in the units. Surf boards, skateboards, & dirt bikes leaned up against walks. We were maybe 1/8th block from southside shore. I was 7 months with my 1st. My husband shaped boards downstairs for a living, also pro surfer. I'd layout at beach. Strips, slaps, smell of cocoa butter & coconut surf wax filled the air. Someone always playing music on transistor radios. Eagles obviously in random play. At home, no one closed their doors. Randy... upstairs, would put speakers at door, blasting music over complex. that was our jam. We'd claim "Hotel California" our home anthem... Although it was about drugs. Almost everyone in complex smoked pot. I didn't. Never did like it. But even still, I was pregnant. My fav song on the Album? "Victim of Love" & also loved "Life In The Fast Lane" I know, guess I related to both in weird sort of way. That's what comes to mind when I hear Hotel California. Every fav song, from past to present signifies a very specific memory in my life. It was. And always has been a major player in my life's past, present, and I'm sure future. I love it all. 💞🙏
Yes and no. It's about the excesses of the rock star/California lifestyle. Drugs, yes, but also alcohol, sexual exploits, etc, and how you could get lost and trapped in all of that.
They harmonize so well together is many of their songs. Don Henley and Glenn Frey knew what they were doing. Great band. Definitely one of my top 3 bands.
I always thought it was about a person/man who let his vices control his actions and ended up in a purgatory sort of place where he could never go back or leave,but was free to continue living with the consequences of his actions.
The actual Hotel California, used in the photos for the album cover, is in Lareto, Mexico. I took a cruise once and part of the tour ( one of the tours anyway) was to see the hotel. They played this song over, and over, on the hotel sound system.
Love this band!! Can sing most of their songs without hearing them word for word! LOL, they were play VERY frequent on the radio and and still are. This song really has a lot of deep hidden messages in it, as do lot of songs do! This one I will keep my meaning of what I think was being told to us in A VERY CLEAR manner! Thank you for your reaction!
Love me some Eagles...one of my top 5 of all time...well maybe you just needed to be alive at the time and live those days....nothing better than Rock and Roll from 66 to 75
I've heard this many,many times, even live in their concerts and I get something new. LOVE the bass, even during the ending solo. I agree that the song is about excesses of fame, money that they THOUGHT they wanted.
Fame - Drugs, Booze, Women, Rock & Roll - That was the crazy life The Eagles found themselves caught up in - back when nearly all music careers began in L.A. - That's what this song was written about.
Stabbing the "beast"(drug withdraws) with their "steely knives" (needles) you can try to leave but their addictions will bring them back. Think of the song as being about the daily life of an heroin addict.
According to Glenn Frey's liner notes for The Very Best Of, the use of the word "steely" in the lyric, "They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast," was a playful nod to the band Steely Dan, who had included the lyric "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening" in their song "Everything You Did". Frey had also said that the writing of the song was inspired by the boldness of Steely Dan's lyrics and its willingness to go "out there", and thought that the song they wrote had "achieved perfect ambiguity." In the 2013 documentary History of the Eagles, Henley said that the song was about "a journey from innocence to experience... that's all..."
The song is about drug addiction. In the masters chambers we gathered for the feast (of coke)... stab it with you steely knives but you just can't kill the beast (cut up lines but don't kill addiction). Or the watchman said we are programmed to receive, you can check out anytime you like but you can never leave. In other words people are always addicted to their vice. You can die anytime you like, but you're always an addict. Or We haven't had that spirit here since 1969... likely referring to acid.
The single, greatest hit of their career. Also, the song that perpetually ended the Eagles. They told in interviews how the song was so massively popular, that they never put out anything else that came close to touching it. I think there must be loads of royalties still coming in from this hit song.
The songwriter explained that the song was about the transition from innocence to experience. How the (American) dream can become the American Nightmare.
Sometimes you can interpret songs the way you want and not rely on what they meant to the writer, lyrics are poetry to set to music and it’s beautiful. I always take a kind of “The Shining” take on this song, but maybe even more sinister, like you’re trapped in a hellish hotel that you can never escape. The opening part where he’s driving and smoking weed and then his head grew heavy and eyes grew dim, time to stop for the night. I don’t think he stopped, I think he passed out at the wheel and died in a car wreck and he is literally trapped in hell. Self interpretation is wonderful.
Back in the day rock was all about metaphors. Sometimes simple sometimes cryptic. This song is about their experiences in southern california. And the culture they found. The line "stab them with thier steely knives but they just cant kill the beast" is a reference to the rock group Steely Dan who was there major rival at the time the line refers to Steely Dan's complaints about the Eagles airplay and their reply was simply that they just could not kill the Beast meaning the Eagles
Great song by The Eagles, There another great song that I like n u should here also is called One Of These Nights. RIP Glen Frey. The Eagles will never be the same without U. God Bless
I have heard this song a thousand times. I play it on guitar. And I have heard the lyrics a thousand times too but dang they hit a place with my soul today that really was different. It's a crazy world out there my friends. Be careful. 🙏✌🏼💕🎶
The part that says "They stab it with our Steely knives but they just can't kill the beast" Was a fun jab at another rock band named Steely Dan. Says Don Henley
I think the best explanation I've heard about this song is "an allegory or metaphor about loss of innocence of artists who find themselves ensnared in the “glittering web” of life in the music industry".
