Why The Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ Was Almost Named ‘Mexican Reggae’
Not a lot of reggae sounds like Mexican music. However, Don Henley connected the two genres when he heard an early version of The Eagles’ “Hotel California” and called it “Mexican Reggae.” Here’s a look at the story behind one of the best songs of the 1970s.
How a beautiful day in Malibu birthed The Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’
Don Felder is a member of The Eagles who co-wrote “Hotel California” alongside Henley and Glenn Frey. During a 2018 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Felder gave fans insight into the creation of his band’s masterpiece. “I had rented a little beach house out in Malibu, and I was sitting on a couch with a pair of cut-off jeans and my kids were playing in the sand out in the front,” Felder recalled. “It was, I think, July or something, it was a beautiful Southern California day with the sun kind of sparkling on the water. I had a 12-string guitar and I was just, like, kicking around with it, looking for ideas and picking and kind of goofing around — and I came across that introduction to ‘Hotel,’ that chord progression.”
Afterward, Felder added a drum machine and guitar riffs to the instrumental before giving the altered recording to his bandmates to see if they liked any part of it. “So, Henley came back and said he really liked that song and I think he kind of nicknamed it ‘Mexican Reggae,'” he added. “And I went, ‘Oh, OK. ‘Mexican Reggae.’ That sounds good to me. So, Henley came up with the idea of ‘Hotel California’ and just did a masterful job, I think, of providing the lyrics to that song.”
The Eagles’ Don Felder connected the song to a real place
During a 2013 interview with SongFacts, Felder had a slightly different recollection of events. In that interview, he said that the title of the song was never “Mexican Reggae.” Instead, he remembered Henley respeconding to the instrumental by saying “I like that song that sounds like a Mexican reggae.”
Afterward, