The song in its entireness is about doing drugs.

the lyrics, "My head grew heavy, my sight grew dim I had to stop for the night." is about needing a fix.

"She lit up a candle and showed me the way." (as said before shes not not lighting up a candle.)

"Welcome to the hotel califronia, anytime of year, you can find it here." hotel california is the cycle of addiction, you can always find your drug and there is plenty of room cause its not a real place and anyone can be addicted.

the part of about tiffany twisted is rumored to be about hedi fliez, "shes got alot of boys she calls friends."

"some dance to remember some dance to forget." some people do drugs to remember the good times and some do to forget the bad times.

When he called up the captain, he called his drug dealer and order his drug and used the code of wine, (becuase in case you are in mix company or cops tap lines, it disguses what you said so it wont be held against you in court.) And he hadnt heard anyone order it as "wine" in a long time.

"mirrors on the ceiling", when you do coke you usually put it on the mirror when you snort it and if you look into the mirror it reflects the ceiling and then it looks like mirrors on the ceiling when your high.

"pink champagne on ice." looking into the mirror with blood shot eyes.

"we are all jsut prisoners of our own device." whether it be drugs, alcohol or sex we are all addicted to something. (or any other vice.)

"gather for the feast." people are usually all stay in one roo mwhen doign lines.

"stab it with their stealy knives but they jsut cant kill the beast." you cut coke with razor baldes, coke is a beast of addiction and it is a play on words cause usually when you stab something with razors it dies, but coke is an addiction and it jsut wont die.

"last thing I remember..." that stanza refers to him beign high and jacked up

"had to find the place I was before." I had to sober up since coke is a quick high and leave. He realized that you can always leave the place you are doing coke but you will always be addicted, so you can check otu anytime you like but you can never leave."


its very well written song.

Im sorry to disappoint most of you but Hotel California is not about drugs, although there is a drug reference,infant, the church looking hotel in California is the very first recognized Satanic church in america, and the main man there was none other that Anton LaVey the author of the satanic bible. please follow this link and check it out,

http://www.itwillpass.com/facts-Hotel-California-Eagles-first-Satanic-Church.shtml

PS i don't worship satan

Have a great day!

this song has been suspected of talking about the satanic cult. the line saying "they stab it with there steley knives but they just cant kill the beast" and the album cover if you have a chance to study it there is a shawdowy figure with arms spread wide many believe that it is the satanic cult leader anton levey. now as deth said it has been also believed to deal with drugs. but its lines in it lean more towards the discussion of the cult. although snopes.com says that this is false its still worth reading the rumors uppon the song they are quite interesting

the song is about hell

"My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim"

he fell asleep and wrecked

"I had to stop for the night" and so on

that is his recollection after the wreck of his after life


"Some dance to remember, some dance to forget"

some dance to remember their earlier life and some dance to forget their current life

'We haven't had that spirit here
Since nineteen sixty nine'

they havent had a happy sole since 1969
no ones been happy in hell

"What a nice surprise, bring your alibis"

satan is beckoning you and your friends to hell

"We are all just prisoners here, of our own device"

they are prisoners in hell, their device being their sin

"Mirrors on the ceiling"

God said that hell was going to be miserable a horrible punishment
you know how when you go to the beach and use metal boards to reflect sun on you?
well the mirrors are doing that with all the heat
agony
hatred
sickness
and every thing else

"They stab it with their steely knives
But they just can't kill the beast"

they are stabbing it but it wont die (satan shall never die)
satan is commonly referred to as the beast

"I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before"

the place he was before being his past life on earth

"You can checkout any time you like,
but you can never leave"

you can recall your life on earth but youll never get out of hell

if you cant see it by now then you arent going to

the drug addiction one sounded ok but just didnt fit and the music one didnt either

good luck

I agree. At first I thought it was about drugs, but this one makes sense too. They're
both good interpritations.

Hey Guys, I thought I would share my interpretation of this song, I personally think it refers to the Rock & Roll lifestyle in the 70's including the sex, drugs & rehab. I would be interested to hear any thoughts you might have!

*** On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
I think this refers to driving towards L.A, maybe even on route from Las Vegas?

*** Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
I think more description about entering L.A. Colitas could refer to smelling a flower or to smoking marijuana as they drive.

*** Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light They are now getting closer to L.A and seeing the city from a distance

*** My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim I had to stop for the night
Musicians approaching the city, feeling overwhelmed at what stands in front of them and what they are about to embark upon

*** There she stood in the doorway; I heard the mission bell
They stopped for the night just outside town so now “she” (L.A) is literally at the front door and as if almost calling out to them from one of the missions. California is known for its missions and could be interpreted as her voice.

*** And I was thinking to myself, 'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'
If you’ve never been to L.A its hard to describe this but the first time you approach the city you can’t help but be filled with a sense of trepidation. It’s a really big place and overwhelming at first

*** Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
Again, “she” (LA) is inviting you in. That is to say, you face your fears and proceed towards your dreams.

*** There were voices down the corridor, I thought I heard them say...
Once you’re here, it’s hard to leave you get sucked in, you quickly make friends, the party lifestyle can take over an before you know it…

*** Welcome to the Hotel California
Welcome to Los Angeles

*** Such a lovely place
Such a simple way to say it’s beautiful here with its palms trees and warm weather

*** Such a lovely face
The face of an Angel maybe

*** Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Might refer to how LA is such a cosmopolitan place with people from all walks of life

*** Any time of year, you can find it here
The weather is perfect almost all year round, could possibly be saying you’re welcome anytime here. Put simply you just feel invited.

*** Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes-Benz
“Her” – The band is starting to like the money and the fame
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends
I think this might refer to the new people that fame and fortune draws to members of the band. The part where they sing “that she calls friends” might point to the inner turmoil and denial of trying to believe that these people like them for who they really are.