You nailed it.
This song is about the [Halfway House] or rehabilitation center of the rich and famous drug and alcohol abusers known as the [Hotel California].
"And I was thinking to myself [this could be heaven or this could be hell]." Refers to what they "The Addict" will be subjecting themselves to during the very painful withdrawal process known as "Cold Turkey." It's the hours long violent and excruciating epileptic like seizures their bodies will be going through. The pain and suffering they will have to endure to rid the body of its drugs and alcohol in their system.
"Her mind was tiffany twisted she got the Mercedes Bends. She got lots of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends."
Tiffany's is world famous for their fine and very expensive jewelry.
Mercedes-referring to rich mans desires.
Bends-referring to decompression sickness as being [Dope] sick!
She is wealthy with very expensive taste in jewelry. And her friends are actors, models and rich kids.
"How they danced in the court yard sweet summer sweat. Some dance to remember some dance to forget."
The dance refers to the painful [Detoxing] and gut wrenching withdrawal process one must go through to rid themselves of the drugs and alcohol they have in their system. It's a dance one will never forget. And will never want to do again...
"So I called out the captain "please bring me my wine" we haven't had that spirit here since 1969."
Refers to the Woodstock era of "Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll." Woodstock was an open air festival and rock concert that took place back in Bethel N.Y. on Mr. Yasgurs farm in1969 with plenty of "Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll."
"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 what a lovely place what a lovely face. Plenty of room in the hotel California. They living it at the hotel California what a nice surprise bring your alibis."
In every Halfway House or Rehabilitation Center. The staff along with past drug and alcohol abusers who are counselors ...Always welcome one with open arms anytime day or night 365 days a year.
"What a nice surprise bring your alibis." Refers to the many excuses the abusers will give to the staff. As to the many reasons why they became addicts.
"Mirrors on the ceiling the pink champagne on ice. And she said we are all just prisoners here, of our own device, and in the master's chambers they gathered for their feast they stab it with their steely knives but they just cant 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 night man we are program to receive you can check out anytime you like but you can never leave!"
Mirrors on the ceiling refers to the big room where all the addict gather to receive their drug substitutes to ween them off of the hard drugs.
Pink champagne on ice refers to the drug substitute 'Methadone" which is a liquid, and is pink in color.
The drug and alcohol addicts are prisoners of their own self destruction. And they themselves are to blame for letting themselves become drug and alcohol abusers.
The Beast is the "Drug and Alcohol Addiction."
An addict will have to live with the [THE BEAST- THE ADDICTION] for the rest of their lives.
The addict will never be rid of the addiction. It will be a constant battle for the rest of their lives to live drug and alcohol free.
You can check out anytime you like but you can never leave refers to "ONCE AN ADDICT ALWAYS AN ADDICT."
I hope this help those who were always confused by the songs lyrics...Peace!
Thanks. I always thought that the person died and was in a lavish place but eventually realized that he was in eternal torment but didn't realize he was dead until he tried to leave. Thanks again for clearing it up for me
Nice job. It all makes sense now. =)
The opening verse 'My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim I had to stop for the night." He was driving to the drug rehab center known as the Hotel California. He was already high as he was smelling colitias "A Mexican name for marijuana buds or roach." Peace!@@raviniaray5556
@@raviniaray5556 You are very welcome. Peace!
You are very welcome Peter. Love your handle...I am a big Errol Flynn fan and he is my favorite actor of the 30's & 40's. Peter Blood was his greatest character from the movie "Captain Blood" Peace!@@peterblood50
One of the best ending guitar solos of ALL TIME right there.
Not a solo! Was a duet between Don Felder and Joe Walsh, although Felder did write it as a solo when he composed the entire song musically he shared it with Joe on the album and when playing live.
Yes I agree this song and freebird
Don and Joe two of the most underrated guitarists in the business. Both top ten taleants.@@boosuedon
I danced to the eagles all time this is a great song they were very popular.I danced to them and others to forget the things that were going on at home.Thanks for all the old songs you play.I have forgotten them.I am 60years old.
Seven Bridges Road by the Eagles... must do!
Definitely!
Please add this to your list!
I've requested this one several times. Maybe if enough of us request it he will play it.
Wykkyd Gaming I agree!
Yessssss!!!
My all time favorite group ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ fan since early 70’s
Eagles one of the very best groups. In my opinion.
