Hotel California Song Lyrics :

The American rock group Eagles released the song “Hotel California” as the lead single from their eponymous album on February 22, 1977. Don Felder (music), Don Henley, and Glenn Frey (lyrics) are credited with writing the song. Henley sings lead vocals on the Eagles’ original recording of the song, which ends with an iconic two-minute and twelve-second electric guitar solo played by Felder on a Gibson Les Paul Gibson EDS-1275 double neck and Joe Walsh on a Fender Telecaster. They alternately play lead before harmonizing and playing arpeggios together as the song fades out.

 

Hotel California Song Lyrics :

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 thinkin’ 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-Benz, uh
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 1969”

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’re 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”

 

Extra Information :

About Eagles :

American rock group The Eagles was founded in Los Angeles in 1971. The Eagles are among the best-selling bands in the world, having sold more than 200 million records worldwide, with 100 million of those sales occurring in the US alone. They were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s in North America, with five number-one singles, six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards, and five American Music Awards. They were number 75 on Rolling Stone’s 2004 list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Before going out on their own on David Geffen’s new Asylum Records label, founding members Glenn Frey (guitars, vocals), Don Henley (drums, vocals), Bernie Leadon (guitars, vocals), and Randy Meisner (bass guitar, vocals) were enlisted by Linda Ronstadt as band members. Some of them even went on tour with her.

The songs “Take It Easy” and “Witchy Woman” from their 1972 debut album Eagles went on to become two Top-20 hits in this country. Desperado, the follow-up album that year, barely reached number 41 in the US charts, despite the popularity of the album’s title song. Following guitarist Don Felder’s arrival in 1974, On the Border created the Top-40 smash song “Already Gone” and the Eagles’ first number-one single in both the US and Canada.

“Best of My Love” was their first international hit, peaking at number 15 in Australia. Their first number-one album in the United States and a top-10 album in numerous other countries was One of These Nights, released in 1975. It featured US Top-5 hits “Lyin’ Eyes” and “Take It to the Limit,” as well as the US number-one success “One of These Nights,” which was their first top-10 hit outside of North America. Leadon also left the band in 1975, and Joe Walsh, a guitarist and singer, took Leadon’s place.

With 38 million copies sold, Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) (1976) is the best-selling album in the US and helped prepare listeners for the release of Hotel California in late 1976, which went on to sell more than 26 million copies.

in the US (coming in at number three all-time for US sales), and over 32 million copies globally. “New Kid in Town” and “Hotel California,” the latter of which became their lone Top-10 hit in the United Kingdom, were the album’s two number-one hits in the US and Canada. It also reached the top 10 in New Zealand and numerous other European nations, including number two in France.

Timothy B. Schmit succeeded Meisner in 1977. The Long Run, the Eagles’ final studio album in over 28 years, was released in 1979. It produced the number-one single in the United States, “Heartache Tonight,” which also became their biggest hit in Australia (number 13), and two Top-10 songs in the United States, “The Long Run” and “I Can’t Tell You Why.”

Having split up in 1980, The Eagles got back together in 1994 to release the live-mixed album Hell Freezes Over. Since then, they have been on a regular tour. The Eagles’ sixth US number-one album, Long Road Out of Eden, was released in 2007. The Long Road Out of Eden Tour was initiated in 2008. They launched the extended History of the Eagles Tour in 2013 to coincide with the premiere of the History of the Eagles documentary.

After Glenn Frey passed away in January 2016, his son Deacon Frey and country music artist Vince Gill took turns lead vocals on Frey’s songs when the Eagles reformed in 2017. After departing the group in 2022, Deacon Frey came back in 2023 to take part in the group’s ongoing farewell tour. Meisner, a founding member died in 2023.

The Eagles began in early 1971 when Don Henley and Glenn Frey were added to Linda Ronstadt’s band by her manager, John Boylan. After Frey moved to Los Angeles from Michigan and formed Longbranch Pennywhistle, Henley moved to Los Angeles from Texas with his band Shiloh to record an album produced by Kenny Rogers.

The two met at The Troubadour in Los Angeles in 1970 and got to know each other through their shared record label, Amos Records. Later, Ronstadt’s ensemble of performers for her summer tour promoting the Silk Purse record included veteran of the Flying Burrito Brothers Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner, who had been working with the Stone Canyon Band, Ricky Nelson’s backup band.

Frey and Henley made the decision to start a band together while touring with Ronstadt, and they told Ronstadt of their plans. Later on, Leadon’s suggestion for the band and Ronstadt’s arrangement for Leadon to perform for her allowed Frey and Henley to contact Leadon about starting a band together. Meisner was likewise convinced to support the proposal after they presented it to him.

