Welcome to Hotel California!

In Todos Santos, Mexico, there is a hotel called Hotel California. It was extablished in 1929. Rumor has it that it is inspiration for the song "Welcome to Hotel California" by Eagles. No one can confirm if the Eagles ever visited the hotel. They only claim that the hotel is an inspiration for the song.

I've always been confused about the song lyrics. It's a great song but what is it about? It makes no sense.

Fortunately for me, Edwardo our tour guide told me the legend and clarified the lyrics for me. Once I knew the legend, everything made perfect sense. So here goes the legend according to Edwardo.

A long time back, a very close friend of the Eagles band was in Mexico. One night, being too fatigued from travelling and *ahem* partaking in herbal remedies he checked into the Hotel California to spend the night. He was greeted by a very soft spoken lady who took him to the bar area.

When he got to the bar, his eyes fell upon the most beautiful Senorita. He instantly fell in love. The were the only two people at the bar and he struck up a conversation with her. After talking to her and wooing her for hours, he asked her to join him in his room. She agreed and they spent the most passionate night together.

In the morning, he begged her to marry him and go with him forever. She refused to leave Todos. Heartbroken, the guy left town promising to come back.

He came back 2 years later and looked for her everywhere. He couldn't find her. He asked everyone about the love of his life. After a while he found out that the love of his life was dead. She had died 25 years ago. Twenty five years. So he had had an affair with a ghost.

Sometime later he told his story to his close friend (Eagles band) and together they wondered if he actually had an affair or it was a figment of his imagination. Was it the heavy drugs, herbal cigarretes etc. that caused this illusion?

The song is based on that story. Edwardo analyzed the song for me. My comments are in red.

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair

Warm smell of colitas -Related to Mariguanna

rising up through the air

Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light

My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim - from the smoke

I had to stop for the night

There she stood in the doorway;

I heard the mission bell

And I was thinking 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 face

Plenty of room at the hotel california

Any time of year, you can find it here
Her mind is tiffany-twisted, she got the mercedes bends

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 -dance is a symbol of drugs
So I called up the captain,’please bring me my wine’ -different kind of drugs

He said, ’we haven’t had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine’

Welcome to the hotel california

Such a lovely placeSuch a lovely faceThey livin’ it up at the hotel california

What a nice surprise, bring your alibis -coverup your bad habits

Mirrors on the ceiling,The pink champagne on ice - the night he spent with the senorita

And she said ’we are all just prisoners here, of our own device’

And in the master’s chambers,They gathered for the feast -feast of various drugs/ drugs party somewhere

The stab it with their steely knives, But they just can’t kill the beast - knives=needles

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 checkout any time you like,But you can never leave! - you can quit drugs but once an addict, always an addict.