"Hotel California" - A Mysterious Classic
OK, first of all let me say that I am overly aware that there are MANY interpretations to this great classic by the Eagles (written by Glenn Frey, Don Henely, and Don Felder). Perhaps the most-accepted interpretation is that it's about the American dream namely by the lyrics of the first verse; however, some also consider it to be drug-related. First before we get to the lyrics themselves, let's focus on the meody.
-----------------------------------------The Melody------------------------------------------------------------------
The melody of "Hotel California" is rather interesting. The song is what I'd call an "orchestra of guitars" - namely twelve-string guitars which are highly pronounced in the intro, but then a little more laid back for the verses. The chord progression for the song is simply a repeating Am-E-G-D-F-C-Dm-E. The only exception to his is the chorus, where the chord progression is F-C-E7-Am-F-C-Dm-E. The song is considered easy to play even by inexperienced guitarists. As an interesting fact, the "Hell Freezes Over" version (recorded in 1994) features eight guitarists playing the song in a sort of what I would call flameco fashion.
After the last verse is a lengthy guitar solo with which the song fades out. Throught the body of the song however, the elctric guitar is not as pronounced playing mostly muted chords. It isn't until this very solo when the electric guitar is pronounced. Surprisingly the solo starts at exactly 4:20 which is considered "Marijuana Day (April 20)."
----------------------------------------The Lyrics--------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the nitty-gritty section in which I break down the lyrics. I won't go through ALL of them, but I will point out some key ones. So without further ado, here we go.
"On a dark desert highway.
Cool wind in my hair.
Warm smell of colitas
Rising up through the air."
The "colitas" are a type of South American drug (another hint of the song being drug related). The "dark desert highway" may be a suggestion that the protagonist was traveling to Los Angeles likely from the high deserts of California (maybe even from Palm Springs where I once lived though this is just my assumption I"m not being specific so it's open to interpretation).
"Up ahead in the distance
I saw a shimmering light."
The "shimmering light," may have suggested that the protagnist traveled at night and plungged into the LA city lights. It could also refer to the Hollywood sign.
"I was thinking to myself
This could be heaven or this could be hell"
A little more proof that the song is about the American dream. The protagonist has likely arrived to America looking to be successful.
"Her mind is Tiffany-twisted
She got the Mercedez Benz"
To be "Tiffany-twisted" obviously means to have a mind that is being influenced by the drugs in teh body (likely marijuana).
"They stab it with their steely knives
But they just can't kill the beast"
The "Steely Knives" are clearly an ode to Steely Dan - another band from the time with very interesting lyrics.
"You can check out anytime you'd like
But you can never leave"
Two interpretations to this. Either 1) The protagnoist is being told that America has a lot to see o while you can leave the US to go to, say, Mexico, you will be back to America at some point, or 2) You can get off the cocaine or whichever drug, but you will want to go back on it eventually (translation: withdrawl symptoms).
So "Hotel California" really has multi-faceted interpretations. From one standpoint, it is about the American dream, but parts of it are clearly related to drugs. The namesake album, the first featuring Joe Walsh, is seen as a massive success. The other big single from the album "Life in The Fast Lane," was another smash it. The Eagles' follow-up record, "The Long Run" from 1979 did not live up to "Hotel California," so much so that after an unsuccessful tour, the Eagles went their seperate wways in 1980. Fourteen years later, in 1994, the Eagles came back together after their so-called "Fourteen-Year Vacation."
-----------------------------------------The Melody------------------------------------------------------------------
The melody of "Hotel California" is rather interesting. The song is what I'd call an "orchestra of guitars" - namely twelve-string guitars which are highly pronounced in the intro, but then a little more laid back for the verses. The chord progression for the song is simply a repeating Am-E-G-D-F-C-Dm-E. The only exception to his is the chorus, where the chord progression is F-C-E7-Am-F-C-Dm-E. The song is considered easy to play even by inexperienced guitarists. As an interesting fact, the "Hell Freezes Over" version (recorded in 1994) features eight guitarists playing the song in a sort of what I would call flameco fashion.
After the last verse is a lengthy guitar solo with which the song fades out. Throught the body of the song however, the elctric guitar is not as pronounced playing mostly muted chords. It isn't until this very solo when the electric guitar is pronounced. Surprisingly the solo starts at exactly 4:20 which is considered "Marijuana Day (April 20)."
----------------------------------------The Lyrics--------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the nitty-gritty section in which I break down the lyrics. I won't go through ALL of them, but I will point out some key ones. So without further ado, here we go.
"On a dark desert highway.
Cool wind in my hair.
Warm smell of colitas
Rising up through the air."
The "colitas" are a type of South American drug (another hint of the song being drug related). The "dark desert highway" may be a suggestion that the protagonist was traveling to Los Angeles likely from the high deserts of California (maybe even from Palm Springs where I once lived though this is just my assumption I"m not being specific so it's open to interpretation).
"Up ahead in the distance
I saw a shimmering light."
The "shimmering light," may have suggested that the protagnist traveled at night and plungged into the LA city lights. It could also refer to the Hollywood sign.
"I was thinking to myself
This could be heaven or this could be hell"
A little more proof that the song is about the American dream. The protagonist has likely arrived to America looking to be successful.
"Her mind is Tiffany-twisted
She got the Mercedez Benz"
To be "Tiffany-twisted" obviously means to have a mind that is being influenced by the drugs in teh body (likely marijuana).
"They stab it with their steely knives
But they just can't kill the beast"
The "Steely Knives" are clearly an ode to Steely Dan - another band from the time with very interesting lyrics.
"You can check out anytime you'd like
But you can never leave"
Two interpretations to this. Either 1) The protagnoist is being told that America has a lot to see o while you can leave the US to go to, say, Mexico, you will be back to America at some point, or 2) You can get off the cocaine or whichever drug, but you will want to go back on it eventually (translation: withdrawl symptoms).
So "Hotel California" really has multi-faceted interpretations. From one standpoint, it is about the American dream, but parts of it are clearly related to drugs. The namesake album, the first featuring Joe Walsh, is seen as a massive success. The other big single from the album "Life in The Fast Lane," was another smash it. The Eagles' follow-up record, "The Long Run" from 1979 did not live up to "Hotel California," so much so that after an unsuccessful tour, the Eagles went their seperate wways in 1980. Fourteen years later, in 1994, the Eagles came back together after their so-called "Fourteen-Year Vacation."
Comments
Post a Comment