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Hotel California A Glimpse in to Hell (I've got a few of these)

Justme1981

Member
I'm new to this forum and there are some nice people here. I like to share this online, my theory of Hotel California. The way I see that song and the Album cover is a glimpse into Hell.

Here are the lyrics and I'll explain as I go along:

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.

This is the beginning of the song and this is where the person dies. He is driving through the Desert most like California. Colitas is weed, that's an old Spanish Term for a joint. He is probably drunk to be honest. An oncoming car hits him and he dies on impact not realizing he has died. So, he stops for the night at a Hotel.


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'

This is where the song really reveals itself about the whole thing. He doesn't know he is dead but wherever he is, he could be in Heaven or Hell. What does that say about 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

He is created by the people who know he is dead. They are as much stuck in the Hotel California as he will be. When they say there is plenty of room in the Hotel California that sounds like a response to the Bible verse, "there are many rooms (mansions) in my fathers house." Well, apparently there is also endless space in Hell.


Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
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

The woman who greets him is termed someone that is Tiffany Twisted. I've looked around for this slang term, but I think it just means she is promiscuous, edgy and superficial. This is the typical person that would run Hell or the Hotel California. Making her, "friends," dance for her for eternity. These friends are more like slaves.

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

Focus on the alibis, everyone making excuses for their sins and trying to avoid Justice. While the Captain is greeting this hedonist who reminds him of all the people who went to hell in the Summer of 69 (1969 and a reference to another song Bryan Adams – Summer of '69 Lyrics | Genius Lyrics) the narrator is haunted by all the voices who greet him. Is this Heaven or is this Hell?


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

This is where he realizes he is in Hell. All those voices calling to him are people fighting the Beast within, fighting each other, fighting the beast literal and figurative. She sends him to his room, Tiffany Twisted, and he sees there is something completely wrong with this place.

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!'

Remember the line is, 'you can check out any time you like,' that comes from the expression checking out meaning, dying. But once you go to Hell you can never leave. So, you can die at any time but if you are in Hell you are in Hell.

Here is the Album cover where you can see demons in the shadow in the background. Actually I can't put the picture here but here is an article on it.

feelnumb.com EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Location of the Ghostly Eagles “Hotel California” Lobby Gatefold Photo


I wouldn't go for official interpretations because the Eagles can never explain what the song means. Like a lot of Classic Rock (not all of it but a lot of it) I think it was written by other people and they are just commissioned to play it.

Cheers!
 

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
I wouldn't go for official interpretations because the Eagles can never explain what the song means. Like a lot of Classic Rock (not all of it but a lot of it) I think it was written by other people and they are just commissioned to play it.

Cheers!

Glenn Frey wrote most of it, assisted by Don Henley.
 

Justme1981

Member
Glenn Frey wrote most of it, assisted by Don Henley.


Please, forgive me, please let's not get this heated...but I don't believe that, I've seen documentaries ad nauseoum on the Eagles and it never seemed like they could explain any of their songs especially this one.

I play Jazz guitar. The Avatar is Mick Jagger with Annita Pallenburg, that relationship was special for a lot of reasons. There is a lot of word on the street when it comes to music among the music community that hasn't made it to the internet. A lot of stuff doesn't make it to the internet.

So, I don't trust official interpretations because I don't think they know what a gem they are singing.

Here's an article where he admits he doesn't know what it means. This article is really telling.

Don Henley on The Eagles, "Hotel California," Glenn Frey and the Kennedy Center Honors - CBS News
 

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
That's Don Henley, and it's entirely possible for songs to have ambiguous lyrics.
But it's your choice. I think Frey wrote it, you don't. Fair enough.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
I'm new to this forum and there are some nice people here. I like to share this online, my theory of Hotel California. The way I see that song and the Album cover is a glimpse into Hell.

Here are the lyrics and I'll explain as I go along:

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.

This is the beginning of the song and this is where the person dies. He is driving through the Desert most like California. Colitas is weed, that's an old Spanish Term for a joint. He is probably drunk to be honest. An oncoming car hits him and he dies on impact not realizing he has died. So, he stops for the night at a Hotel.


