1 Lana Del Rey Song Rips Off The Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’
Lana Del Rey is no stranger to classic rock. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that she wrote a song derived from The Eagles’ “Hotel California.” The track might be a rip-off, but Del Rey seems to understand the dark soul of the tune that she ripped-off.
Lana Del Rey took the soundscape of The Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ in a similar direction
Listen to Del Rey’s music and you’ll hear lyrical references to Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Lou Reed, Carl Perkins, Bruce Springsteen Elton John, David Bowie, and many other icons of that old time rock ‘n’ roll. However, she rarely takes too much obvious instrumental inspiration from these rock gods.
However, there are exceptions to every rule. Del Rey’s ballad “Pretty When You Cry” has the same moderately paced Mexican music/reggae-rock sound as The Eagles’ “Hotel California.” Del Rey’s song is a lot shorter and slower, but you can’t listen to it without feeling like you are on a dark desert highway with cool wind in your hair.
An you know what, that’s OK. Del Rey wrote a new song that understood the dark sensuality of the original “Hotel California.” If she rewrote it to to be about one of the kiddie hotels in Walt Disney World, then there would have been a problem.
Why Lana Del Rey hasn’t covered The Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’
During a 2019 interview with the Los Angeles Times, the “Ride” singer said she considered covering The Eagles’ signature song. “It’d be so fun to do ‘Hotel California,'” she said. “It’s really hard to sing, though. You think you know it, and then seven minutes in, you’re like, ‘Oh, Jesus!'”
Del Rey seemed particularly drawn to covering songs related to the West Coast. “Somewhere in the back of my mind, I’ve been coordinating this concept covers album called Pacific Blue,” she revealed. “It would be a very low-key thing, like acoustic Beach Boys stuff, Elvis, Chris Isaak. People usually think your career is over when you record a covers album or a Christmas album. But my musician friends and I are always playing covers. We could probably do that album in a week.”
Del Rey further revealed she was interested in working with the frontman of The Eagles. “I wanted Don Henley to be a guest at the Bowl show, but I think he’s in Texas,” she said. “Also, it’s Don Henley.”
Lana Del Rey’s ‘Pretty When You Cry’ was part of a major album
“Pretty When You Cry” was never a single and it never charted on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune appeared on the record Ultraviolence. The album peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a single week, becoming Del Rey’s first chart-topper. That record lasted on the chart for 55 weeks.
Ultraviolence produced four singles: “West Coast,” “Shades of Cool,” “Ultraviolence,” and “Brooklyn Baby.” “West Coast” became one of Del Rey’s biggest hits, peaking at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sending two weeks on the chart. “Shades of Cool” and “Ultraviolence” became minor hits, while “Brooklyn Baby” did not chart at all. For an album by an indie singer, Ultraviolence was a hit machine.
“Pretty When You Cry” might be derivative, but it’s still part of Del Rey’s masterpieces.