Only once, during a July Disneyland concert, did these four perform live together; yet, they were all featured on Ronstadt’s self-titled album. Later on, J. D. Souther was suggested to become a member of the band, but Meisner balked. After Jackson introduced David Geffen to Frey, the four signed with Asylum Records, the new label he founded, in September 1971.

During a group outing in the Mojave Desert where tequila and peyote were used, the band decided to call themselves “Eagles”. Various accounts, however, exist regarding the origin of the name. Don Felder, who was not at the desert and had not yet joined the Eagles, credited Leadon with coming up with it when he remembered reading about the Hopis’ reverence for the eagle.

On the other hand, Souther proposed that the idea originated when Frey yelled, “Eagles!” when they saw eagles flying overhead. Steve Martin, who was friends with the band when they first started playing at The Troubadour, wrote in his memoirs that he thought the group should be called “the Eagles,” but Frey is adamant that only “Eagles” will do. Initially, Geffen and associate Elliot Roberts managed the band;

Producer Glyn Johns worked with the trio to record their self-titled debut album in February 1972 in England. Johns has been credited with transforming the band into “the country-rock band with those high-flyin’ harmonies” after becoming impressed by the group’s harmony singing. Eagles, which debuted on June 1, 1972, was an immediate hit and produced three Top 40 singles.

First single and lead single “Take It Easy” was written by Frey in collaboration with fellow country-folk rocker and neighbor Jackson Browne. After composing the first stanza, Browne became stuck on the second verse, which ends with the line “I’m standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.” After Browne finished the song, Frey finished the stanza.

About Glenn Lewis Frey :

American musician Glenn Lewis Frey (/fra̧/ FRY; November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016) was born. He was one of the Eagles’ original members. Along with fellow member Don Henley, who he co-wrote the majority of the Eagles’ material, Frey served as the group’s frontman and co-lead singer. On songs including “Take It Easy,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “Tequila Sunrise,” “Already Gone,” “James Dean,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “New Kid in Town,” and “Heartache Tonight,” Frey sang lead vocals and played keyboards and guitar.

Between 1980 and 1994, when the Eagles were on break, Frey had a prosperous solo career. He had the Top 40 songs “The One You Love,” “Smuggler’s Blues,” “Sexy Girl,” “The Heat Is On,” “You Belong to the City,” “True Love,” “Soul Searchin’,” and “Livin’ Right” after releasing his debut album, No Fun Aloud, in 1982.

Frey received six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards while he was a member of the Eagles. The Eagles received their first nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, when they were inducted. When combining his solo and Eagles recordings, Frey’s output on the Billboard Hot 100 reached 24 Top 40 hits.

November 6, 1948, in Detroit, Michigan; raised in the neighboring city of Royal Oak; Frey began piano lessons at age five, moved on to guitar at age six, and joined the Detroit rock scene in the middle of the 1960s. His first band was called the Subterraneans, after the novel by Jack Kerouac. Jeff Hodge played bass, Doug Edwards (later replaced by Lenny Mintz) on drums, Doug Gunsch and Bill Barnes on guitars, and Doug Edwards on drums. Doug Edwards was a fellow Dondero High School alum.

Gary Burrows, who had seen Frey perform with the Subterraneans, encouraged him to join The Four of Us, a local band, as soon as he graduated from Dondero in 1966. While in the band, Frey also attended Oakland Community College, where he picked up harmony singing skills while playing with The Four of Us.

Together with the brother of Gary Burrows, Jeff, Bill Barnes, Doug Gunsch, Ken Bash, and Lenny Mintz, they created the Mushrooms in 1967. In the same year, Frey met Bob Seger, who assisted him in obtaining management and a recording deal with Hideout Records, a label started by Seger’s management group. The band performed on television to promote “Such a Lovely Child,” their debut hit, which Seger also wrote and produced.

Frey’s mother prevented him from going to Seger’s band because he smoked marijuana with the man. Later in 1967, Frey put together another group named Heavy Metal Kids, which included Lance Dickerson on drums, Jeff Alborell on bass, Paul Kelcourse on lead guitar, and Jeff Burrows on piano.

In 1968, Frey contributed backup vocals and an acoustic guitar to Seger’s single “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” at the age of 19. According to Frey, Seger greatly inspired and guided him to concentrate on penning original music. Later in life, they were close friends and occasionally collaborated on songs together. Frey also contributed vocals to some of Seger’s compositions, including “Fire Lake” and “Against the Wind”.

Joan Sliwin, a member of the local female group The Mama Cats, whom Frey also met and dated in Detroit, later changed her name to Honey Ltd. after the group relocated to California in 1968. In an attempt to get back in touch with his lover, Frey traveled to Los Angeles. While there, her sister Alexandra Sliwin connected him to J. D. Souther.

1970 saw Frey meet drummer Don Henley. At the time, they were both signed to Amos Records, the same label, and frequented the Troubadour. Manager John Boylan of Linda Ronstadt required a backing band for an impending tour, and Boylan chose Frey since the singer-rhythm guitarist needed someone. Don Henley was invited by Frey to join Ronstadt. Additionally employed were Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner.

During the tour, the supporting band’s lineup changed, thus the four only performed together once, during a Disneyland show. Frey and Henley made the decision to start a band together while on tour. And to establish the Eagles, they were joined by Leadon on guitar, banjo, steel guitar, mandolin, and dobro, and Meisner on bass.

includes Henley on drums and Frey on guitar and keyboards. The trio went on to become one of the all-time best-selling acts in the world. Many of the group’s songs were written or co-written by Frey, frequently with Henley. Frey also delivered lead vocals on several Eagles singles, such as “Take It Easy,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “Already Gone,” “Tequila Sunrise,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “New Kid in Town,” “Heartache Tonight,” and “How Long.”

The Eagles split up about 1980 and got back together in 1994 to record Hell Freezes Over, a new album. There were four new songs and live tracks on the album. Then came the Hell Freezes Over Tour. On The Tavis Smiley Show in 2012, Frey said to Smiley, “People used to ask me and the Eagles when they broke up.

About Don Felder :

American musician Donald William Felder was the lead guitarist of the rock group Eagles from 1974 to 2001. He was born on September 21, 1947. Along with the Eagles, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2016, Felder received his induction into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.

After Felder was let go by the Eagles in 2001, he filed a number of lawsuits claiming wrongful termination, implied-in-fact contract breach, and fiduciary obligation breach. Heaven and Hell: My Life with the Eagles (1974–2001), his autobiography describing his time with the team, was published in 2008.

On September 21, 1947, Don Felder was born in Gainesville, Florida. A Southern Baptist family reared him.

Felder’s interest in music began when he saw Elvis Presley perform live on The Ed Sullivan Show. At the age of eleven or so, he got his first guitar, which he later claimed he traded for a few cherry bombs at the five-and-dime with a pal. Being a self-taught musician, rock & roll had a big impact on him. He formed the Continentals, a band that featured Stephen Stills and Isaac Guillory, when he was thirteen years old.

Felder learned how to play the guitar by ear by listening to cassette recordings that he played back at half speed because his family could not afford music instruction.

He got to know Bernie Leadon, who would go on to form the Eagles, at that same period. Leadon took Stephen Stills’ position in the Continentals, a group that subsequently became known as the Maundy Quintet. Leadon went to Gainesville High School with Felder. For almost eighteen months, Felder taught guitar in a nearby music store.

It was during this period that Felder picked the slide guitar technique from Duane Allman. While Felder stated that he had taught a young Tom Petty how to play the guitar, Petty refuted this claim, stating that Felder had actually taught him how to play the piano.In 1967, the Maundy Quintet recorded and issued a 45 rpm single via the Paris Tower label in Tampa. The record was well-received.

Felder moved to Manhattan, New York City, with a band called Flow when the Maundy Quintet disbanded, and the group recorded an album of improvisational rock fusion called Flow in 1970. Flow from 1970 holds the distinction of being one of the first albums released on the recently established independent CTI Records label, which was started by renowned jazz producer Creed Taylor. Felder studied a variety of guitar techniques and advanced his guitar improvisation skills when he was in New York. Felder relocated to Boston following the breakup with Flow and secured employment in a recording studio.

Felder relocated to Los Angeles in 1973, when David Blue recruited him to play guitar on a tour, taking David Lindley’s place as he was performing with Crosby & Nash.

The Eagles asked Felder to contribute some guitar solos to “Already Gone” and slide guitar to their song “Good Day in Hell” in the beginning of January 1974. He received an invitation to join the band shortly after that. At the same time, the group started moving away from their original country rock sound and toward more traditional hard rock. Felder co-wrote the song “Visions” with Don Henley, which was the only one on the band’s fourth album, One of These Nights, where he also arranged the unique guitar solo and bass line of the title tune.

Joe Walsh joined the band after original member Bernie Leadon left in 1975 after the album’s promotional tour. Leadon was still in the Eagles when Felder and Walsh first started jamming together. As dual guitar leads, they would go on to create one of the most famous onstage duos in rock history. On later tours, Felder also covered mandolin, pedal steel guitar, and banjo, all of which Leadon had previously performed.

Don Felder, Wisconsin’s Milwaukee.
Hotel California, the Eagles’ first record released following their lineup change, went on to become a huge international bestseller. Felder sent in “16 or 17 tracks,” two of which became the album’s title track, “Hotel California,” and the ballad “Victim of Love.”

Several takes were recorded for the title tune after the instruments and arrangement were finalized. The final version was subsequently created by splicing together the best elements from all 33 modifications on the two-inch master. On the other hand, “Victim of Love” was recorded live in the studio, with the exception of the lead vocal, which was added later, and the harmony on the choruses.