Pretty sure this song is about selling your soul to the devil..sacrifice ..to the devil ..stab it with their steely knives...the Eagles were a great sounding band but I just saw a documentary about them and they had lots of infighting, and prideful problems in the band..lots of jockeying for position..good people left to be replaced by other good musicians..great sounding but Hotel California is definitely an occultism song
@@naturemom57 except the song is about drug abuse, the music industry and the superficial lifestyle of southern California......it has nothing to do with anything occult
They were until Glenn Frey died 2 yrs ago.
dvsreed That's what you wanna believe but you really need a wakeup call
@@theresistance2641 The song IS about excess, the dark side of "The American Dream", certain women they knew, and how mainstream music had become superficial during the disco era.
The only one needing a wake up call, is anyone who thinks it's about something else.
It's pretty obvious.
Seeking out the American dream, being tempted by hot women, who turn out to be all about how much money you're got and cheat on you every chance they get, the lack of depth in the music industry (spirit isn't referring to alcohol), partying all the time and doing shit you shouldn't like illegal drugs (bring your alibis), hedonism, not being able to escape your own mind (the beast is their memories and addiction), not being able to escape fame.
I actually did 28 days in the , Hotel California, Laguna Beach. That was in 2001. Praise God that's behind me now. This song ... I will never forget. "+" 💓
I grew up listening to the Eagles, my father loves them along with Jackson Brown, The Hollies & countless others. I've seen the Eagles live twice & they were GREAT💯 Harmonies are insane, great music takes me back to my childhood 😏 Much ❤️🙋 from Bama!!!
One of my favorite songs of all time. Can't get enough. I'll always blast the car radio when it comes on.
While there have been many theories that contemplate what the song represents, the Eagles' band members have revealed in multiple interviews that the true meaning behind "Hotel California" is a commentary on the hedonism and self-indulgence of America.
“It’s basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in America, which is something we knew a lot about,” Henley said in a 2002 interview with "60 Minutes."
The song has been described as being "all about American decadence and burnout, too much money, corruption, drugs and arrogance; too little humility and heart."[9] It has also been interpreted as an allegory about hedonism, self-destruction, and greed in the music industry of the late 1970s.[38] Don Henley called it "our interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles",[39] and later said: "It's basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in America, which is something we knew a lot about.
Thank u Frank for getting it!!! It's driving me nuts trying to explain it to people. I thought I was alone out there. I don't see how they don't get it if they just think about it a little. The song uses metaphors and images of life in California to talk about those things.
Henley decided on the theme of "Hotel California", noting how The Beverly Hills Hotel had become a literal and symbolic focal point of their lives at that time. Henley said of their personal and professional experience in LA: "We were getting an extensive education, in life, in love, in business. Beverly Hills was still a mythical place to us. In that sense it became something of a symbol, and the 'Hotel' the locus of all that LA had come to mean for us. In a sentence, I'd sum it up as the end of the innocence, round one."
Frey came up with a cinematic scenario of a person who, tired from driving a long distance in a desert, saw a place for a rest and pulled in for the night, but entered "a weird world peopled by freaky characters", and became "quickly spooked by the claustrophobic feeling of being caught in a disturbing web from which he may never escape.” In an interview with Cameron Crowe, Frey said that he and Henley wanted the song "to open like an episode of the Twilight Zone", and added: "We take this guy and make him like a character in The Magus, where every time he walks through a door there’s a new version of reality. We wanted to write a song just like it was a movie." Frey described the song in an interview with NBC's Bob Costas as a cinematic montage "just one shot to the next ... a picture of a guy on the highway, a picture of the hotel, the guy walks in, the door opens, strange people." Frey continued: "We decided to create something strange, just to see if we could do it." Henley then wrote most of the lyrics based on Frey's idea, and sought inspiration for the writing by driving out into the desert as well as from films and theater.
Part of the lyrics, such as "Her mind is Tiffany twisted, she got the Mercedes bends / She got a lot of pretty pretty boys she calls friends", are based on Henley's break-up with his girlfriend Loree Rodkin. According to Glenn Frey's liner notes for The Very Best Of, the use of the word "steely" in the lyric, "They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast," was a playful nod to the band Steely Dan, who had included the lyric "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening" in their song "Everything You Did". Frey had also said that the writing of the song was inspired by the boldness of Steely Dan's lyrics and its willingness to go "out there", and thought that the song they wrote had "achieved perfect ambiguity."
In the 2013 documentary History of the Eagles, Henley said that the song was about "a journey from innocence to experience... that's all...
Pretty accurate, I'd say. It's an ugly scary story set to some awesome very cool music. Best prolonged guitar solo out there, in my opinion.
According to an interview that I saw with Joe Walsh of the Eagles, the song is about all of the people who go to California to try and make it big and get caught up in the excesses of the California lifestyle at the time that they wrote this song.
Thank u for getting the freakin meaning!!!! Its driving me nuts explaining it. Had to leave a long explanation for everyone else Don't know how people don't get it considering it's one of the most popular songs ever.
It's a haunting melody and the guitar riffs at the end are to die for, I could listen to it a thousand times and never get tired of it.
I remember this song from my childhood. Yes I’m old. I, in my 7 year old mind with no knowledge of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, thought this was about limbo. I guess because he didn’t know whether it was heaven or hell. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. I got older and figured out the real meaning.
