its really about a drug addiction to the artist, but to someone else, it could mean what ever they want it to. thats whats awesome about art, is that you can see any way you want, it doesnt have to have the same meaning, that was meant by the artist himself. i just love this song and i think its cool.

"This is about materialism and excess. California is used as the setting, but it could relate to anywhere in America."

" "Colitas," in the line "Warm smell of colitas," is often interpreted as a flower or a sexual reference. It is a Spanish word translated to Henley by The Eagles Mexican-American road manager meaning "Little Buds," and is a reference to marijuana."
^^these were from songfacts.com

now, drugs have only been referred to once in this song!! there's your proof. also...

Don Henley: "We were all middle-class kids from the Midwest. Hotel California was our interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles."

From the man himself, drugs? i don't think so!

I've heard that it is based on a true experiences. Such as they did stay at a haunted hotel.

But the song refers to drugs and the lifestyle of California or more like Rock and Roll.

The line "You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave" I feel what that really means is You can die from it at anytime. But you can't escape the addiction.

I think it is a combination of a lot of the comments. It's about Rock & Roll, Drugs, Love, Lifestyles, and excesses of life.

The fact though that no one can come with a definite answer to the meaning of this song shows the great talent of this band. I feel it is lost in a lot of today's music. But I also feel it is coming back.

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
(He's down a 'path' in his life he doesn't need to be on [dark desert], wind is symbolic of the Holy spirit, Christ is tugging at his soul)
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
(The colitas are symbolic of something entising)
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
(Light is thought of as good, but this light is Satan, "Lucipher, oh Son of the Morning, Light of Day")
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
(This force is messing w/ him and manipulating him to stay)
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway;
('She,' something else entising)
I heard the mission bell
(Some kind of service/ceremony is about to begin)
And I was thinking to myself,
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'
(He feels bittersweet, is this good or is it bad?)
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
('..and she showed me the way' [not forcing religion, just showing facts] Jesus said: I am the WAY, the truth, and the light. No one reaches the Father, but by me. Jesus is the way not the woman in the song)
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...
(Irrelevant)

Welcome to the Hotel California
("The Hotel California is the name of an actual Satanic 'church' in the state of California. Founded by Allister Crowley in 1969, he was also the author of the Black Bible)
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
(The appearance seems purely innocent)
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
(They want more 'recruits')
Any time of year, you can find it here
(We want your soul at any time)
Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes-Benz
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls
friends
(She is in this cult and has so many great things, this makes him want to join)
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
(He's dancing w/ the patience of God. 'Remember' I made it out, 'forget' I was that crazy.)

So I called up the Captain,
(He summoned Mr. Crowley)
'Please bring me my wine'
(Wine is symbolic of Jesus Christ)
He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here
(Spirit is in a double meaning here, Spirit as in alcohol AND spirit as in Christ)
Since nineteen sixty-nine'
(1969 is the year that the "Hotel California" was declared a Satanic church, in their minds Christ was gone.)
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...
(You think you've got away, they draw you right back in)

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
(I'm not sure)

Mirrors on the ceiling,
(Mirrors are reflection of who we really are, we can 'think' we are beautiful, but if you have a dog-face the mirror will show that you look like hell)
The pink champagne on ice
(Champagne is basically the opposite of wine)
And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device
(we are stuck in this cult becouse of our own temptation)

(Foreword: This whole section is about the 'Feast of the Bridegroom', aka the return of Christ.)
And in the master's chambers,
(The Master is Jesus)
They gathered for the feast
(the 'feast' is symbolic of the reward Christians will receive from Christ for being honorable to him and the Father. 'they' are the Christians.)
The stab it with their steely knives
(In the 'Battle of Armegeddon' they are fighting Satan and his soldiers.)
But they just can't kill the beast
(The 'beast' is Satan. They're saying that Satan and his army will defeat Christ and rise over him in authority.)

Last thing I remember, I was
(LAST thing he remembers. He has lost all mortal consienceness and demonic forces have taken over his soul.)
Running for the door
(Prior to being taken over by demons, he realizes he wants out.)
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
(He wants back w/ Jesus and his ways)
'Relax,' said the night man,
We are programmed to receive.
(We WILL receive souls)
You can checkout any time you like,
but you can never leave!
(If you want to go from us, go, but your soul is still ours)
My opinion..take it or leave it.

