Undeniably, one of the most defining tracks in the vast domain of Rock & Roll is “Hotel California”, by the Eagles. Standing the true test of time, Hotel California continues to captivate audiences with its lyrics and find relevance even today, an astonishing 48 years since its initial release in 1976. However, its true appeal lies not within its enduring popularity, but rather the depth of its writing. “Hotel California”, like many other songs, does not only entertain its listeners – but rather tells a compelling story. To do so, it juxtaposes the true high life in California by painting a vivid picture utilizing imagery amongst usage of metaphors. Further augmented by the Eagles bandmates past experience, “Hotel California” serves as a representation of how the things that we want the most may be our greatest prison.

“Hotel California” incorporates various different guitar chords to create a uniquely mellow tune, encompassed with dreamy riffs to depict an authentically alluring adventure. Despite depicting the story of the Eagles past in the form of an adventure throughout the state of California, beneath the surface of this auditory excursion lies a much deeper story describing what the Eagles, who faced numerous struggles that they were challenged with, alongside others, experienced during their time of residence in the typically highly regarded lands of The Golden State, ending with their longing return back home.

Our first destination throughout our journey of California is “Hotel California”, a highly idealized and fictitious place augmented by the Eagles that depicts a hotel room that you may check into, “but can never leave”. Rather than a physical place, “Hotel California” metaphorically suggests a lifestyle that is initially enticing. For the Eagles, the experience of what once seemed like a luxurious lifestyle in the state of California would later reveal to be inescapable, as they “[try to] stab it with their steely knives”, or attempt to leave, but rather “can’t kill the beast”, due to insurmountable challenges that persist throughout their attempts to leave, or check out. But what exactly are the challenges that the Eagles had faced at “Hotel California”?

With Hotel California promising to provide anything which one may desire, such as parties that can be found “any time of year”, it is quite clear that Hotel California serves as a metaphoric representation of the rock and roll lifestyle, however, at a high cost. Riddled with addiction and obsession, the line “we are all just prisoners here, of our own device” greatly signifies the outcome of the excessively indulgent lifestyle that is promoted in California. The device particularly being referred to is drugs, or more specifically the inability to stop, but rather to live a life of the drug controlling you, just as the Eagles, and their peers faced. So, is it impossible to leave, or “check out”, of Hotel California?

Many may seemingly think that checking out of Hotel California, like any other hotel, would restore life back to normality. However, Hotel California differs, offering a double metaphor, that if you somehow manage to check out, one still “cannot leave”, otherwise meaning that the life you once lived within California will continue to follow you. Whether it is simply a memory, or a continuation of the bad habits that were exhibited such as drug usage, voices will always be “calling from far away” to remind one of the past. In the case of Glenn Frey, the lead singer of the Eagles, this was the aftermath of cocaine, which destroyed his nose – leaving his nasal passages held together by Teflon.

Hotel California by The Eagles is a timeless piece that goes beyond just a song by telling a compelling story about the illusion of fame in California. Utilizing vivid images and metaphors to show the harsh reality behind the luxurious lifestyle of the rich and famous in California, The Eagles’ also augment this idea with their own personal struggle that they faced as a band in order to serve as a strong reminder of the lasting effects that our past may have, and that sometimes the things that we want the most can be our biggest prison – leaving behind memories that will never be forgotten, and an infuriating drug addiction.