Damn I love them. Sooo many hits. This is my fave. Three songs defined my youth - this one, Bohemian Rhapsody and Stairway to Heaven..
My first memory of this song was in 1995 I was at a 3 day youth rally and we had a person there who was speaking about "the evils of rock" so when me and my buddies got back to our room we started playing a lot of rock and one of my friends played Hotel California
I should mention that the speaker was in the room next to ours lol
Good for you!
And now we have access to most songs so can find what type of music they like and find offensive songs in that format for them to have to listen to. Nothing like seeing someones reaction to that lounge song you have playing to turn out to be gin and juice (Richard Cheese).
evils of rock lmao... every single new genre of music is blasted by the older folks so scared - it simply never ends. Nowadays it is rap... if you go back before R&R the old folks thought swing bands and jazz was the evil product of demons.
This band had it all. They could write, sing, play, harmonize. What sets them apart from many bands is the fact they did it at the highest levels. Love me some Eagles.
If you want harmony Eagles Seven Bridges Row is a must
The Eagles are one of my most favorite groups. When they were doing their thing I was blowing trumpet at North Texas St. U. Did a version of this song for jazz band. (if you are unfamiliar with the jazz music program at NTS please do research.. The school puts more musicians on non-electronic instruments, i.e., trumpet, trombone, saxes, etc. in the music recording studios than any other school). We used to decompress listening to the Eagles, drink some cheap beer, go to sleep, get up, go to class, rehearsals, and do it all over again. Bring back the mid to late 70s. I would be a young man again! Good times had by all for sure.
I believe Don Henley has said its about the dark side of fame. Irregardless, it's a great song from a talented group. Great choice.
pretty much correct, it's about the music business and all that comes along with it.
Once I heard it’s about fame - that’s all I can believe it is about
Fame is seductive and destructive
I also heard Don Henley make that statement.
Regardless
Don Henley, who co wrote the lyrics says all this song means is someone going from innocence to experience.......
You can never leave...Ominous feeling. Love the reaction.
Ah, the sound of my youth. I was born in the 80's, but my parents had/have awesome taste in music. I'm proud to say that I have inherited their vinyl collection, and there's at least 2 Eagles albums 😁
The song is about the L.A Hollywood party scene and drug addiction in the 70s
This song is about L.A in any time since the beginning of its "entertainment industry". From the birth of "pictures"(movies) to the modern day. The stars change, the faces change, the dead people are different every generation, but "the life" remains the same.
Along with Madonna's "Hollywood", these are two anthems of the L.A high life.
Not only a great song but a great album. Every song on that album was a masterpiece. I was away at college in 1976 when the album debuted. Many great times listening to The Eagles.
@Modern Renaissance Man. I went to high school in the 1970s and grew to love Reggae. I always wished that a Reggae artist would have done a great job with this song. It has a built in vibe that would be great in Reggae.
...such a haunting melody
The Eagles said in an interview that it was about the high life in LA.
They lied to you. Lol. In the record, that was Anton LaVey in the window
They are lying
@@theresistance2641 I looked at the album cover. Saw him in the window. It makes sense.
@@theresistance2641 You're right, the official version is a lie! The Eagles were involved with the Church of Satan! This song is about abuse, pedophilia and satanic rituals. And no, I'm not a crazy Christian.
@Adrian A Heaven and hell are the metaphor for fame. It's seductive and thrilling, but you sell your soul to it. There's a dark side to it, and you can never get back to the person you once were. NOT a Satanic song.
This takes me back to Sophomore year in High School, Southern California....sneaking over to my boyfriend’s house instead of studying at the library! You can bet every kid in High School knew these lyrics by ❤️The Eagles were the soundtrack of my teen years!
It's about people making it rich and being basically addicted to wealth and getting caught up in the lifestyle. They're living it up but they're not really happy. And they don't know how to go back to their simple lives.
sure you're not thinking of life in the fast lane?
Oh man love the Eagles and this intro!!!! The Eagles rock! First time I heard this song I would have been 12 or 13 yrs old in the late 70’s doing a school report on a famous Australian bushranger Ned Kelly, fell in love with the band and their music 💕
4:53 I love the Timbale break, right after ''kill the beast''.
Love the metallic sound of that Afro-Cuban drum.
While there have been many theories that contemplate what the song represents, the Eagles' band members have revealed in multiple interviews that the true meaning behind "Hotel California" is a commentary on the hedonism and self-indulgence of America.
“It’s basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in America, which is something we knew a lot about,” Henley said in a 2002 interview with "60 Minutes." Henley further explained the meaning of the song to Rolling Stone magazine, “We were all middle class kids from the Midwest," Henley said. "'Hotel California' was our interpretation of the high life in L.A.”
MRM...the song is about the lure and eventual unrelenting and inescapable hook of drugs, sex and rock and roll of the California scene of the 1970's.
