Why 1 of The Eagles Didn’t Want ‘Hotel California’ to Be a Single
The best classic rock is full of surprises. For example, Don Felder said he didn’t think The Eagles’ “Hotel California” could possibly become a hit. He revealed that a more famous member of the band insisted that “Hotel California” would become a single. Felder had strong feelings about the song’s ultimate reception.
Don Felder said only 3 types of songs became hits when The Eagles did ‘Hotel California’
During a 2013 interview with SongFacts, Felder discussed the formula of 1970s radio. “Your song had to be between three minutes and three minutes and thirty seconds long, and it had to be a dance track, a rock track, or a trippy ballad,” he said. “The introduction could only be 30 seconds long before the singer started, so the disc jockey didn’t have to speak so long.”
The classic rock star explained why “Hotel California” didn’t fit the bill. “‘Hotel California’ is six and a half minutes long,” he said. “The introduction to it is a minute long. You can’t really dance to it. It stops in the middle when the drums stop: ‘mirrors on the ceiling,’ that section, and it’s got a two-minute guitar solo on the end. It’s the complete wrong format.”
The Eagles’ Don Felder reflected on his opinions about the song
Felder recalled that the band’s frontman, Don Henley, insisted that the song should be a single. “So I said, ‘Don, I think you’re wrong. I think that’s a mistake. I don’t think we should put that out as a single. Maybe an FM cut, but not a single,'” Felder opined. “And he said, ‘Nope, that’s going to be our single.’ And I’ve never been so delighted to have been so wrong in my life. You just don’t know.”
“Hotel California” went on to have a massive impact on popular culture. It’s been covered by such luminaries as Nancy Sinatra, The Killers, and Gipsy Kings, whose cover appeared in the cult classic film The Big Lebowski. According to Rolling Stone, “Hotel California” was a big inspiration for Lana Del Rey’s music, particularly her song “Pretty When You Cry.”
‘Hotel California’ wasn’t the only No. 1 single from the album of the same name
“Hotel California” became a massive hit. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a single week. That’s a far cry from what Felder expected. The tune lasted on the chart for a total of 19 weeks.
“Hotel California” appeared on the album of the same title. The album Hotel California reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for eight weeks, lasting on the chart for 158 weeks in total. It remains the band’s most popular studio album.
Hotel California produced two other hit singles: “New Kid in Town” and “Life in the Fast Lane.” “New Kid in Town” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for one week and lasted on the chart for 15 weeks in total. Meanwhile, “Life in the Fast Lane” peaked at No. 11 and stayed on the chart for 14 weeks. Any record is lucky to produce a single No. 1 hit, but Hotel California gave us two No. 1 hits and another song that charted in the top 20.
“Hotel California” didn’t seem like the type of song that would take over the radio but it’s become a radio staple for barely 50 years.
