Hotel California (song)

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Hotel California was the title song from the 1977 album of the same name by The Eagles. It is one of the most well-known songs of the Album Oriented Rock era.

The lyrics of the song describe the title establishment, a hotel where "you can check out, but you can never leave". On the surface the song is a tale of a weary traveler who becomes trapped in a nightmarish hotel; as a metaphor the song may be commenting on drug addiction or simply the decadent lifestyle the hugely successful band had been caught up in.

The original version of the song is performed in slow rock style, opening with a long, repeated electric guitar motif. During the verses, guitar and bass provide melodic counterpoint to the vocal. The end section of the song consists of a series of guitar solos building to a multi-layered variation on the opening theme with multiple guitars in chorus.

Writing credits for the song are shared by the group's three main songwriters: Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Don Felder.

A few cover versions of "Hotel California" have been released, notably by flamenco band the Gipsy Kings. In 2004 it was recorded by American Idol reject William Hung.