This reaction was priceless. I laughed out loud. Don't feel bad Ty. Nobody knows what it means. The mystery is part of the charm. The song originated off of guitar riffs that Don 'Fingers' Felder recorded at home and brought to the band. Frey & Henley did their lyric writing magic and then of course Henley's voice - he could sing the phone book. The "Eagles Greatest Hits" album was the #1 seller of the 20th Century. One of the greatest bands of all time & as with many "artists", a lot of jerkdom involved.
Probably the best band of all time.
QUEEN, THE EAGLES, THE ROLLING STONES, REDHOT CHILI PEPPERS( especially the John Frusciante era in the group), they among great bands and among my favorites.
Great song, one of the best guitar solos ever...a song for Cataloging. So happy you did this. To many Eagle hits to list,
Use your imagination......
poetry, metaphor, duality, paradox.
It's not THAT complicated.
'What a nice surprise, bring your alibis' means celebrities give fake names when they enter rehab.
You can check out any time you like but you can never leave is a double or triple entendre. One meaning is that once you are addicted and have gone through rehab, you are still an addict even if you never take it again. Another is that you never actually leave rehab even after you check out. Another meaning, like the rest of the song, is a reference to the abusive Hollywood culture and the way it shackles you. Even in death 'checking out', they still drag your name through the mud and cause your family drama. Even suicide makes it worse.
If you really listen to the lyrics this song is like a Psychological thriller movie. Surprised it has not been turned into a movie yet.
Great idea, but Don Henley would NEVER okay it!
One of the singular greatest songs ever recorded.....beyond just being a masterpiece.
So many of their songs are hits. Even the songs that never made the radio are great. Very few bands fill the whole record with hits.
I honestly dont think they have a bad song.
I have a list in my head of the top 7 guitar solos of all time, and this one is on that list. 🎸
Oh my goodness. This is going to be great. I have not seen anyone do a reaction to this one. I don't know why. It is a classic. And I, to this day, have no idea what it is about. Maybe it is someone having a nightmare. lol But the instrumentals are awesome as are the vocalist. The Eagles have never sung a band song. Each and every one of them can and has stood on their own. They are all lead singers and lead instrumentalist.
LindyTN check out the Movie “Hotel California”. It’s on RUclips for free.
Because The Eagles is one of the bands that tends to get copyright strikes easily.
The song is about a number of things. The idea of "the American dream" and it's dark side, partying, hedonism, drug abuse, women who only care about how much money you're got, how shallow music had gotten compared to the social awareness of the 60s, and being famous.
thats right
In the 2013 documentary History of the Eagles, Henley said that the song was about "a journey from innocence to experience... that's all..."
I always thought that this was one of their "mysterious songs" and they didn't discuss what it really about, although I tend to agree it was about adiction. And, RIP Glenn Frey (autoimmune diseases kill)
Don Henley the most talented in the group, drummer singer, any type of percussion grew up in a small town called Linden, Texas which is about 20 miles from where I sit typing. Henley won't come out and say what it's truly about, he says it means different things to different people. Personally, since the song was written back in the mid 70's or so and the Eagles were heavy into the drug scene. Who wasn't back then ? I was too young, just a kid. Anyway, some people think it the place (which is a real Hotel but not named Hotel California) was the Eagles dabbling with the Occult. I will say this about Don Henley. He is as good of a person as you will find. Henley comes back to Linden (population 3,000) each year to do a weekend festival with some of the original Eagles tagging along, and they donate every dollar to the local hospital and the children who are of parents who cannot pay their medical bills. In conclusion, they are now, since having grown older along with the death of Glenn Frey, have become more somber and none are on drugs. Don Henley, the drummer, is perhaps the greatest all around talent America has produced as far as writing songs, singing and singing quite well while playing difficult rhythms on his drums and I know for sure, Don is one of the nicest and most giving people who have made it to the top. PFA
Glenn Frey and Don Henley were part of Linda Ronstadt's touring band before they formed the Eagles. Check out some early Linda.
old paint
Not only that but Linda also went out of her way to introduce Glenn and Don to many industry record people and gave them a big head start when they told her they wanted to set out on their own. Linda Ronstadt was not only very talented and gorgeous, she was also a great person.
In "History of the Eagles," Don Henley said it was, at the essence of it, a journey from innocence to experience. Have to give props to Randy Meisner for the bass line in that song.
The song is about drugs.
Don Felder wrote and played the famous guitar riff...
When I heard this song as a child, I figured this related to purgatory. Although I was raised in a religion that doesn't believe in hell or purgatory, what the song describes never really related to heaven or hell in my mind. It did, however, paint a vivid picture of being caught in limbo. As I've gotten older I can relate it to addiction as well. The lady that's addicted to jewellery, brand names, and men. The unkillable "beast"... There's also references to the seven deadly sins for those that care to hear them.
This is why the song is timeless. Many people can relate to it for so many different reasons and it grows and changes as our experiences and knowledge grows.
In the band’s own words....
