What once seemed like a small desert paradise quickly turns into a gothic horror. Don Henley's lyrics certainly have a flair for the dramatic, as he effortlessly transforms the mood and tone of the story.
One central theme in "Hotel California" is the disconnect between popular perceptions of California versus the reality.ĭon Henley's masterful lyrics focus much of their attention on this theme of perceptions of California in the American collective imagination versus the reality of the Golden State. It's a place for people who are between destinations: transients. The song title suggests a sunny, laid-back place where people drink lots of pomegranate juice and practice yoga, but it also hints that the state of California-or, more accurately, the idea of California-isn't really home to anyone. The very first few lines of the song take us to the long, straight highways of California and the American Southwest, which serves as a powerful symbol of freedom, desolation, and recklessness in songs by the Eagles.
The person who watches over the hotel tells him not to worry because he won't ever be able to escape from the hotel.Īnd such is the fate of our weary traveling narrator. Naturally, this sends our speaker running for the exit, but now he can't find the exit. (We spit out our champagne: "What?") Everyone shows up for a dinner in the room of the "master," and they stab at some animal or "beast" that won't die. The speaker notices how swanky the place is, but then the woman tells him that everyone at the hotel is a prisoner of their own making. This tidbit is the first suggestion that all might not be well at our quaint hotel. This time, however, they mention something about having an alibi to prove their innocence. The speaker passes out and hears the voices again singing about the Hotel California. The speaker orders up some wine from the Wine Captain, who remarks that the speaker has brought the playful spirit of the 1960s along with him. The woman is rich and fun-loving, and her friends are beautiful. He starts to hear voices singing about how lovely and pleasant it is to stay at the hotel. All the while, the speaker isn't sure what to make of the place. This female figure plays a central role in the song, though we never learn all that much about her. You guessed it it's the Hotel California.Ī mysterious woman stands and greets him at the door like a Homeric siren, luring the weary traveler with her seductive song. Before long, he starts to feel drowsy and stops at a hotel for the night. He feels the wind in his hair and smells some desert flowers. As the story unfolds, the speaker is driving on a dark desert highway late at night. By the time they wrote "Hotel California," the Eagles had come to the conclusion that the "cutest girls in the world" also came with a lot of baggage.īut before we dive a little deeper into this song, let's go over the basic sequence of events described in this ballad. Apparently, something drastic happened to girls from the Golden State between 19.
They turn the Beach Boys' plea from 1965 ("I wish they all could be California girls") on its head. Or, to be more precise, California girls. In the title track of their hit 1976 album, "Hotel California," the Eagles warn listeners of the two most dangerous things known to man: women and California.
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