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'

This is where the song really reveals itself about the whole thing. He doesn't know he is dead but wherever he is, he could be in Heaven or Hell. What does that say about 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

He is created by the people who know he is dead. They are as much stuck in the Hotel California as he will be. When they say there is plenty of room in the Hotel California that sounds like a response to the Bible verse, "there are many rooms (mansions) in my fathers house." Well, apparently there is also endless space in Hell.


Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
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

The woman who greets him is termed someone that is Tiffany Twisted. I've looked around for this slang term, but I think it just means she is promiscuous, edgy and superficial. This is the typical person that would run Hell or the Hotel California. Making her, "friends," dance for her for eternity. These friends are more like slaves.

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

Focus on the alibis, everyone making excuses for their sins and trying to avoid Justice. While the Captain is greeting this hedonist who reminds him of all the people who went to hell in the Summer of 69 (1969 and a reference to another song Bryan Adams – Summer of '69 Lyrics | Genius Lyrics) the narrator is haunted by all the voices who greet him. Is this Heaven or is this Hell?


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

This is where he realizes he is in Hell. All those voices calling to him are people fighting the Beast within, fighting each other, fighting the beast literal and figurative. She sends him to his room, Tiffany Twisted, and he sees there is something completely wrong with this place.

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!'

Remember the line is, 'you can check out any time you like,' that comes from the expression checking out meaning, dying. But once you go to Hell you can never leave. So, you can die at any time but if you are in Hell you are in Hell.

Here is the Album cover where you can see demons in the shadow in the background. Actually I can't put the picture here but here is an article on it.

feelnumb.com EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Location of the Ghostly Eagles “Hotel California” Lobby Gatefold Photo


I wouldn't go for official interpretations because the Eagles can never explain what the song means. Like a lot of Classic Rock (not all of it but a lot of it) I think it was written by other people and they are just commissioned to play it.

Cheers!

I love that song. Devil Went Down to Georgia is good too.

Hmm.. Didn't think the guy was dead. Now I have to listen to the song again. Hm.
 

Justme1981

Member
I love that song. Devil Went Down to Georgia is good too.

Hmm.. Didn't think the guy was dead. Now I have to listen to the song again. Hm.


Glenn Frey did pass away I think around 2014 or 2015.

Stairway to Heaven is another one I think written by Satanist. (Not Anton Levay Satanists but real Satanists, I can write a thread on that if you like. I have met some of them. Think Sabrina the Teenage Witch not Goth) Another one is Helter Skelter by the Beatles (a lot of those Beatles songs were written by Satanists think of In My Life and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds).

That Helter Skelter is an indictment of Evangelicals.

That Rock and Roll man, the best stuff out there but so sinful.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Glenn Frey did pass away I think around 2014 or 2015.

Stairway to Heaven is another one I think written by Satanist. (Not Anton Levay Satanists but real Satanists, I can write a thread on that if you like. I have met some of them. Think Sabrina the Teenage Witch not Goth) Another one is Helter Skelter by the Beatles (a lot of those Beatles songs were written by Satanists think of In My Life and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds).

That Helter Skelter is an indictment of Evangelicals.

That Rock and Roll man, the best stuff out there but so sinful.

Satanist? I don't see the relationship between that and the song. I know I write about all sorts of stuff, a lot of godly poems, but I don't believe a god exists.

Plus, Satanism has nothing to do with christianity; and, witch is totally off from christianity but Christians killed them nonetheless. :( I'm not really good at linking people, their religion, and their art to negative forces. But the songs are good nonetheless.
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
I'm new to this forum and there are some nice people here.

Greetings and salutations. Hope you enjoy the forum.

I like to share this online, my theory of Hotel California. The way I see that song and the Album cover is a glimpse into Hell.

Here are the lyrics and I'll explain as I go along:

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.

This is the beginning of the song and this is where the person dies. He is driving through the Desert most like California. Colitas is weed, that's an old Spanish Term for a joint. He is probably drunk to be honest. An oncoming car hits him and he dies on impact not realizing he has died. So, he stops for the night at a Hotel.