Henley decided on the theme of "Hotel California", noting how The Beverly Hills Hotel had become a literal and symbolic focal point of their lives at that time. Henley said of their personal and professional experience in LA: "We were getting an extensive education, in life, in love, in business. Beverly Hills was still a mythical place to us. In that sense it became something of a symbol, and the 'Hotel' the locus of all that LA had come to mean for us. In a sentence, I'd sum it up as the end of the innocence, round one."
Frey came up with a cinematic scenario of a person who, tired from driving a long distance in a desert, saw a place for a rest and pulled in for the night, but entered "a weird world peopled by freaky characters", and became "quickly spooked by the claustrophobic feeling of being caught in a disturbing web from which he may never escape." In an interview with Cameron Crowe, Frey said that he and Henley wanted the song "to open like an episode of the Twilight Zone", and added: "We take this guy and make him like a character in The Magus, where every time he walks through a door there’s a new version of reality. We wanted to write a song just like it was a movie." Frey described the song in an interview with NBC's Bob Costas as a cinematic montage "just one shot to the next ... a picture of a guy on the highway, a picture of the hotel, the guy walks in, the door opens, strange people." Frey continued: "We decided to create something strange, just to see if we could do it." Henley then wrote most of the lyrics based on Frey's idea, and sought inspiration for the writing by driving out into the desert as well as from films and theater.
Part of the lyrics, such as "Her mind is Tiffany twisted, she got the Mercedes bends / She got a lot of pretty pretty boys she calls friends", are based on Henley's break-up with his girlfriend Loree Rodkin. According to Glenn Frey's liner notes for The Very Best Of, the use of the word "steely" in the lyric, "They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast," was a playful nod to the band Steely Dan, who had included the lyric "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening" in their song "Everything You Did". Frey had also said that the writing of the song was inspired by the boldness of Steely Dan's lyrics and its willingness to go "out there", and thought that the song they wrote had "achieved perfect ambiguity."
In the 2013 documentary History of the Eagles, Henley said that the song was about "a journey from innocence to experience... that's all..."
@@AC-gb7do "from innocence to experience" I'm not sure about you but, that journey includes everything mentioned and more. But, I'd never read the background on the song. Great art often becomes a symbol for more than the artists ever intended.
Jennifer Dunyon yeah, the song CAN be interpreted in many different ways, but it’s pretty clear what the songwriters intended it to be. It is their song after all.
@@AC-gb7do yes, I understand that they had a clear idea of what they intended the song to be about. I also understand that because it is a piece of art people won't always care about the truth of it, just what it provides for them.
It is quite neat to know the story behind it though, underwhelming as it may be.
Give a listen and react to The Last Resort also by the Eagles. A deeply meaningful and beautifully composed/performed song.
The main chord changes for Hotel California were lifted from Jethro Tull's "We Used To Know" from their 1969 album "Stand Up." Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull acknowledges that it might have happened because the Eagles opened for them around 1971 and "We Used To Know" was one of the songs they performed live. He states that they did a better job with the chord changes than he did (a matter of opinion) and seems complimented that his musical idea was copied. George Harrison should have been so lucky!
Need to watch ROCKY MOUNTAIN WAY live from Maryland.. Joe Walsh WAS the Eagles...and Don Felder
Have you ever heard an obscure song by Joe Walsh called "Wolf"? WOW to that one.
Excellent choice, I've always liked "The Confessor" too.
The Confessor is a good one @@MrBallisticbob
Walsh and Felder were both indeed big assets... but there is no need to diminish the obvious influence and talent of Frey and Henley. Bottom line this band had so much talent it is quite unreal.
The Eagles were great @@jamesbarrick3403
Written by the drummer. The line, "you can check out any time you like but you can never leave" he is eluding to Hell!
The Eagles are frequently in my playlist. Great music, and Hotel California is possibly the greatest tune in their catalog. I also like the harmonies from their acapela version of "Seven Bridges Road". Here's a bit of trivia for ya, Travis Tritt brought the bang together after they broke up with his remake of "Take It Easy", and Joe Walsh did an episode of CMT Crossroads that was pretty cool. I grew up listening to their tunes, and always thought they were country, even though they were more on the rock side of things.
Just think of the words of the song as literal, in which case, the Hotel California is sorta like a place for a cult. Now, translate that to other things that have the same theme as a cult. It could be drugs, it could also be the music industry. The part in the song referring to "steely knives" kinda relates to another band at the time, Steely Dan. So you can kinda transpose that meaning over to the music industry. It's a very multi-layered song in meaning, and also one of the greatest guitar solos ever, so great they had to double up and do it as a duo!
How old are you? I'm 43 and I always thought they were country because this and Desperado always played on the country radio station my parents listened to.
@@Lightningrod75 I'm 43 as well. Always heard them on the radio as a kid, and we only listened to country stations back then. I'm one of those "I was country, when country wasn't cool" old schoolers. :D
What it's about, according to Don Henley, the writer, drummer and lead singer, is "a journey from innocence to experience."
I believe it's about addiction! In the early days they were into drugs, alcohol, and sex really heavy. I think the "beast" is a metaphor for addiction!
