Hotel california

[CAVA1990]

Just follow the smell of warm Colitas.

[FraserBurns]

Originally Posted by jaijai

it's in hell.

so you have already visited hell?

[Brenda-by-the-sea]

Originally Posted by gone down south

The song isn't about a hotel......

No it isn't. Wikipedia has some history on the song including quotes from Don Henley about the symbolism of the name:

The song is an allegory about hedonism and self-destruction in the music industry of the late 1970s; Don Henley called it "our interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles" and later reiterated "it's basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in America, which is something we knew a lot about."

Here's another precious quote underscoring the fact that the lyrics shouldn't be taken literally:

music critic John Soeder asked Don Henley this about the lyrics:

On "Hotel California," you sing: "So I called up the captain / 'Please bring me my wine' / He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here since 1969.'" I realize I'm probably not the first to bring this to your attention, but wine isn't a spirit. Wine is fermented; spirits are distilled. Do you regret that lyric?

Henley responded,
"Thanks for the tutorial and, no, you're not the first to bring this to my attention—and you're not the first to completely misinterpret the lyric and miss the metaphor. Believe me, I've consumed enough alcoholic beverages in my time to know how they are made and what the proper nomenclature is. But that line in the song has little or nothing to do with alcoholic beverages. It's a sociopolitical statement. My only regret would be having to explain it in detail to you, which would defeat the purpose of using literary devices in songwriting and lower the discussion to some silly and irrelevant argument about chemical processes."

[Twinkle Toes]

Henley is the shizzlenit!!!

[munchitup]

No really, the lobby of my building in Los Angeles served as the stand in for the interior of Hotel California on the back of the album and gatefold. The building used to be a long term hotel back in the day and was converted to apartments over the years.

There is a Hotel California in Oakland off the 580 I think...

Jesus, man, can you change the station? ...had a rough night, and I hate the f------ Eagles, man!