The Eagles - Hotel California - Lyrics Meaning

This is the title track from the 1977 album with lyrics written by Don Felder, Don Henley and Glenn Frey. It was a big hit for the band and won them a Grammy award for Record of the Year.

The lyrics and their meaning have been the subject of many a discussion over the years due to their abstract nature but Don Henley described it as, "...basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in America..." and described it as, "...our interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles."

The song tells the story of a traveller checking into a hotel which appears to be the ultimate in luxury with every need catered for. However, we're soon left questioning whether such an idyllic resort would actually be all it promises to be with lines such as, `You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.' The song's popularity has led to many Eagles fans putting their own spin on the lyrics and common interpretations include Hotel California being run by cannibals; being some kind of devil worship venue; or about a mental hospital.

Co-writer Don Felder gave his version of how the song came to be written by explaining that they'd driven into Los Angeles for the first time at night. "None of us are from California...you can just see this glow on the horizon of lights, and the images that start running through your head of Hollywood and all the dreams that you have, and so it was kind of about that..."