Is ‘Hotel California’ about the music industry or a descent into hell?
There are a number of songs that you can pinpoint as chapter titles in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. These are songs that weren’t only popular but also inspired a cultural shift, something that many musicians since their release have cited as a point of inspiration. These songs include the likes of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Paradise City’, and of course, the Eagles classic, ‘Hotel California’.
The Eagles had already made history by the time ‘Hotel California’ was released. Their unique blend of country music and rock had given rise to a brand new style. Many people call them the American Beatles, and while you can debate the accuracy of that brand, there is no escaping the fact that they certainly inspired a great deal of musicians who looked up to them.
There is plenty of great music by the band to listen to, but when they released ‘Hotel California’ (both the song and the album), they seemed to tap into a new level of creativity. It was one which was critical, hard-hitting and heavy. Their songs didn’t pull any punches as they called out the world like they saw it, not afraid to call out bogus lifestyles in any way they saw fit.
For instance, take the song ‘Life in the Fast Lane’. With a riff that Slash once called “killer,” the band used the song to poke fun at people who cared too much about materialistic possessions. This was a theme that continued throughout the album and even resonates with the track ‘Hotel California’, as despite its abstract and creative lyrics, there is a clear message contained within.
What is the story of ‘Hotel California’?
While the track’s lyrics are quite disjointed, there is logic behind them. The Eagles wanted to write a song with a similar theme to ‘Life In The Fast Lane’ as the song poked fun at people in LA who overindulged. It was essentially a track that criticised the American Dream and people who rely on it too heavily. This essentially doubled up as a jab at the music industry, as the band used their experiences working in music to highlight greed.
“The concept had to do with taking a look at all the band had gone through, personally and professionally, while it was still happening to them,” said Don Henley when discussing the track. “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’ was 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.”
While Henley appreciated that people aspire to make a certain amount of money or own something specific, he believed there was also a dark side to this obsession. The song captures that feeling perfectly. “It’s basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in America,” said Henley, “Which is something we knew a lot about.”
Is ’Hotel California’ about hell?
Despite the song being about overindulgence and the unhealthy obsession that a lot of people have with the American dream, there are a lot of people who also believe that the track follows somebody and their descent to hell. While this isn’t what the song is about, it’s understandable why people think that, given some of the lyrics.
The line before the guitar solo, “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave,” paints a picture of some kind of purgatory, but this wasn’t intentional. The track focuses more on greed than it does on hell; however, it’s understandable why people think about hell when they hear it, however.