its about drugs. more specifically, about addiction. in the beginning he is riding cool, and then he starts coming down off his high. he finds a 'hotel' and he stays there. the hotel is symbolic of addiction. he stops, meets a girl thats like him, with her tiffany twisted mind (her addiction to jewelry/high life), her pretty pretty boyfriends and all that stuff. the chorus about livin it up at the hotel california, drugs drugs drugs all day long. then the captain (dealer) tells him hes out of that 'spirit', then it goes to the mirrors on the ceiling part. mirrors on the ceiling is a sexual thing IE addicted to sex. we are all just prisoners here of our own device, prisoners of their addictions, and then the feast where they all shoot up or do whatever they do to feed their addictions. the beast metaphor shows that their addictions are deepseeded and impossible to kill. he runs for the door, tries to escape his addiction and is stopped by the nightman (his habit, or dealer, whichever). you can check out any time you like but you can never leave, hopeless addiction. and as for the title, hotels are often places for hardcore sex action, and drugs. plus california, kind of an obvious reference to a really drugged up addicted state.


but hey, maybe its just an acid trip song

I love this song, and never thought it was about drugs. It does make some sense, but maybe your just overanalyzing it. My favorite line is "we are all just prisoners here, of our own device". I think it means how people get themselves into trouble and they created the problem.

The fact that so many people have so many different interpretations for this song is one reason for its greatness. Personally this song is about drugs, but that's only part of it. This song is about a lifestyle. One that many rock stars get sucked into. If you know the Eagles you know that they liked being successful but they also realized the dangers of living in that lifestyle- sex, drugs, and rock n' roll baby. Just listen to the lyrics for Life In the Fast Lane, this is just another example of the same thing. And yes this is also one of my all time favorite songs.

Dammit! Now people thinks I'm a Nazi-istic, Catholic, Jesus Freak...this is great! What do you folks think of my interpretation?

Screech, your interpretation was amazing, I have never seen anyone look at it from a religious aspect. I think that the song was written to be interpreted on multiple levels. I think it is quite possible that they meant for it to be religious. There were some strong double meanings, ie. spirit & wind, that could lead on to beleive religion was an influence in the writing of the song

I also agree with Deth. Accoording to the bandmembers themselves, the meaning of "Colitas" is a reference to weed (pot, dope, marijuana, whatever you want to call it). Another metaphor about the song is in the line "They stab it with their steely knives." It was reference to Steely Dan, with whom they had a friendly rivalry going at the time. There's a lot of cryptic and metaphoric lyrics to this song. The theory about it ONLY being about a cult is too obvious for such a creative and talented band to compose and lyricise.

Colitas, by the way, is Spanish for "butts" or a roach (in drug-speak)

"I remember Robert DeNiro in The Last Tycoon. He's got this scene, and he's talking to some other people in his office. He speaks to them: 'The door opens...the camera is on a person's feet...hewalks across the room... we pan to the table... he picks up a pack of matches that says 'The Such-And Such Club' on it... strikes a match and lights a cigarette... puts it out...goes over to the window... opens the shade.. looks out... the Moon is there... what does it mean? Nothing. It's just the movies.' 'Hotel California' is like that." -Glenn Frey

I think a direct quote from a member of the band is the most trustworthy and concise source, don't you?

I am the lead singer and drummer for the eagles, this song was written about my hamster 'squibbles', i got this idea when he got mashed on coke one night at the hotel of california which is actually in plymouth. however i am flattered that you coud come up with such creative ideas about such a simple song that one took one minute to write on the back of a 'tea-towel'. Tune-in Drop-out!!!

I've read somewhere that it's about the music business, and how once you get sucked in you're stuck. Don't remember where, though.

This song means a lot to me, everytime i listen to it, so many memories come back and it's like im living them again..but anyways... Let me tell u that i've never stopped to think about the meaning of the lyrics, i dont know why, i think its just because i enjoy this song so much that i dont need to look for the meaning of it- but now that some people( a lot actually) talked about drug usage, that may be an option, it is true that there are "signs" about drugs, but why talk about that stuff? Can u just enjoy the rhythm? I mean the song is awesome...

If anyone knows anything about The Eagles, they'd know that this song is about the road to Hell and getting on the wrong track. It seems great and such, but then you realise you're going to Hell, and you try to run, but you can't escape, it's too late.

