EAGLES - HOTEL CALIFORNIA

"Hotel California" is the title song from the Eagles' album of the same name, and was released as a single in early 1977. It is one of the best-known songs of the album-oriented rock era. Writing credits for the song are shared by Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Don Felder.

The lyrics of the song describe the title establishment, a hotel where "you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave." On the surface, the song is a tale of a weary traveler who becomes trapped in a nightmarish hotel that at first appeared tempting; as a metaphor the song may be commenting on drug addiction or simply the decadent lifestyle the hugely successful band had been caught up in. Another theory is that the song is about a mental hospital or a federal prison. The expression "check out" is also considered a euphemism for suicide. Per the band itself, they have been on record saying the song is literally about a man who "drove into hell" and can't find a way out.

The original version of the song is performed in slow rock style, opening with a long, repeated electric guitar motif. During the verses, guitar and bass provide melodic counterpoint to the vocal. The end section of the song consists of a series of guitar solos building to a multi-layered variation on the opening theme with multiple guitars in chorus. The song is also well known for its guitar solos, which are performed by both Joe Walsh and Don Felder.

"Hotel California" won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1978.

It is rated by many polls to be one of the greatest songs of all time: Rolling Stone magazine, for example, states it is the forty-ninth greatest song of all time. Similarly, it is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.