*** How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
*** Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
I think from here on in they are referring to a party after a gig. They are in a room of people partying with the band many will be there and remember this as one of the nights of their life… “We once partied with the band …” For the band this is another night surrounded by people who only show interest because they are wealthy and famous and it’s starting to get old.

*** So I called up the Captain, 'Please bring me my wine'
*** He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine'
I have seen other posts talk about Woodstock in 1969, it seems like a really good observation to me. When the eagles formed in the 70’s they probably did it with dreams in their heads and ideas of what the rock and roll lifestyle would be, in their dreams it could have very well being captured by an event like Woodstock, however I think this part is referring to the dream not living up to the reality.

*** And still those voices are calling from far away,
now some regrets could start creeping in, the voices calling are from the past and people left behind


*** Wake you up in the middle of the night
*** Just to hear them say...
Possibly nightmares of their old life calling to them reminding them the path they chose

*** Welcome to the Hotel California
*** Such a lovely place
*** Such a lovely face
*** They livin' it up at the Hotel California
*** What a nice surprise, bring your alibis
Same as before but this time done a sense of irony, like they don’t want the welcome anymore or they see through its shallow outer exterior, “They livin' it up at the Hotel California” – well yes they are but now it’s not all what they hoped it would be.

*** Mirrors on the ceiling,
*** The pink champagne on ice
*** And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device
I think this could possibly refer to the sex & drugs that go with the rock and roll lifestyle and becoming addicted to this self destructive (albeit it fun for a while) path.

*** And in the master's chambers, They gathered for the feast
*** The stab it with their steely knives But they just can't kill the beast
I almost see this as being a reference to either cocaine or heroin. They are at a party and a group sneak off to the bathroom (masters chambers) to do coke or heroin (gathering for the feast) … “steely knives” possibly razor blades or needles and “just can’t kill the beast” being the addiction. No matter how much they snort, they want more…

*** Last thing I remember, I was running for the door
*** I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
I take this to mean the day after the party and they are coming down but I think this has a double meaning. It’s the whole “I am never doing cocaine again” combined with “I have to get away from this whole damned lifestyle and the fame” – Could the “passage back” which implies taking affirmative action - maybe refer to rehab? This would tie in nicely to Camarillo State Hospital

*** 'Relax,' said the night man, we are programmed to receive.
If the last line did have any reference to going to Rehab, the night man could be one of the staff receiving him late at night and reassuring him that everybody is welcome here.

*** You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!
Along those lines this could be pointing out that even when they check out of rehab, the consequences, life and legacy created by them can never be left behind and will always stay with them

Okay just so everyone stops arguing about this, The song is about hedonism and self-destruction in the late 1970's Southern California Music Industry. Don Felder did a talk show on the Howard Stern Show and said, and I quote,

"Don Henley and Glen wrote most of the words. All of us kind of drove into LA at night. Nobody was from California, and if you drive into LA 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. Coming into LA... and from that Life In The Fast Lane came out of it, and Wasted Time and a bunch of other songs."

He also stated that the band refutes and claims that the song has anything to do with satanic churches or mental hospitals, etc.

"colitas" in the first stanza of the song is a desert flower, also known as Antelope sage or Colita de Rata, Don Henley has made many references to the "heady desert flower"

Also "Killing the beast" has nothing to do with a drug addiction. The line "stab it with their steely knives But they just can't kill the beast" is a reference as a playful nod to Steely Dan in return for the Eagles being referred to in the song "Everything you did" as "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening".

The End

Actually I think the song is about prostitution and their pimps. Calling up the Captain (Pimp) to bring him his wine (Prostitute) or easily interpreted as a drug dealer bringing you your drug. But what about this line? "Mirrors on the ceiling,The pink champagne on ice And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device
And in the master's chambers, They gathered for the feast They stab it with their steely knives But they just can't kill the beast". I think could mean ......????

i think that all you pep are right because it is your intepretation of the song!! so just listnen to it and believe what you want it sounds better that way!! The songs lyrics describe the title establishment as a luxury restort what you can check out anytime you like but you can never leave. On the surface, the song tell you the story of a wary traveler who become trapped in a nightmarish luxury hotel that at first appeared inviting and tempting . The song is generally understood to be a allegory about hedonism and self-destruction in the Southern Califonia music industy of the late 1970's; Don Henley call it "our interpretation of the high life in los angeles" and later reiterated it's basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in Amerrica, which is something we knew a lot about.

During July 17, 2008 appearance on The Howard Stern Show on Sirius SAtellite Radio, Don Felder described the origins of the lyrics
"Don Henley and Glen wrote most of the words. All of us kind of drove into LA at night. Nobody was from Cali, and if you drive into LA 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. Coming into LA... and form that Life In The Fast Lane came out of it, and wasted Time and a bunch of other songs."

The abstract nature of the lyrics has led listeners to their own interpretation over the years including some claims, spread by words of mouth and internet (here for instance), of satanic aspects. Other rumors suggested taht the "Hotel California" was the camarillo State Mental Hospital, a real hotle run by cannibals, or even a metaphor for cancer, these claims have been consistently ) refuted by the band.

The term "colitas" in the first stanza of the song is a desert flower, also know as antelope sage of clita de rata. Both Don Henley and Don Felder have repeatedly and publicly stated that colitas are "heady desert flowers." Others assert that the "colitas" is a spanish term for "little tails." This is a reference to the buds of the bannabis plant.

The use of the word "steely" in the lyrics (referring to knives) was a playful nod to a band Steely Dan, Who had included the lyric "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening" in their famous song "Everything You Did", according to Glenn Frey's liner notes for The Very Best of Eagles. That is the truth yall