Hotel California: The dark metaphor that defined the sound and era of the Eagles

"Hotel California" is a song by the Eagles, released in 1976 as the lead single from the album of the same name. Written by Don Felder along with Don Henley and Glenn Frey, it blends rock with Latin and folk influences. The lyrics describe a traveler's arrival at a mysterious hotel in the desert, which gradually reveals itself as a dark metaphor for excess, fame, and the California music industry in the 1970s.

The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1978. It is especially famous for its final twin guitar solo performed by Don Felder and Joe Walsh, considered one of the greatest solos in rock history. The lyrics have generated many interpretations, but the Eagles themselves have clarified that it is not about Satanism but rather a critique of hedonistic living and the impossibility of escaping certain systems.

"Hotel California" became the Eagles' most iconic song and a symbol of 1970s American rock. It remains a constant cultural reference and one of the most recognized songs of all time.