You can check out any time you like/
But you can never leave.
The narrator of “Hotel California” is driving down the highway, doing drugs and in his haze sees a hotel. He could use a rest. “Hotel California” seems to be a brothel or something very close to it. Somewhere where you can get your fantasies fulfilled. He is led to his room and he partakes of the goods. He parties quite hard.
Eventually he sobers up and wants to quickly leave the hotel. As he leaves the night-man tells him the great line above. Meaning, once you partake in the excesses of “Hotel California”, it will always be a part of you in some way. Another read is once you’ve sampled the high life of California you can’t go back.
The live version of “Hotel California: that The Eagles performed on their Hell Freezes Over Tour was exciting. The intro is different than the live version and while it sounds cool, you can tell the audience doesn’t recognize it at first. Then it transitions into the more famous chord progression and the crowd goes wild.
The dueling guitars of Joe Walsh and Don Felder show two great guitarists at the top of their game. The bass-line for “Hotel California” is underappreciated. You rarely hear it mentioned as a great bass-line, but it is unique, and adds a lot to the song. Henley’s vocals are great, of course.
Hotel California Lyrics
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 a 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 thinkin’ 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, uh
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys
That 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”
He said, “We haven’t had that spirit here since 1969”
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
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”.
