I absolutely love Hotel California by The Eagles, but I have a simple question :
What the heck is it about ??
I have heard various theories, including a haunted hotel, a prison, a hospital, a drugs rehab centre etc.
So then - what is it ACTUALLY about ?
Thanks

It is about the west coast lifestyle and mindset.

Near death(coma)/actual death/purgatory

Have you heard this version?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW1dUnBhwL8

My interpretation is that it's about the experiences in a mental hospital of someone suffering from psychosis. 😵

It's about checking out but never leaving, obviously. Or you could ask Jethro Tull.

This is a lovely version.

Hotel California

You wot? 😁

The song has its origins or source in a reflection on the lifestyle of the Californian rich and famous of the late 60s. But really it's up to the listener to interpret that for themselves.

Pleasant enough, but I could have done without all the "posing."

The MonaLisa Twins have covered it........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGi3NSrrsmI

they do great covers of 60s pop records.....especially the Beatles but others as well

I put it on CD alongside the Gypsy Kings version. Got my Eagles Greatest Hits in my player so the original is never far away.



Is my monitor playing up or is your smiley anaemic?

I was wondering why Jethro Tull would know about Hotel California? The tension can affect one...

Mystery

Tull

Fascinating stuff.

The varying answers in this thread seem to suggest that no one is quite sure what the song is actually about!

No, the answers suggest that the song is open to interpretation and means different things to different people. That's perfectly ok.

Hey...thanks for that. I'm not as well versed in the early Tull stuff so never knew about this.

Cheers 😁

No problem.

Most modern pop songs are pretty much identical but some of the old cases of plagiarism are quite interesting, Led Zeppelin have form for this.

Zeppelin

Personally I think a good song is a good song regardless of where it came from, I guess the only person who has a right to complain is the artist that did the original, if they were not as successful they might have felt ripped off.

Yes, which is another way of saying that we don't know what it's ACTUALLY about, i.e what the writers of the song intended it to be about, which is what the thread starter was asking!

Although it sounds like the California/west coast lifestyle might be the correct answer to that question.

It always makes me laugh when someone says something is "open to interpretation". What a load of pretentious rubbish. A song may be enigmatic, cryptic, obtuse, etc, but it was still ORIGINALLY inspired by something. Do you really think a songwriter sits there thinking "I know, I'll write a song that will be open to interpretation!"?

BIB Yes.

I'm also pretty sure some songwriters have absolutely no idea what they are writing about either through drink drugs or mental illness.

It's not about the words - for me it's about the music, particularly the sublime marriage of Walsh and Felder's guitars.

Laugh away. It sure doesn't bother me.

The original inspiration for a song doesn't mean it has a fixed meaning. The listener is perfectly entitled to interpret the song as they hear it.

Paul Simon wrote 'Homeward Bound' at Widnes Railway Station when he was missing his girlfriend. That was the inspiration but the song serves as a touchstone for any one missing home. What is pretentious about that?

The very song you mention may well be inspired by Glenn Frey's impression of west coast culture. He actually did choose to write the song as a metaphor and in interviews has suggested the song has a sociopolitical theme. Which is pretty close to saying he thought the song would be open to interpretation.

Wanting to know the background to why a song was written or the original inspiration is fine but it isn't always necessary or helpful.

It's kind of cheesy and the chorus sucks balls, but I don't mind it.

Nik Kershaw eventually confessed that "The Riddle" wasn't about anything after fans had been sending him "solutions" for years.

Err, no. They say stuff like this when they have written a song with just random words, usually when under the influence. Absolute nonsense to suggest a songwriter of any standing and perfectly sober/not under the influence would purposefully write a song that was meant to be 'open to interpretation'. Even when not under the influence it's basically an excuse for substandard songwriting, favoured by bands like Radiohead.