A six-minute number one single. Two Grammy Awards. Three Top 20 singles. 32 million copies sold.
"Hotel California", released in December 1976, catapulted the Eagles from a moderately successful country-rock band, to playing playing some of the largest venues in the world and creating a rock and roll phenomenon that is still relevant today. Eagles founder, Don Henley, refers to the album as a concept album that he described as "the myth making that is the American dream because it is a fine line between the American dream and the American nightmare." It is certainly a haunting sentiment, but it is the truth of the themes on "Hotel California" that allows it to remain one of the finest albums in rock history. The following is a track-by-track analysis of the album four decades after its initial release.
1. "Hotel California"
The haunting title track remains a topic of speculation; some think that it even contains Satanic messages in reverse. Nevertheless, the eeriness of the lyrics penned by Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Don Felder in combination with the pounding drum beats and artistic guitar work by Felder and Joe Walsh, is something that is irresistible, and hearing fans sing along to the song live is an unbeatable experience. What the hotel itself represents remains a mystery; it has been speculated to be everything from Los Angeles and the music industry itself to a sanitarium. After all, the final lyrics of the song are "You can check out anytime you like/ But you can never leave." Henley simply states, "It is a journey from innocence to experience. That's all."
2. "New Kid in Town"
Reminiscent in sound to their 1976 single "Lyin' Eyes" from their previous album, "New Kid" is a mid-tempo ballad featuring Glenn Frey on lead vocal. The lyrics are soft and catchy, and the vocals feature breathtaking harmonies from the band. It is very much a radio-friendly song about fear in love as well as in life. The song was the lead-off single from the album and rose to number one in early 1977.
3. "Life in the Fast Lane"
No song better describes the flagrant excesses of the L.A. lifestyle than "Life in the Fast Lane." Written after a wild ride Glenn Frey had with a drug dealer known as "the Count," the song tells the story of a woman who gets involved with the wrong guy, leading to a downward spiral of cocaine use and partying. Essentially, 1970s L.A. in a nutshell. In combination with an incredible guitar riff from Joe Walsh and Henley's edgy vocal, the song blatantly describes the price of the L.A. lifestyle, a theme that ran through both of the previous tracks.
4/5. "Wasted Time" and "Wasted Time (Reprise)"
Side one ended with "Wasted Time" and side two began with the instrumental reprise of the track. "Wasted Time" is easily one of the greatest unreleased Eagles songs, and it is a favorite among fans. A ballad written by the iconic team of Henley and Frey, the lyrics focus on discovering that, while it might initially seem like it, a lost relationship is not time wasted. Henley's vocal on the song is perfect, the growl in his voice conveying the rawness of emotions in the lyrics. "Wasted Time" is one of those songs that should have been a single but sadly wasn't.
The instrumental reprise is a lovely composition of expert instrumentation. It also adds a bit of a rest period in between the edgier tracks on the album.
6. "Victim of Love"
Brought to the band as a chord progression composed by Don Felder and intended as a song for him to perform vocally, "Victim of Love" resulted in the edgiest vocal performance at the time for Don Henley. Felder's voice was not thought to be strong enough for the tough lyrics, written by Henley, Frey, and fellow singer-songwriter John David (J.D.) Souther. Regardless of the history, the result is a pulsing rock track with gritty lyrics. Henley's vocal could not have be replaced on this track; it would not have done justice to the song to have a singer who was not as strong on the vocal. It is another standout track on the album, largely due to the combination of the incredible guitar work by Felder and Walsh and the hard-edged vocal by Henley.
7. "Pretty Maids All in a Row"
"Pretty Maids" is Joe Walsh's single lead vocal contribution on the album. Co-written by Walsh and Joe Vitale, it is yet another track on the album that discusses lost love and disillusionment. While Walsh's vocal has never been the strongest in the Eagles, yet his songwriting and guitar mastery make up for it. The song is a lovely contribution on the album and seamlessly fits in with the previous and following songs.
8. "Try and Love Again"
Like Walsh, Randy Meisner performed one lead vocal track on the Hotel California album. "Try and Love Again" is a typical 1970s love song. Though the lyrics are lovely, the song, at least to me, comes off a little forgettable. It is a pleasant track, but in comparison to the other songs on the album, it simply doesn't carry the weight. Despite that, it is not a bad song and cannot be considered a detriment to the album.
9. "The Last Resort"
Closing the album is what Frey refers to as "Henley's opus," "The Last Resort." Focusing on his disillusionment with the ravaging of the natural landscape, Henley penned this literature-styled track, revealing his former English major status. The song proves to be one of the finest tracks Henley has written, and it also unveiled, if "Hotel California" hadn't been proof enough, that the band was aware of the things that were happening around them. They were true observers of culture and important social and environmental issues.
Upon listening, it is not difficult to see that "Hotel California" is as important of an album now as it was in 1976. It paints a clear picture of the confused culture throughout the decade while incorporating themes that most anyone can relate to. The album will have no trouble continuing to influence generations of listeners, allowing those who will never know to understand the dark side of sunny California without morbidity.