The lead vocals on “Victim of Love” were first performed by Don Felder in numerous early takes. However, the band thought that Felder’s performance did not meet the necessary standards, thus Donley gave way to Henley. The Eagles were under a lot of pressure to replicate their success following the publication of Hotel California and the tour that followed.

About Donald Hugh Henley :

American musician Donald Hugh Henley was born on July 22, 1947. He is the drummer and co-lead vocalist for the rock group Eagles, and he was the only original member to remain with the group. On Eagles songs like “Witchy Woman,” “Desperado,” “Best of My Love,” “One of These Nights,” “Hotel California,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” “Victim of Love,” “The Last Resort,” “The Long Run,” and “Get Over It,” Henley provided the lead vocals.

Henley followed a solo career after the Eagles broke up in 1980, releasing his first studio album, I Can’t Stand Still, in 1982. In addition to two compilation CDs and one live DVD, he has put out five studio albums. His songs for himself include “Dirty Laundry” , “The Boys of Summer” , “All She Wants to Do Is Dance” , “Sunset Grill” , “Not Enough Love in the World” , “The End of the Innocence” , “The Last Worthless Evening” as well as “The Heart of the Matter” .

The Eagles have had five number one hits, seventeen top 40 hits, six number one albums, and over 150 million albums sold globally. They have also won six Grammy Awards. They are the best-selling American band in history and were elected into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Henley has had success as a solo artist, selling over 10 million albums globally,

garnering two Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, and eight top 40 songs. In his solo career and with the Eagles, Henley has amassed 25 top 40 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100. In addition, he has five solo albums and seven studio albums with the Eagles. He was listed as the 87th best singer of all time in 2008.

Henley was raised in the little northeast Texas town of Linden after being born in Gilmer, Texas. He is of English, Scottish, and Irish descent. Hughlene (née McWhorter; 1916–2003) and C. J. Henley (1907–1972) are his parents. Henley started playing football at Linden-Kildare High School, but his coach advised him to give it up because of his diminutive size. Instead, he joined the high school band. He started out in the percussion section and eventually switched to the trombone.

Henley attended North Texas State University in Denton from 1967 to 1969 after graduating from high school in 1965 and Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches. He dropped out of school to be with his dying father, who had vascular and heart problems.

Elmer, the father of Henley’s childhood friend Richard Bowden, persuaded Henley, along with Jerry Surratt, another high school buddy, to join a Dixieland band. After that, they started a group known as the Four Speeds. The band changed their name to Felicity in 1964 and had several line-up changes.

As Felicity, they signed with a local producer and published a song called “Hurtin'” that was written by Don Henley. By coincidence, they met fellow Texan Kenny Rogers in 1969 when he showed interest in their band. After rebranding as Shiloh, they cut a few tracks for Rogers, releasing “Jennifer (O’ My Lady)” as their debut single.

Shortly before their single was released, Surratt passed away in a dirt bike accident. Henley, Richard Bowden, his cousin Michael Bowden, Al Perkins, and Jim Ed Norman eventually made up the band. In June 1970, Rogers took the band to Los Angeles after assisting in its signing to Amos Records. They spent several months staying at Rogers’ house as he produced their self-titled album at Larrabee Studios. Henley and Bowden’s artistic disagreements and the band’s leadership led to Shiloh’s dissolution in 1971.

After forming in 1971, Eagles signed Asylum Records, David Geffen’s record label. They included Jackson Browne’s co-written smash song “Take It Easy” on their 1972 debut studio album. The majority of the band’s well-known songs were co-written by Henley, typically with Frey, during their tenure. His first commercially successful song was “Witchy Woman,” co-written with Leadon, and his songwriting collaboration with Frey began with “Desperado.”

Numerous well-known songs by the band, such as “Desperado,” “Witchy Woman,” “Best of My Love,” “One of These Nights,” “Hotel California,” “The Long Run,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” and “Wasted Time,” featured lead vocals by Henley. Eagles became one of the most popular rock groups in the world in the 1970s after winning multiple Grammy Awards.

After a challenging tour and internal conflicts that surfaced during The Long Run’s recording, the band disbanded in 1980. 14 years later, in 1994, the Eagles got back together. Henley and the Eagles are still touring and recording. Long Road Out of Eden, their most recent album, was released in 2007. The band embarked on several extremely popular tours, including the Long Road Out of Eden Tour and the Hell Freezes Over Tour (1994–1996).

Henley revealed the History of the Eagles Tour on April 1, 2013, during a performance at the Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario. The tour ran from July 1, 2013, until July 1, 2015, approximately six months before Frey passed away. The Eagles and Jackson Browne performed “Take It” at the 2016 Grammy Awards.

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