The one lyric Don Henley thinks gave Eagles their greatest hit: “There’s a built-in mythology”
California’s rolling hills and sandy beaches certainly aren’t what they once were. Now a hollow playground for influencers and reality TV, the echoes of romanticised opulence dimly fade out as they leave through the canyons. The concentration of show business talent is now more sparsely spread, and for good reason, but as a music history lover, it’s impossible not to romanticise what the days of Hollywood excess and luxury would have been like, with the sound of Eagles harmonies as a backdrop.
For all the celebrities and millionaires who soaked in the endless California sun, a band was needed to come and soundtrack that sort of carefree, breezy lifestyle that they were outwardly projecting. In many ways, the Eagles were that band. Aesthetically, they had the slick-hippy look down to a tee, and sonically, they were an embodiment of the sort of dreamlike exclusivity somewhere like California that made you believe you could attain.
So it comes as no surprise that their seminal hit was ‘Hotel California’. A lyrical tale of a far-off mystical land achieves all of the above, while the iconic guitar solo brings the necessary drama of a song musing over the promised land. But while fans scramble to pick up small pieces of evidence that might give them an insight into a deeper, more profound meaning in the song, lead singer Don Henley explained the relatively simple inspiration
“I’ve learned over the years that one word, ‘California’, carries with it all kinds of connotations, powerful imagery, mystique, etc., that fires the imaginations of people in all corners of the globe,” he said.
He continued: “There’s a built-in mythology that comes with that word, an American cultural mythology that has been created by both the film and the music industry. But I think the success of the album was due to a combination of things that all coalesced at that point in time.”
It’s a suitably vague and somewhat shallow outlook for a song inspired by a land that promotes superficiality. But nevertheless, it took on a life of its own and became the band’s defining anthem—to the point where it became somewhat of an albatross around their neck.
Frey explained: “We, Don in particular, said a mouthful on Hotel California and a big part of the problem was ‘What do we talk about now?’ Then, because of what we were as members of The Eagles, we had far fewer real-life experiences to draw on.”
Much like the heyday of the state they mythologised so well, the demise of the band was soon on the horizon, for Frey’s fears of a dry creative well were somewhat realised. Their following sixth album went on to be their last as a band, and the pressure to follow up the success achieved by ‘Hotel California’ was soon relieved.
Frey shared, “We figured it was the right time to call it a day. Once that decision was made, I experienced an overwhelming sense of relief.”