It is not about drugs, or cults, but drugs and cults and all that can be involved in road to Hell.

go eagles

I think this song is about a rehab center, and here's how I interpreted it:
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell' - When you put yourself in a rehab center for the first time, you usually don't know what to expect.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget - I agree with Deth on this one.
What a nice surprise, bring your alibis - Most people in and out of rehab say that they aren't addicted to anything, and they can just quit if they wanted to... Like those people who say "Oh, I can quit smoking, I've done it a hundred times!" Why not do it once?
And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device - This refers to the fact that everyone is in the "Hotel California" for a reason, whether they admit it or not.
The stab it with their steely knives
But they just can't kill the beast - I think this refers to shooting heroin or cocaine, the beast referring to the addiction, and no matter how many times they use the drug the want/need for more never goes away.
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 checkout any time you like,
but you can never leave! - I think this whole stanza is important to my opinion, because the first line could refer to the way some people try to leave the center in the middle of the night, and the "relax" line is how the counsellors respond (in some rehab centers they can't keep you against your will). The very last two lines refer to what everyone already knows: you can leave the center early if you want, but that addiction is never going to leave you.
I don't know what anyone else thinks of my opinion, and if it's something negative I really don't care. I was in rehab before and it seems to relate well to my own experiences. Thanks for reading.

Oh, I didn't see Odnarbia's post... What better way to make people draw their own conclusions from the song? Maybe the moon in that movie DID mean something, but maybe it was something to do with the movie and had no relevance to anyone's life like this song does? And this song has to mean something to you, if it didn't posting wouldn't have been so important.

The lyrics to the song say "she got the mercedes bends" not Benz. That is part of the meaning of the song.

After listening to the song dozens of times,
over the years, I finally decided what
all of the words meant to one of the Eagle’s
most famous, and least understood songs.

I’ve read through many of your interpretations
here on SongMeanings.net – and understand
many the reasons in each case… some I agree
with, and others seem to be a stretch in logic,
but here is MY twist, which I hope you enjoy:

It seems to me, that the lyrics are a commentary
on the state of Marriage, in California… where
so many relationships seem to go well at first,
and then fall apart badly. Of course, nobody
would knock such a strong social institution
as Marriage- at least not directly.
It was supposed to be the best a relationship
could be, and what we might all aspire to, one day
… yet so many of them had been going wrong.

Read the lyrics with me, below, and see if you
find the same meaning – or at least a few things
to think about along the way.
After all, the seventies were an age of veiled
lyrical meanings, and musical creativity.

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
## Some native Spanish speakers mentioned that colitas
## is the diminutive feminine plural of the Spanish cola, tail. Little tail.
## Looking for a little . . . Hmmm: perhaps colitas referred to a certain
## feature of the female anatomy. However there’s a dual meaning
## here, since colitis can also pertain to the ‘little buds’ of marijuana,
## with a warm sweet smell.
## ( both somewhat intoxicating, and affecting judgment )
## At any rate our singer starts out a single man- riding carefree
## down the highway, thinking of his girl, who may even have
## been riding in the seat beside him. :cool:

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
## This could be the only actual reference to a Hotel, but is
## again a dual meaning: With the influence of too much Mary-Jane :cigar:
## or too much girlfriend, our author stops (perhaps at a hotel) for
## the night. BUT more importantly, his sight/reasoning grows dim,
## because he decides to 'settle' for a girl that wasn't quite right
## – and thereby enters the "Hotel California", of relationships.

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'
## What the song doesn’t directly say is: It is the doorway to
## a CHURCH. We’ve advanced a few months, and are about
## to be married… which is why you hear the mission bell.
## And as he looks at his bride, somewhat uncertain, he was thinking
## that this (the marriage) could be heaven, or 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 face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year, you can find it here
## Candles and romance, for at least a honeymoon's worth,
## yet something is not quite right – a little voice in the distance
## bothers him: is this marriage really going to work?
## He tries to convince himself he’s done the right thing.
## Welcome to the married life …it’s supposed to be good, right?
## Of course it is: look at her, she’s lovely.
##
## Plenty of room at the hotel California… more people getting married
## all the time, and inviting everybody else to do the same
## – just like you did. Any time of year you can find a time & place
## to get married. Yet the voices in his head are still there.

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes Benz
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
## It turns out, that his wife is definitely "high maintainance",
## with expensive tastes…and more interested in his money than him.
## After the initial passion is over, she’s got several other boy-toys
## on the side. When he’s out with his wife, he starts noticing other
## couples – and depending on whether things are going well or not
## – some dance to remember happy days in their lives,
## – while some dance to forget troubled ones.

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...
## The ‘spirit’ here isn’t alcohol, but the spirit & emotion of the marriage
## he’s looking for. Unfortunately that’s long gone, and we haven’t
## seen any real emotion or genuine feelings of love for a while.
##
## Yet the voices are still there… and the doubts grow stronger,
## leaving him awake in the middle of the night, thinking. :confused:

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
## More voices:
## Other people think the marriage is going great… they’re living it up-
## But it’s not quite what you’d hoped (what a nice surprise)
## Excuses are made, accusations too, alibis are in order.

Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said
We are all just prisoners here, of our own device
## They try to rekindle the romance… get a little kinky…
## pour a few more drinks… but nothing really helps.
##
## We are all just prisoners here, of our own device: After all,
## We’re the ones who decided to get married…
## We did it to ourselves, but now we just feel trapped. :eek:

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
## Sooner or later (in California style) the marriage is over.
## In the master’s chambers (Judges chambers, during the divorce)
## They gather for the feast. The lawyers, and his wife: all they can get
## They stand to benefit, in an a gruesome, ugly, “feast” where they
## take whatever they can get from the husband
## As for the Marriage: the bitter words, sharp tounges lash, but they
## can’t quite destroy the lingering shreds of marriage, or
## finish off the husband portrayed as a "beast". :mad:

Last thing I remember, I was Running for the door
I had to find the passage back, To the place I was before
## By the time the divorce was finished, he just wanted OUT.
## With the marriage fully over, he tries to put his life back to
## how it had been, before he was ever married. but it’s not easy…

'Relax,' said the mad man, :crazy:
We are programmed to receive.
You can checkout any time you like,
but you can never leave!
## That voice in his head reminds him, that it’s never really over…
## once you’ve been married, there’s always going to be some part
## of you that isn’t the same. For better or for worse, he realizes
## that even after getting divorced, and checking out of the
## “Hotel California”, you can’t just leave it all behind.
## We (society, biology or emotion) are programmed to receive.
## It’s easier to get IN to marriage than out… :nod:


by: Joseph Steinhauser :nod:
This bit of lyrical interpretation is something that I originally
wrote out around 2002, and had posted a few places,
but then left on my disk, until someone else was writing about
an Eagles tune – and I decided to look for someplace like this board.

Let me know what you think, and you can find my
email address, of you follow my web-link. :tongue:

Edited by YtseJam on March 11 2005, at 06:06AM

Fleetingthoughts, ur CRAZY.
Hotel California is a crack den. "u can check out anytime u like but u, can never leave" refers to the addiction; u can go but u'll keep on having to come bak 2 get more.

"We are all prisoners here, of our own device" refers to the fact that u made the choice ur self to take the drugs, and now ur addicted, and its ur fault.

there's the real meaning folks.

i think its about a guy who died but doesnt know it..like maybe a car accident.. so there he is driving and he decides to go to a hotel.
the hotel california is like the middle of heaven and hell.. where they decide ur fate. some sections of the hotel is heaven and hell. "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
The stab it with their steely knives
But they just can't kill the beast"
thats hell and their master is the devil.

i unno if its ther right meaning..but its my interpretationg

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...

-This verse is about the first time using, probably pot, about how he sort of questioned wether or not to do it, about how it seemed so glamorous and stuff but there was something not right

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year, you can find it here

This is his first use, the wonderful feelings, this is how most peopel start out, just like "wow that was cool, ill do it again" when nothing is going wrong yet. So he continues smoking or w/e he is using and it progresses

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

This is him seeing other people and why they use, still he thinks nothing of it, he is not having a problem yet, he is just "experimenting" still

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...

This is when things take a turn for the worst, peopel dont come through and he is starting to really want it. You cannot get addicted to pot or anything, but you really really want it. the "wake you up in the middle of the night" things refers to how you cant even sleep at night cuz all you want is to get high

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
The stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast

this verse is about them all sort of struggling together, not knowing waht to do. The "we are all just prisoners here, of our own device" sort of saying that they all got themselves into this, but they cant seem to get out, sort of seeing that all the consequences are catching up with them.

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 checkout any time you like,
but you can never leave!

This verse is him trying to stop, trying to get back to "normal" but he realizes, that no matter what he does, even though he is not addicted, he still cant stop thinking about it, the "you can check out anytime you like but you can never leave" refers to how even if you quit, it is still always with you, no matter what you do that is a part of you now

Well that is my interpretation of the song, softcore drug addiction, i feel this way because i myself smoke pot and that is the sort of feelings i had/ have with it. Anyway feel free to comment positively or negatively. Again it is just my interpretation

this has been my favorite song since I was like 6 or something, It's like my life soundtrack, My mums auto biography that she has just written finishes with it. I always thought it was about death and being stuck in Purgatory; like he dies and this is where his soul goes. The Hotel is his after life.
The beginning is the car crash where he dies.
We are all prisoners here, of our own device: I always thought this was in reference to their being in this hotel after life because of the life choices they had made.
When Princess Diana died I was sure that she would be the tiffany twisted woman with the candle. Warped mind I s'pose.
The beast they can’t kill is the devil.
I don't care what anyone else says I am so sure that this is about dieing. I love this song and it rocks regardless.