Eagles: Hotel California Meaning
Song Released: 1977
Hotel California Lyrics
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...
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People keep saying all sorts of simple stuff based on one line or another. This haunting song, however, really is about what things were like in Hollywood: Hedonistic, Materialistic, creepy, and hard to get out of.
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This song is about heroin addiction, ""You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave" drug addiction
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Look...a lot of the interpretations people are throwing in here are right, at least in part. There are allusions to sex, drugs and money. There are religious allusions. There are allusions to spiritual evil to one extent or another, if not outright Satanism. The point is, these are all metaphors wrapped in a loose narrative structure, and they are being used to describe Hollywood. You would think having the Beverly Hills Hotel on the cover, along with songs like "New Kid in Town", "Life in the Fast Lane" and "Victim of Love" would make it pretty clear. It's basically a concept album, and most of the songs are variations on the same theme.
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The phrase steeley knives refers to Steeley Dan. He mentioned the Eagles in one of his songs so the Eagles returned the favor.
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I recently was just sitting here reading all of these interpreatations and I came to a very clear realization about the lyrics, song, and overall meaning. It has to be about drugs. The lyrics saying that you are addicted for life. You can take the anyway you like it but what made it so obvious is the title of the song. "T"he "H"otel "C"alifornia. THC is the compound in marijuana that gives it psycotropic effects. If you approach it thinking about drugs and Marijuana in genral it makes tons of sense. THC people
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Your all wrong the song is about hell. I say this because it is very very clear. The dark desert highway is the path of evil and sin. The girl in the door way is the angel of death escorting the sinful soul to hell. The voices in the corridor are the souls of the dead. The lyrics we haven't had that spirit here sine 1969 refers to the blood of christ. And the line in the masters chamber they gathered for the feast. This line means the hotel is actually hell and the master is Satan. Also the line they stab it with there steely knives. It means the souls are trying to escape but there tries are in vain. The line we are prisoners here of our own device means. The person was wicked and sinful so her went to the devil. The ending line you can never leave means once your in hell its all over.
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This whole song is spiritual. I am dumb founded about the ignorance displayed here. The amount of scripture that hasn't been read by 90% of people that have replied stuns me. The beast from the bible? all of the worldly things that are attractive that you can't turn back from, even if you do you've done them and you know the pleasures they provide. Whore house, yes, another worldly pleasure. By the way the man who started the demonic church, Anton Lavey is on the album cover, Just so you know.
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I wish we could just get Don Henley and ask him. I'm not interested in anyones 'interpretations' I want to know what it REALLY DOES MEAN!!!!
I have loved the eagles since high school (for me it was 1973)and regrettably, never saw them in concert)
Anyway I'm just as confused as when I signed into this website. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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All these people are bought into the materialism, the "dance" of pursuing possessions. Some do it to remember back to earlier times in their life. Some go after money to forget about something else more painful in their life.
-Niniane Wang -
I don't know what the hell it means. But I have loved the song for years.
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I thinks this song is about what stardom can do to a young naive soul it can corrupt you the woman he speaks of in the song could be a refrence to heroin but I really don't care because it's a great song
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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Aw, you're so cute! *pats head* Rolling Stone is the name of one of the most widely read and influential magazines dealing with the rock industry.
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what do the rolling stones have to do with a song by the fucking eagles
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