Hotel California
Hotel California is a song which was founded in 1971 Californian band Eagles. It appeared on her eponymous 1976, fifth album. As authors Don Felder, Glenn Frey and Don Henley are called.
Awards
The album was number one on the charts in Britain and the United States.
For the piece, the Eagles received the Grammy Award 1978 in the category " Record of the Year ". 2004 chose the music magazine Rolling Stone it. Ranked 49 of its list of the 500 best songs of all time
The guitar solo of the theme song by Don Felder and Joe Walsh was elected in 1998 by Guitarist magazine as the best solo of all time, and in 1998 by Guitar magazine ranked eight of the Top 100 Guitar Solos.
Text
A tired traveler stops at a remote hotel and decided to stay there. He gets assigned to his room and after a short time recognizes that the hotel residents form a tight-knit community. Although they appear hospitable, they are prisoners of their addictions, which they conduct unconditionally. Who has the Hotel California once entered, can indeed go back, but never let it really get away.
Interpretation
Hotel California romanticized the ideals of the American and Californian Dream, however, turns out to be a nightmare on closer inspection.
According to the Eagles Hotel California to symbolize everything bad that has happened to them as a result of her stardom. In particular, the decadence and decline of the American way of life are addressed in the seventies.
Of the Eagles was denied in several interviews that there has been a real "Hotel California". On the album cover, the " Beverly Hills Hotel " is shown.
The enigmatic text has given rise to various legends. So shall it be at the Hotel California, among others, a hippie cult, a community of Satanists led by Anton Szandor LaVey or to a closed psychiatric institution act, from which no escape is possible.
Another interpretation sees the "Hotel California" as a metaphor for drug addiction. Just as with this the hotel seems to fulfill every wish, but you can not leave, just like you get addicted to drugs. The lines " And silence Those voices are calling from far away, Wake you up in the middle of the night" illustrate the addiction that leaves the protagonist no peace. To the same, also the last sentence of the song suggests "We are Programmed to receive, you can checkout any time you like, but you can never leave! "
Cover versions
Hotel California has been covered several times. A flamenco version of the song (from the Gipsy Kings ) can be heard in the film The Big Lebowski. There is also a reggae version, which often is attributed to Bob Marley. In fact, however, it comes from Majek Fashek. A German version was recorded by Jürgen Drews in 1977 and appeared on the album Barefoot through the summer. This version was in turn was covered by Wiglaf Droste (CD Mariscos y maricones, 1999). An a cappella version is available from the Cuban band Vocal Sampling, which stands out for its guitar solos with the mouth. The Finnish band Eläkeläiset published in 1999 on their album advertising, baby! a humppa version of the song. It bears the title Hotelli Helpotus. 2003 was a ska version of the band SkaDaddyZ. A French version, entitled L'Hotel de Californie published in 2005 by the Australian band The Cat Empire. 2007 was Otto Waalkes his cover version of The Local Karl and Sonja before. 2009 Hotel California was released by the German artist Gedicke in the style of the old Hammond sound. Also the version of the British band Alabama 3 from the 2000 album La Peste was known.
Trivia
In San Francisco, there is really a small hotel called Hotel California. The walls of the rooms are decorated with quotations from the song.