Alright I've heard the same argument for awhile now about how this song is supposed to be about devil worship and the occult but come on.....seriously?

Nothing about this song suggest dabbling in the occult. NOTHING!

I vote its about alien abduction and experiments by these extraterrestrial beings.

"Hotel California"

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 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 thinking 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
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys 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' [clearly the victim is being sedated so that closer observation of internal organs can commence]
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

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 [these last few lines scream disection]

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!'

Don Henley said this: "We were all middle-class kids from the Midwest. Hotel California was our interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles.

Some of the wilder interpretations of that song have been amazing. It was really about the excesses of American culture and certain girls we knew. But it was also about the uneasy balance between art and commerce."

In 2007, he replied: "I know, it's so boring. It's a song about the dark underbelly of the American Dream, and about excess in America which was something we knew about."

^ That's the politically correct response. He had to say that.

[img:$uid]http://guitarhiro.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/hotelcalifornia-guitarhiro-wordpress-com.jpg[/img:$uid]

^ aliens

Interesting thread I never knew that "Hotel California" was under severe study until now.

"American Pie" on the other hand

No! Let's Analyze something new - the Beatles. John or Paul?

Kidding.

But can you analyze the great HC without also discussing Gold by John Stewart? They are great California story-book ends.

I am left analyzing this song a little bit every single time that I have heard it in the last 4 decades. I remember thinking about "how they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat. Some dance to remember, some dance to forget" when I was actually old enough to know about the power of dancing to forget. Part and parcel of growing up and maturing in the late 70s - smart, well crafted songs that reflected my life and expanded my brain and spirit, just little bit.

And thanks, you prompted a Wiki discovery -

According to Glenn Frey's liner notes for The Very Best of Eagles, the use of the word "steely" in the lyric (referring to knives) was a playful nod to band Steely Dan, who had included the lyric "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening" in their song "Everything You Did".

Identity said:

Don Henley said this: "We were all middle-class kids from the Midwest. Hotel California was our interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles.

Some of the wilder interpretations of that song have been amazing. It was really about the excesses of American culture and certain girls we knew. But it was also about the uneasy balance between art and commerce."

In 2007, he replied: "I know, it's so boring. It's a song about the dark underbelly of the American Dream, and about excess in America which was something we knew about."

This is always what I thought.

I never understood people getting all these occult meanings from the song, when the lyrics are pretty straightforward. I always figured it was him talking about the Hollywood lifestyle, all the fame and debauchery.

armpit said:

Identity said:

Don Henley said this: "We were all middle-class kids from the Midwest. Hotel California was our interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles.

Some of the wilder interpretations of that song have been amazing. It was really about the excesses of American culture and certain girls we knew. But it was also about the uneasy balance between art and commerce."

In 2007, he replied: "I know, it's so boring. It's a song about the dark underbelly of the American Dream, and about excess in America which was something we knew about."

This is always what I thought.

I never understood people getting all these occult meanings from the song, when the lyrics are pretty straightforward. I always figured it was him talking about the Hollywood lifestyle, all the fame and debauchery.

I remember people saying something on the album cover (which was originally a gatefold) had something to do with with black magic, not the song itself. I always figured it was like one of those "Paul is dead" things.

MickyDolenz said:

I remember people saying something on the album cover (which was originally a gatefold) had something to do with with black magic, not the song itself. I always figured it was like one of those "Paul is dead" things.

Because in the inner sleeve where the band is posing in the lobby, if you look up in the balcony there is this evil Levay type figure looming above

allsmutaside said:

No! Let's Analyze something new - the Beatles. John or Paul?

Kidding.

But can you analyze the great HC without also discussing Gold by John Stewart? They are great California story-book ends.

I am left analyzing this song a little bit every single time that I have heard it in the last 4 decades. I remember thinking about "how they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat. Some dance to remember, some dance to forget" when I was actually old enough to know about the power of dancing to forget. Part and parcel of growing up and maturing in the late 70s - smart, well crafted songs that reflected my life and expanded my brain and spirit, just little bit.

And thanks, you prompted a Wiki discovery -

According to Glenn Frey's liner notes for The Very Best of Eagles, the use of the word "steely" in the lyric (referring to knives) was a playful nod to band Steely Dan, who had included the lyric "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening" in their song "Everything You Did".

Get out! I didn't know that. Marvelous!