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On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night.
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself
'This could be heaven or this could be Hell'
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face.
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (any time of year) you can find it here
Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
So I called up the Captain,
'Please bring me my wine'
He said, 'we haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty-nine'
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say"
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face.
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise), bring your alibis
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
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
'Relax' said the night man,
'We are programmed to receive.
You can check out any time you like,
But you can never leave!'
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night.
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself
'This could be heaven or this could be Hell'
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face.
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (any time of year) you can find it here
Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
So I called up the Captain,
'Please bring me my wine'
He said, 'we haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty-nine'
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say"
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face.
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise), bring your alibis
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
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
'Relax' said the night man,
'We are programmed to receive.
You can check out any time you like,
But you can never leave!'
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by whoiscloud
Track duration: 06:17
"Hotel California" as written by Don Henley, Don Felder, Glenn Lewis Frey
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Don Henly/Glenn Frey/Eagles
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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It's not about murder, but there are a few other sins covered in it ;-)
- youtube.com/…
I heard that: He was talking about the murder of his lover. They had a break (relating back to the saying -"we never broke up..." , but every year on a specific day he and his lover would meet in a hotel room (Hotel California).
"On a dark desert highway" ( meaning- any kind of light would be visible when lit)
"Warm Smell of Colitas, rising up through the air" - Meaning- warm smell of something burning - the hotel burning down and smoke rising.
"Up ahead in the distance, i saw a shimmering light" - He is a good distance away and see's a shimmering light of the fire in the direction of the hotel room he was travelling to meet up with his lover.
"There she stood in the door way" - she could have been waiting for him at the door but got trapped - by the fire
"I heard the mission bell" - fire bell/siren
"I was thinking to myself this could be heaven or this could be hell" - either thinking she's dead or alive
"She lit up the candle and she showed me the way" - he started hallucinating knowing she's dead and hearing voices down the corridor and thought he heard them say "Welcome to the hotel California "- the greeting they would receive when they checked in)
Pink Champagne - could have been her favourite drink and had it out ready for them to drink
The Steely knives part about the beast - The person (BEAST) who caused the fire,
And the stabbing- the pain he was going thought, he couldn't do anything to bring her back
"Last thing i remembered, i was running for the door" - he ran up and saw that the hotel room she was in was on fire.
"I had to find the passage back" - some way to get her out
"You can Check out anytime you like, but you can never leave" - you can check out but she's trapped and she's never leaving the place shes in now.
That's just what i heard and then gathered
From reading TONS of these posts, I agree that it is a metaphor for living in LA in the music scene. That being said, drugs and alchohol go with this (like peas and carrots).
However, comma, there are too many references in the song to Anton LaVey's Church of Satan (LaVey and the Eagles knew each other, though LaVey said none were Satanists). My favorite post on this forum was actually by Don Frew- posted Dec. 8,2011- he was a friend, evidently of LaVey until his death in 1997. Great post- check it out- just a few highlights- his wife, Diane (described as a beautiful blonde) always greeted people at the door, you could hear bells from the church (he's not certain if they were from a mission), there was no electrical lighting in the entry corridor (only a candleabra), you could hear voices when you entered from a greeting room (LaVey's attempt to make a visitor ill at ease), she drove a Mercedes Benz, she and Anton loved pink champagne, they had a mirror on their ceeling in the bedroom, Anton held events called "feasts", he had a "knife room" with ceremonial knives from around the world, they had a courtyard (too small for dancing), but they did dance nude outside sometimes for rituals. (How's THAT for a run on sentence?)
The OTHER interesting parallel is the Camarillo State Hospital (Good post by amamiata on April 8, 2010)- an asylum- if you believe this (could be an urban legend)- the Eagles' tour bus broke down and they stayed a night. Supposedly, this asylum served pink champagne to placate patients that were agitated- that policy was recinded in 1969 (same year LaVey's Satanic Bible was published- but that's probably a coincidence). The nickname of this asylum was the Hotel California. There have been many posts on this. What is truth and what is heresay? Hard to tell. I'm not Columbo. The stories are fascinating to me, however.
