Anybody who's ever listened to a radio station has probably heard 'Hotel California.' Hell, it's probably on your iPod. Arguably The Eagles' most popular song, most critics interpret its terrifying lyrics as the band's commentary on the drug-hazed hedonism that typified the '70s rock 'n' roll lifestyle.
To me, however, it will always be a totally rad song about a haunted house.
There is a lyric in the middle of the song where the narrator sings, 'So I called up the captain, 'Please bring me my wine' / He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here since 1969.'' When I first heard this song as a mere lad, I was too young to know 'spirit' meant 'alcohol,' so I assumed the captain was startled to see a ghost he had not seen in awhile.
It would be like if you were walking down the street and suddenly saw Slimer, of 'Ghostbusters' fame. You'd drop everything and be like, 'Slimer! Hey buddy, I haven't seen you since 1992.' To which his reply would be 'BLEAGGHwugwug' because he's Slimer.
Looking back on it, however, I think my youthful haunted house interpretation is entirely valid, and the eerieness of the guitarwork lends itself to such a supernatural context. Let's do a close reading of the lyrics together, shall we?
The song begins, 'On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair / Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air.' So far, this seems just like any other Eagles song, as it contains two of their recurring themes:
1. 'Hey, we're from the Southwest.'
2. 'I would like some drugs, please.'
However, the narrator then sees a 'shimmering light' in the distance, which compels him to 'stop for the night.' Supernatural manipulation? Let's continue.
Upon arrival at the hotel, the narrator hears 'mission bells,' and a mysterious woman leads him by candlelight to his room. 'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell,' Henley sings, but because of the creepy imagery, I myself am sure this hotel could be nothing less than the infernal den of Mephisto himself. Indeed, there are ghostly 'voices down the corridor' singing, 'Welcome to the Hotel California.' Clearly, the narrator is being welcomed by the souls of the damned into a haunted house from which he will never escape! Run, Henley, run!
Later, there is a reference to 'mirrors on the ceiling,' which I also misinterpreted as a child. Not knowing why any living soul would want such a thing, I thought perhaps ghosts might like to have mirrors on the ceiling so they could watch themselves fly.
Then: 'In the master's chambers, they gather for the feast / They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast.' Inescapably, visions of a demon turkey coming to life and trying to eat the diners in an ironic turnabout spring to mind.
The narrator now tries to escape but is stopped by 'the nightman,' who says he is 'programmed to receive.' 'Programmed'? Not only does this house have ghosts, it has an evil robot, too! Maybe it's even the ghost of a robot, like Starscream in 'Transformers.' Regardless, Henley is told, 'You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.'
And the wailing multiple-guitar solo which ensues tells us our hapless narrator will forever be trapped in this haunted house. It may not be what The Eagles intended, but this fanciful interpretation is what I will always feel in my heart.