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'

This is where the song really reveals itself about the whole thing. He doesn't know he is dead but wherever he is, he could be in Heaven or Hell. What does that say about 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

He is created by the people who know he is dead. They are as much stuck in the Hotel California as he will be. When they say there is plenty of room in the Hotel California that sounds like a response to the Bible verse, "there are many rooms (mansions) in my fathers house." Well, apparently there is also endless space in Hell.


Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
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

The woman who greets him is termed someone that is Tiffany Twisted. I've looked around for this slang term, but I think it just means she is promiscuous, edgy and superficial. This is the typical person that would run Hell or the Hotel California. Making her, "friends," dance for her for eternity. These friends are more like slaves.

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

Focus on the alibis, everyone making excuses for their sins and trying to avoid Justice. While the Captain is greeting this hedonist who reminds him of all the people who went to hell in the Summer of 69 (1969 and a reference to another song Bryan Adams – Summer of '69 Lyrics | Genius Lyrics) the narrator is haunted by all the voices who greet him. Is this Heaven or is this Hell?


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

This is where he realizes he is in Hell. All those voices calling to him are people fighting the Beast within, fighting each other, fighting the beast literal and figurative. She sends him to his room, Tiffany Twisted, and he sees there is something completely wrong with this place.

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!'

Remember the line is, 'you can check out any time you like,' that comes from the expression checking out meaning, dying. But once you go to Hell you can never leave. So, you can die at any time but if you are in Hell you are in Hell.

Here is the Album cover where you can see demons in the shadow in the background. Actually I can't put the picture here but here is an article on it.

feelnumb.com EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Location of the Ghostly Eagles “Hotel California” Lobby Gatefold Photo


I wouldn't go for official interpretations because the Eagles can never explain what the song means. Like a lot of Classic Rock (not all of it but a lot of it) I think it was written by other people and they are just commissioned to play it.

Cheers!

Fascinating theory.

I'll just leave this here...

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hotel-california/

Read it or don't. But I would really like to hear your thoughts on it.

What are your thoughts on backmasking in song lyrics?
 

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
I'm new to this forum and there are some nice people here. I like to share this online, my theory of Hotel California. The way I see that song and the Album cover is a glimpse into Hell.

Here are the lyrics and I'll explain as I go along:

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.

This is the beginning of the song and this is where the person dies. He is driving through the Desert most like California. Colitas is weed, that's an old Spanish Term for a joint. He is probably drunk to be honest. An oncoming car hits him and he dies on impact not realizing he has died. So, he stops for the night at a Hotel.


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'

This is where the song really reveals itself about the whole thing. He doesn't know he is dead but wherever he is, he could be in Heaven or Hell. What does that say about 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

He is created by the people who know he is dead. They are as much stuck in the Hotel California as he will be. When they say there is plenty of room in the Hotel California that sounds like a response to the Bible verse, "there are many rooms (mansions) in my fathers house." Well, apparently there is also endless space in Hell.


Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
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

The woman who greets him is termed someone that is Tiffany Twisted. I've looked around for this slang term, but I think it just means she is promiscuous, edgy and superficial. This is the typical person that would run Hell or the Hotel California. Making her, "friends," dance for her for eternity. These friends are more like slaves.

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

Focus on the alibis, everyone making excuses for their sins and trying to avoid Justice. While the Captain is greeting this hedonist who reminds him of all the people who went to hell in the Summer of 69 (1969 and a reference to another song Bryan Adams – Summer of '69 Lyrics | Genius Lyrics) the narrator is haunted by all the voices who greet him. Is this Heaven or is this Hell?


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

This is where he realizes he is in Hell. All those voices calling to him are people fighting the Beast within, fighting each other, fighting the beast literal and figurative. She sends him to his room, Tiffany Twisted, and he sees there is something completely wrong with this place.

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!'

Remember the line is, 'you can check out any time you like,' that comes from the expression checking out meaning, dying. But once you go to Hell you can never leave. So, you can die at any time but if you are in Hell you are in Hell.