So, if you take the last 2 paragraphs as factual, there are many conclusions to draw. Mine would be- yes, it's a song about excess living in Hollywood and the music industry. Yes- there is at least one drug reference (warm smell of colitas (Spanish for the hairs of a bud of pot)- mind you - it's a WARM smell- means you just exhaled it after lighting it). Don't say Noooo to this one- it was either Henly or Frey that admitted it was a pot reference. Anyhow- the song was based on the previous, yadda, yadda, but it at the very least used LaVey's church as the LOCATION for the story. The asylum might have been a secondary reference. I've tried for years to write good song lyrics. I like them on the first day. I look at them a week later and they SUCK! I think Henly and Frey are talented enough to build a story as an idea, and use life experiences to use them as a backdrop. Will they tell the world? I think no, they want us to keep guessing. Much like a magician will never tell you the secret to the trick. The Beatles said Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds (LSD) was about a picture Julian Lennon brought home from school- BULL! Yes, it was about the picture, but the point of the song is obvious.
OK- now I have a question I never really recieved a good explanation for. On the original vinal record of this album, when you open it up, you have a wide view of the Hotel California. There is a man in the middle of the three windows overlooking the large room. I have heard from a few people that this is Anton LaVey. Is it? I'm normally a skeptic (for instance, I believe we landed on the moon). Now on my CD version of Hotel California, the picture is cropped on the back, and the place I'm referring to is covered by the UPC code (so you can't see him, even if you wanted to). Now, I've read that in one of the 2 pictures that there is a person that LaVey sacrificed (please- gimme a break!), and that's beyond stupid conspiracy. So is that LaVey, and is there evidence to support it?
Just my thoughts.
Please tell me if you know about it. Mind you, I think there was only one guy who killed Kennedy.
Tom
- The Eagles will never fully explain the lyrics- I think they like the fact that we'll be debating it until we're deceased.
-There are SO many people on this site that think EVERY song is about drug addiction. Some would say "Happy birthday to you" is about getting high on your birthday.
-My favorite post that I've read was by Don Frew, on Dec. 8, 2011- He said he was a good friend of Anton LaVey (who published the Satanic Bible in 1969- possible coincidence). The Eagles were friends of him, but none of them were Satanists, according to LeVey. Frew remained a friend of LeVey untill his death in (1997?). Check that post- it's awesome. LeVey had a pretty wife, Diane, who greeted visitors at the door. The corridor into the church had a candleabra- no electricity- again, check the lyrics. Diane drove a Mercades Benz.. She and Anton had a mirror on the ceeling of their bedroom, and they both loved pink champagne. Anton had a greeting room filled with visitors that might make a first time guest uncomfortable. They had a small courtyard, but not big enough to dance. They did do nude dancing outside for some rituals. You could hear a bell from outside, but this guy never knew if it was a mission bell or not. This info is not from me- it's from Don Frew- check his post from Dec 8, 2011.
-Next point- The Camarillo State Hospital- (Which was shut down in the late 90s)- a couple (or more) people posted that the Eagles stayed there one night. One said that they served wine until 1969 (posted by amamiata) - this brings up the question- are these coincidences, or were the Eagles writing about one place?
Only the Eagles can answer these questions. I think the THC (The Hotel California) is a coincidence. Yeah, I agree with most of you. I think it's about living a high and dangerous lifestyle. No offense to Joe Walsh, and I love his music, Don Felder was the real start of this awesome song.
-BTW- someone on here check out Syncrocity 2 by the Police- noone's posted a comment- but I will. Stay cool, friends!
Synchronicity 2, - I messed up
OKOKOK- I missed the most important part!- now, when you get the CD-it blocks our the picture- if you have a RECORD of this album, you can see a bald guy in the balcony. Is it Anton LeVey?
I've heard it is, but it could be an urban myth.
???????????????
But they just can't kill the beast"
Actually according to Donald Fagen of Steely Dan, this was a humorous stab at Steely Dan due to the rivalry between the 2 groups in the 70’s. “Steely” knives refers to the band Steely Dan and “the beast” refers to The Eagles. Steely Dan actually mentioned The Eagles, by name, in a song of theirs “Tell me everything you did”. The Eagles explained this in the liner notes to their greatest hits album and Steely Dan mentions it in a biography written, I think, in the 80’s. Ahhhh…trivia!