It is about drug addiction and the party scene of the 70's in L.A. and California. The celebs, and the wealthy and their addictions. Excellent song, amazing group.
Exactly Right!!!
Sounds like a double edged sword, drug addiction but also if your willing to sell your soul to Satan for carnality pleasures or not
It's about the dark side of fame.The beast is what you've become, and you can't kill it because you can never go back to the person you were. When they wrote Hotel California, The Eagles were completely unapologetic about their substance abuse. It would be years before they would come to grips with that bottom.
No
I think the lyrics refer to that time in Southern California in the 70’s when anything a rockstar wanted was available and excess was common. During the 70s when the Eagles were soaring with success, they experimented with all kind of drugs and lived to tell about it as older men. Many great musicians and singers during those years were lost to drugs and I think that lifestyle is the “hotel” they checked into. Unfortunately, some were never able to leave but became “prisoners of their own device” and we lost them too soon.
Glen fry said the song was about the seedy underside of la.
In the 2013 documentary History of the Eagles, Henley said that the song was about "a journey from innocence to experience... that's all..."
Glenn Fry is a liar. BTW Frey did not write it so his comments are 2nd hand conjecture. Read the lyrics and you will know it is about the mind fuck of going through drug rehab and drug addiction in general. I think Frey knows that associating with being a former heroine addict does not play well so he tries to dumb it down.
Supposedly the inspiration for the song was an offhand comment by Joe Walsh. It was near the end of a tour, and someone said that they couldn't wait to get home. Joe replied "All these years, and California still doesn't feel like home. But after all these years in California, no where else feels like home, either. "
You should react to Aaron Tippin got to stand for something or stars and stripes were the eagle flys or waht this country needs
Love Aaron Tippin!
I met him last year when he came to SC to do a Benefit for a friend of his. He's a great guy, down to earth and an incredible entertainer!
One of the greatest dual guitar solos ever created
Best song ever next to stairway to heaven.I hope this is the live version from the early days
michelle ortega Have you heard the bluegrass version of Stairway to Heaven? I know it’s sounds like it would be a total screw up, but it is great. I think Iron Horse did it. Maybe someone else will know. There is another bluegrass band that does rock and pop songs to bluegrass. They are so much fun. Lol
@@BelindaTN I will have to look it up.I liked when heart sang it for led zepplin at the kennedy honors.Female Robert plant
Totally agree. 3 songs that made my teen years bearable were this one, Stairway to Heaven and Bohemian Rhapsody! IMO, three greatest songs EVER!! 😀
Such a touchy subject that most would have strong opinions... but basically I agree with you.
It was the 70's, Living on "California st" in a beach city, OC, Ca. The apartment complex was Spanish design. Apts surrounded the pool all sides
One arched entrance to the complex. Mostly surfers lived in the units. Surf boards, skateboards, & dirt bikes leaned up against walks. We were maybe 1/8th block from southside shore. I was 7 months with my 1st. My husband shaped boards downstairs for a living, also pro surfer. I'd layout at beach. Strips, slaps, smell of cocoa butter & coconut surf wax filled the air. Someone always playing music on transistor radios. Eagles obviously in random play. At home, no one closed their doors. Randy... upstairs, would put speakers at door, blasting music over complex. that was our jam. We'd claim "Hotel California" our home anthem... Although it was about drugs. Almost everyone in complex smoked pot. I didn't. Never did like it. But even still, I was pregnant. My fav song on the Album? "Victim of Love" & also loved "Life In The Fast Lane" I know, guess I related to both in weird sort of way. That's what comes to mind when I hear Hotel California. Every fav song, from past to present signifies a very specific memory in my life. It was. And always has been a major player in my life's past, present, and I'm sure future. I love it all. 💞🙏
I think it’s about drug addiction
Yes and no. It's about the excesses of the rock star/California lifestyle. Drugs, yes, but also alcohol, sexual exploits, etc, and how you could get lost and trapped in all of that.
Could be, but when they wrote Hotel California, they were very happy in their world of drugs and excess.
The comments say it all below what it's about, but this is one of the most classic rock songs ever. I never get tired of hearing it
some people think it's evil but it's like Sabbath War Pigs supposedly devil worship but only a anti war song
They harmonize so well together is many of their songs. Don Henley and Glenn Frey knew what they were doing. Great band. Definitely one of my top 3 bands.
Personally I think you should do lyric videos whenever possible. Many times the video is distracting more than helpful.
R.I.P. Glenn Frey November 6, 1948 - January 18, 2016. You could feel a change in the group with him, huh??
You like meanings in songs you should listen to their song Lying Eyes.
I always thought it was about a person/man who let his vices control his actions and ended up in a purgatory sort of place where he could never go back or leave,but was free to continue living with the consequences of his actions.
Another song I love
The actual Hotel California, used in the photos for the album cover, is in Lareto, Mexico. I took a cruise once and part of the tour ( one of the tours anyway) was to see the hotel. They played this song over, and over, on the hotel sound system.
