It tightened its grasp on the band, the music industry and the country at large. With Hotel California , the Eagles sought to capture the excesses and self-destructive behavior that had become status quo in the rock world. It was a scene they were uniquely qualified to address. Their efforts would create a song cycle that succeeded on nearly every level.

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The Eagles' original recording of the song features Henley singing the lead vocals and concludes with an extended section of electric guitar interplay between Felder and Joe Walsh. The song is considered the most famous recording by the band, and in its long guitar coda was voted the best guitar solo of all time by readers of Guitarist. Since its release, "Hotel California" has been covered by a number of artists and has become a part of international popular culture. Julia Phillips proposed adapting the song into a film, but the members of the Eagles disliked the idea and it never came to fruition. Commercially, "Hotel California" reached the number one position on the Billboard Hot and reached the top ten of several international charts. A demo of the instrumental was developed by Don Felder [11] [12] in a rented house on Malibu Beach. He recorded the basic tracks with a Rhythm Ace drum machine and added a 12 string guitar on a four-track recording deck in his spare bedroom, then mixed in a bassline , and gave Don Henley and Glenn Frey each a copy of the recording.
The Eagles hit song won the 1977 Grammy for Record of the Year.
The hit tune was a billboard chart-topper; it sold over 16 million copies in the U. In , the song won a Grammy award for Record of the Year. Glenn Frey was the mastermind behind the song's lyrics. While there have been many theories that contemplate what the song represents, the Eagles' band members have revealed in multiple interviews that the true meaning behind "Hotel California" is a commentary on the hedonism and self-indulgence of America. In , Henley further explained the meaning of the song to Rolling Stone magazine , which placed "Hotel California" at no. According to journalist-turned-director Cameron Crowe , "Hotel California" was almost named something entirely different. The Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in , and all seven former and present members of the group performed "Hotel California" together on stage. There is a playful nod to the band Steely Dan in the song.
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 Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys 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!