Here is the Album cover where you can see demons in the shadow in the background. Actually I can't put the picture here but here is an article on it.

feelnumb.com EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Location of the Ghostly Eagles “Hotel California” Lobby Gatefold Photo


I wouldn't go for official interpretations because the Eagles can never explain what the song means. Like a lot of Classic Rock (not all of it but a lot of it) I think it was written by other people and they are just commissioned to play it.

Cheers!

This is an interesting analysis, although I tend to doubt that the reference to 1969 has anything to do with the Bryan Adams song, since that came out 6 years after "Hotel California."

A lot did happen in 1969, so I suppose it could refer to anything. The last year of the 1960s, so it could mean that the 60s were gone and never coming back.

I thought it was a great song when it first came out, but I think it was a victim of overplay. Another Eagles' song that got played too much was "Life in the Fast Lane." I recall a Rolling Stone compendium of Rock Lists had this song on one of its list of top rated songs, although there was an asterisk next to it which said "Docked 10 slots due to rancid ideology."
 

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Glenn Frey did pass away I think around 2014 or 2015.

Stairway to Heaven is another one I think written by Satanist. (Not Anton Levay Satanists but real Satanists, I can write a thread on that if you like. I have met some of them. Think Sabrina the Teenage Witch not Goth) Another one is Helter Skelter by the Beatles (a lot of those Beatles songs were written by Satanists think of In My Life and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds).

That Helter Skelter is an indictment of Evangelicals.

That Rock and Roll man, the best stuff out there but so sinful.

Here's one along the same lines (but ostensibly depicting a journey in the opposite direction from Hell), one that is a personal favorite of mine, although I don't think it got as much airplay or popularity as the other tunes you mentioned.


I close my eyes to worldly skies
I leave behind the day
And deep within me, I shall begin
To chase my thoughts away
As loved ones hold me to their sides
Their strength flows into me
To cast me out of sorrow's blindness
Into eternity

I thought I heard them softly calling
The voices of the spheres
As light years flash forever falling
Away from waking fears
I reach out, try to touch the passing
Of beings bathed in light
But they just smile, their eyes not asking
To see beyond their sight

Ooh silver tightrope
Ooh silver tightrope
Ooh silver tightrope

I thought I saw the candle-bearers
On their way to the beyond
Beckon to me from the future
To come and join the throng
I stepped upon the silver tightrope
Balancing beliefs
And wings unfurling with a new hope
I left behind my griefs

Ooh silver tightrope
Ooh silver tightrope
Ooh silver tightrope
Ooh silver tightrope
 
Last edited:

Justme1981

Member
Satanist? I don't see the relationship between that and the song. I know I write about all sorts of stuff, a lot of godly poems, but I don't believe a god exists.

Plus, Satanism has nothing to do with christianity; and, witch is totally off from christianity but Christians killed them nonetheless. :( I'm not really good at linking people, their religion, and their art to negative forces. But the songs are good nonetheless.


I'm sorry, I'm confusing avatars I thought you were someone else. I'm new here. So, I apologize.

Satanists have been around since the beginning. Witches come later and are essentially a woman's only Satanists club. The Satanists that I have run into tend to be at least upper-middle class. Certain marking of a Satanist or a descendant of Satanists is the cleft chin for men (which Satan has) and the beauty mark (think Cindy Crawford) like his wife has.

They look plain vanilla American like the all American family. They're not creepy people one bit. Think more like Nietzche's Over Man (woman) which is what Satan wants to be surrounded by; only the best.

I hear from Satanists Anton LeVay got the worst treatment in Hell for a period of time for making a mockery of his Church. These kind of Satanist (I'm not certain about LeVaeans) do believe in Satan and quite frequently hear from him. Satan is not a demon but a very handsome looking person and his wife is very beautiful.

I ask a Satanist friend once from one of these families, " OK, so you know there is a Satan, you must know there is a God. So why not choose that side?" Her response was, "Heaven is not what you think it is and Hell isn't either." That's why I look to this song and songs like it where they are really showing a non-Fundamentalist non Fire and Brimstone kind of place.

There are movies like that too. This particular friend is a fan of David Lynch like Mullholand Drive and Lost Highways where essentially it is dramatically depicting life in hell.

I know more, but let's let the discussion evolve.
 