Wonder how quick it will get blocked
I hope not.From the pic it looks like it's the song and no video. I was hoping for the live version of it that was the best
Why would it get blocked?
Love this band!! Can sing most of their songs without hearing them word for word! LOL, they were play VERY frequent on the radio and and still are.
This song really has a lot of deep hidden messages in it, as do lot of songs do! This one I will keep my meaning of what I think was being told to us in A VERY CLEAR manner!
Thank you for your reaction!
My favorite song from the is The Last Resort.
Le reddit silver member mine too!! I love that song...
haunting
Love me some Eagles...one of my top 5 of all time...well maybe you just needed to be alive at the time and live those days....nothing better than Rock and Roll from 66 to 75
Dude ,watch the live version from ‘77. Awesome.
He did. Nearly a year ago.
I've heard this many,many times, even live in their concerts and I get something new. LOVE the bass, even during the ending solo. I agree that the song is about excesses of fame, money that they THOUGHT they wanted.
Please...Please...Please react to Strawberry Letter 23 by The Brothers Johnson
I love that song
Great Song,,,
@5stew5 - Wow! one of my favorites... good call.
I 4th or 5th that
Oh WOW didn't think anyone remembered that song. It came on in the disco and I was up
the floor...
Fame - Drugs, Booze, Women, Rock & Roll - That was the crazy life The Eagles found themselves caught up in - back when nearly all music careers began in L.A. - That's what this song was written about.
Yes, this song is about addiction. Lines on the mirror. I know they sing about crystal meth. Beautiful song though. One of my all time favorites.
Stabbing the "beast"(drug withdraws) with their "steely knives" (needles) you can try to leave but their addictions will bring them back. Think of the song as being about the daily life of an heroin addict.
According to Glenn Frey's liner notes for The Very Best Of, the use of the word "steely" in the lyric, "They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast," was a playful nod to the band Steely Dan, who had included the lyric "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening" in their song "Everything You Did". Frey had also said that the writing of the song was inspired by the boldness of Steely Dan's lyrics and its willingness to go "out there", and thought that the song they wrote had "achieved perfect ambiguity."
In the 2013 documentary History of the Eagles, Henley said that the song was about "a journey from innocence to experience... that's all..."
The song is about drug addiction. In the masters chambers we gathered for the feast (of coke)... stab it with you steely knives but you just can't kill the beast (cut up lines but don't kill addiction). Or the watchman said we are programmed to receive, you can check out anytime you like but you can never leave. In other words people are always addicted to their vice. You can die anytime you like, but you're always an addict. Or We haven't had that spirit here since 1969... likely referring to acid.
do "heartache 2nite"
The single, greatest hit of their career. Also, the song that perpetually ended the Eagles. They told in interviews how the song was so massively popular, that they never put out anything else that came close to touching it. I think there must be loads of royalties still coming in from this hit song.
RIP Glenn Frey, you are sadly missed. Luckily I was able to see the Eagles twice before he passed. Another musician taken too soon!
The songwriter explained that the song was about the transition from innocence to experience. How the (American) dream can become the American Nightmare.
Sometimes you can interpret songs the way you want and not rely on what they meant to the writer, lyrics are poetry to set to music and it’s beautiful. I always take a kind of “The Shining” take on this song, but maybe even more sinister, like you’re trapped in a hellish hotel that you can never escape. The opening part where he’s driving and smoking weed and then his head grew heavy and eyes grew dim, time to stop for the night. I don’t think he stopped, I think he passed out at the wheel and died in a car wreck and he is literally trapped in hell. Self interpretation is wonderful.
Love, love this song! Their song Life In The Fast Lane leaves no doubt what they were talking about on this album!
Sing, sing, sing, Benny Goodman
Love to hear your comments
Yessss!!!!
Been listening to this band since their first album, they only got better with time. It's still my go to when I need music to chill.
They stated in an interview that it’s about the dark side of the American Dream.
Back in the day rock was all about metaphors. Sometimes simple sometimes cryptic. This song is about their experiences in southern california. And the culture they found. The line "stab them with thier steely knives but they just cant kill the beast" is a reference to the rock group Steely Dan who was there major rival at the time the line refers to Steely Dan's complaints about the Eagles airplay and their reply was simply that they just could not kill the Beast meaning the Eagles
You just heard one of the greatest guitar riffs in rock and roll history.
The Eagles had so much talent it was incredible.
Great song by The Eagles, There another great song that I like n u should here also is called One Of These Nights. RIP Glen Frey. The Eagles will never be the same without U. God Bless
I have heard this song a thousand times. I play it on guitar. And I have heard the lyrics a thousand times too but dang they hit a place with my soul today that really was different. It's a crazy world out there my friends. Be careful. 🙏✌🏼💕🎶
The part that says
"They stab it with our Steely knives but they just can't kill the beast"
Was a fun jab at another rock band named Steely Dan.
Says Don Henley
Ty, it’s about the world. How nice it appears...how horrible it is. ❤️🐾❤️