What is the meaning to the song "Hotel California"?

Question

I've been told that the song was written about something cult like but I've never been sure what they mean by that. Does anybody know what this song was written about?

Answer 1

Well, what this song is really talking about is drug addiction and about how there is no turning back once you've entered the world of drug use. I remember this from a project we did on it in English Class when I was a junior in High School.

Answer 2

there was a documentary on it recently apparently the lyrics of the song describe the title establishment, a hotel where "you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave". On the surface, the song is a tale of a weary traveller who becomes trapped in a nightmarish hotel that at first appeared tempting; as a metaphor the song may be commenting on drug addiction or simply the decadent lifestyle the hugely successful band had been caught up in. Another theory is that the song is about a mental hospital. The expression "check out" is also a euphemism for dying.

The original version of the song is performed in slow rock style, opening with a long, repeated electric guitar motif. During the verses, guitar and bass provide melodic counterpoint to the vocal. The end section of the song consists of a series of guitar solos building to a multi-layered variation on the opening theme with multiple guitars in chorus. The song is also well known for its guitar solos, which are performed by both Joe Walsh and Don Felder.

Writing credits for the song are shared by the group's three main songwriters: Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Don Felder.

"Hotel California" won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1978.

Over the years the song has been associated with rumours of Satanic; however the band has denied any connection to Satanism or the Occult.
The song is an allegory for drug addiction and destructive decadence and other aspects of the 70's rock scene.

Hotel California"was rumored to have been the nickname for the the Camarillo State Mental Hospital. The hospital was closed in 1997 and reopened in 2002 as "California State University

Answer 3

Hotel California is an allegory about hedonism and greed in Southern California in the 1970s. At the time of its release, the Eagles were riding high in the music world, experiencing material success on a frightening level. Though they thoroughly enjoyed the money, drugs, and women fame threw their way, they were disquieted by it all and sought to pour that sense of unease into their music and to warn others about the dark underside of such adulation.

In a 1995 interview, Don Henley said the song "sort of captured the zeitgeist of the time, which was a time of great excess in this country and in the music business in particular." In another interview that same year, he referred to it as being about a "loss of innocence."

The album has as its underlying theme the corruption of impressionable rock stars by the decadent Los Angeles music industry. The celebrated title track presents California as a gilded prison the artist freely enters only to discover that he cannot later escape.

The real Hotel California is not a place; it is a metaphor for the west coast music industry and its effect on the talented but unworldy musicians who find themselves ensnared in its glittering web.

Barbara "the golden state of mind" Mikkelson

Answer 4

If you ever have questions about meanings of a song or need info about anything period just go to wikipedia.org its a very good site and usually has anything you need.I wiki everything.

"Hotel California" was the title song from Eagles' album of the same name, and was released as a single in early 1977. It is one of the best-known songs of the Album Oriented Rock era.

The lyrics of the song describe the title establishment, a hotel where "you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave". On the surface, the song is a tale of a weary traveler who becomes trapped in a nightmarish hotel that at first appeared tempting; as a metaphor the song may be commenting on drug addiction or simply the decadent lifestyle the hugely successful band had been caught up in. Another theory is that the song is about a mental hospital. The expression "check out" is also a euphemism for dying.

The original version of the song is performed in slow rock style, opening with a long, repeated electric guitar motif. During the verses, guitar and bass provide melodic counterpoint to the vocal. The end section of the song consists of a series of guitar solos building to a multi-layered variation on the opening theme with multiple guitars in chorus. The song is also well known for its guitar solos, which are performed by both Joe Walsh and Don Felder.

Writing credits for the song are shared by the group's three main songwriters: Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Don Felder.

"Hotel California" won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1978.

It is rated by many polls to be one of the greatest songs of all time: Rolling Stone magazine, for example, states it is the forty-ninth greatest song of all time.[1]

As one of the group's most popular and well-known songs, "Hotel California" has been a concert staple for the band since its release; performances of the song appear on the Eagles' 1980 live album and, in an acoustic version, on the 1994 Hell Freezes Over reunion concert CD and video release.

A few cover versions of "Hotel California" have been released, notably by flamenco band the Gipsy Kings. In 2004, it was recorded by American Idol reject William Hung. Australian band The Cat Empire recorded a version of the song in French (L'Hotel Californie), for Triple J's Like A Version segment and subsequent CD compilation. Marc Anthony has often sung the song live. Brixton (England) based band Alabama3 also covered the song on their 2000 album "la peste".

The song may have been influenced by the 1969 Jethro Tull song "We Used to Know", from the album Stand Up. The chord progressions are nearly identical, and the bands toured together prior to the release of the song. While recording in Miami, Don Felder had to phone home to California to have his maid send him a copy of the demo in order to reproduce the introduction and end solos, which may have acounted for the words "copyright in dispute" in the liner notes and the use of compulsory license, as noted by the EU copyright designation. Additionally, fans have noticed thematic similarities with Don Henley's solo single "Sunset Grill".

Over the years the song has been associated with rumours of Satanic; however the band has denied any connection to Satanism or the Occult.

The song is an allegory for drug addiction and destructive decadence and other aspects of the 70's rock scene.

Answer 5

Yes, like every other bimbo that has answered this question, I answer that it is about drugs. Sheesh, I thought everyone knew that! I've known that since I was, like, 12. No offense to anyone. xD Just so you know. Whoo. The Eagles. <333 "Mr. Robot-o."

Answer 6

It's about death and has a lot of mythology that deals with death in the song.

It could also be a commentary about how in California you sell yourself to the devil and it hard to get back your soul ONCE you sell it.

Art is objective and can have multiple meanings.

Answer 7

There's nothing "cult like" about it. For a while, some right-wing Christians tried to tie the song to the church of Satan, which is ridiculous. They would play the song backwards, and insist that there were hidden messages referencing Satan, marijuana, etc.

I think the first poster is correct : it was a career-saving single.

Answer 8

I think it means whatever you want it to mean: for me it is a mixture of what comes after life, also I think it draws attention to the drug culture and how impossible it is to get out once you've adopted that way of life.

Answer 9

it doesnt really have a meaning to it. the band wrote it when their career was in jeopardy. they had to come up with a single that would bring them back. hope that helps!

Answer 10

You can check in but you can never leave.

Duh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!