we are all just prisoners here
welcome
to the
hotel
California
this could be heaven
or this could be hell
we are all just prisoners here
of our own device
you can check out anytime you like
but you can never leave
but you can never leave
sweet summer sweat
such a lovely place
such a lovely face
Listen to the story
The story describes "a hotel you can never leave". it is about a weary traveler trapped in a nightmarish hotel that at first seemed quite appealing
What is song
What is idea of the song
about
Hotel California is the title track from the Eagles' Hotel California album, released as a single in February 1977
Songwriting credits go to Don Felder, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey
Songwriting credits go to Don Felder, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey
Don Henley (lyrics)
Joe Walsh
Glenn Frey (lyrics)
Don Felder (music)
Randy Meisner
The song, some believe, allegorically describes the hedonism and self-destruction of music in Hollywood.
The idea behind the song is that Hollywood is like a luxury hotel that first welcomes guests and then traps them because of its own cunning. There are also more down-to-earth versions: for example, that the "hotel" refers to a prison or a mental hospital. There are also versions according to which the song is about drug addiction. As an argument, the translation of the word colitas from the line is cited
Nobody was from California, and if you drive into L.A. at night ... you can just see this glow on the horizon of lights, and the images that start running through your head of Hollywood and all the dreams that you have, and so it was kind of about that ... what we started writing the song about
Don Henley, the author
All of us kind of drove into L.A. at night
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
The Beverly Hills Hotel, also called the Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows, is located on Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California.
One of the world's best-known hotels, it is closely associated with Hollywood film stars, rock stars, and celebrities
One of the world's best-known hotels, it is closely associated with Hollywood film stars, rock stars, and celebrities
about
interesting facts
the song
in 1978, the song won grammy award as a best record of the year. In 2003, the song was inducted into the Grammy hall of fame
The song's guitar solo was voted the best solo of all time by readers of Guitarist magazine in 1998, and was ranked 8th on Guitar Magazine's Top 100 Guitar Solos
The Rolling Stones magazine magazine ranked it number 49 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time"
cultural
influence
Hotel California and its lyrics have become absorbed into the wider culture around the world, and have been used by various writers and commentators to reflect on issues ranging from politics to social media and welfare, or as an observation on a particular situation
Although the Eagles were noted for their reluctance to license their songs for use in shows, the song has been used in a number of films and television shows, such as The Big Lebowski (performed by the Gipsy Kings), Absolutely Fabulous, American Horror Story, The Sopranos, and the end credits of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
On July 13, 2022, three individuals were charged after allegedly conspiring to sell Henley's handwritten lyrics to the song Hotel California and two other songs from the same album that the Manhattan District Attorney's office claims were improperly obtained. Prosecutors claim the lyrics could be worth over $1 million at auction. The three men pleaded not guilty and were released without bail pending trial. Eagles manager Irving Azoff said the case exposed "the truth about music memorabilia sales of highly personal, stolen items hidden behind a façade of legitimacy"
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