Don Henley issues lawsuit for the return of handwritten lyrics to ‘Hotel California’
After settling out of court over a previous case regarding the song ‘Hotel California’, Eagles vocalist and bandleader Don Henley is now suing book chains for unauthorised use of his handwritten lyrics to the classic song.
The song about the mythical hotel in the Sunshine State has become one of the group’s signature tunes over the years. Formed out of a guitar passage written by guitarist Don Felder, Henley wrote the words alongside guitarist and bandleader Glenn Frey.
The case concerns the use of notes that Henley had written around the track, with his lawyer Daniel Petrocelli, stating, “These 100 pages of personal lyric sheets belong to Mr. Henley and his family, and he has never authorized defendants or anyone else to peddle them for profit.”
However, this follows another court case Henley was involved in regarding notes to ‘Hotel California’. In March 2024, Henley filed a previous case against various rock and roll memorabilia collectors, whom he had alleged were planning on selling the same notes.
Despite his efforts, the judge eventually threw out the case, stating, “It is now clear that [Henley along with Eagles manager Irving Azoff] and their lawyers … used the privilege to obfuscate and hide information that they believed would be damaging to their position that the lyric sheets were stolen.” Petrocelli has since stated that the trial was unjust and that Henley will continue to pursue the matter.
Of course, this is not the first time Henley has found himself in court over his famous tune. When R&B artist Frank Ocean used a sample of the famous tune for his song ‘American Wedding’, Henley sued to have the song taken off his mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra, eventually calling Ocean “a talentless little prick” for his actions.
Henley has also worked to keep many of his songs from being exploited online. In addition to his pursuit for the return of the documents, the Eagles leader has begun monitoring the internet to ensure that none of his songs are being illegally used, including taking multiple videos off of YouTube and Facebook that feature his music.
When not going through his dealings in court, Henley has been touring the US on what is set to be the group’s final tour. These shows included a massive ten-week residency at the Las Vegas venue The Sphere as well as dates running until the end of December for their ‘Long Goodbye’ tour.
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