David1967

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
I'm new to this forum and there are some nice people here. I like to share this online, my theory of Hotel California. The way I see that song and the Album cover is a glimpse into Hell.

Here are the lyrics and I'll explain as I go along:

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.

This is the beginning of the song and this is where the person dies. He is driving through the Desert most like California. Colitas is weed, that's an old Spanish Term for a joint. He is probably drunk to be honest. An oncoming car hits him and he dies on impact not realizing he has died. So, he stops for the night at a Hotel.


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'

This is where the song really reveals itself about the whole thing. He doesn't know he is dead but wherever he is, he could be in Heaven or Hell. What does that say about 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

He is created by the people who know he is dead. They are as much stuck in the Hotel California as he will be. When they say there is plenty of room in the Hotel California that sounds like a response to the Bible verse, "there are many rooms (mansions) in my fathers house." Well, apparently there is also endless space in Hell.


Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
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

The woman who greets him is termed someone that is Tiffany Twisted. I've looked around for this slang term, but I think it just means she is promiscuous, edgy and superficial. This is the typical person that would run Hell or the Hotel California. Making her, "friends," dance for her for eternity. These friends are more like slaves.

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

Focus on the alibis, everyone making excuses for their sins and trying to avoid Justice. While the Captain is greeting this hedonist who reminds him of all the people who went to hell in the Summer of 69 (1969 and a reference to another song Bryan Adams – Summer of '69 Lyrics | Genius Lyrics) the narrator is haunted by all the voices who greet him. Is this Heaven or is this Hell?


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

This is where he realizes he is in Hell. All those voices calling to him are people fighting the Beast within, fighting each other, fighting the beast literal and figurative. She sends him to his room, Tiffany Twisted, and he sees there is something completely wrong with this place.

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!'

Remember the line is, 'you can check out any time you like,' that comes from the expression checking out meaning, dying. But once you go to Hell you can never leave. So, you can die at any time but if you are in Hell you are in Hell.

Here is the Album cover where you can see demons in the shadow in the background. Actually I can't put the picture here but here is an article on it.

feelnumb.com EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Location of the Ghostly Eagles “Hotel California” Lobby Gatefold Photo


I wouldn't go for official interpretations because the Eagles can never explain what the song means. Like a lot of Classic Rock (not all of it but a lot of it) I think it was written by other people and they are just commissioned to play it.

Cheers!

Interesting take on this song. I love the song. Never get tired of hearing it. Masterful lyrics and composition. I never thought about it referring to the subjects death and limbo or hell in this mysterious hotel. I like it. And welcome to RF.
 

David T

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Please, forgive me, please let's not get this heated...but I don't believe that, I've seen documentaries ad nauseoum on the Eagles and it never seemed like they could explain any of their songs especially this one.

I play Jazz guitar. The Avatar is Mick Jagger with Annita Pallenburg, that relationship was special for a lot of reasons. There is a lot of word on the street when it comes to music among the music community that hasn't made it to the internet. A lot of stuff doesn't make it to the internet.

So, I don't trust official interpretations because I don't think they know what a gem they are singing.

Here's an article where he admits he doesn't know what it means. This article is really telling.

Don Henley on The Eagles, "Hotel California," Glenn Frey and the Kennedy Center Honors - CBS News
 

Quagmire

Imaginary talking monkey
Staff member
Premium Member
I wouldn't go for official interpretations because the Eagles can never explain what the song means. Like a lot of Classic Rock (not all of it but a lot of it) I think it was written by other people and they are just commissioned to play it.

Cheers!

Or the peyote wore off and they couldn't remember what they were trying to say.
 

David T

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Why would he give his take on It when it's way better being obtuse!!! I certainly wouldn't as an artist.
MY TAKE.
I lived in Southern california I had to escape and find the passage back to where I was before. I moved back to oregon. I ended up in the burbs in seattle and I had a "'Relax' said the night man,
'We are programmed to receive.
You can check out any time you like,
But you can never leave!" moment!!!!, I was back in SO F38KING CAL. DISNEYLAND.

I then checked out.... And eventually escaped into the forests, of the oregon COAST! problem solved. So CAL is plastic ..
 
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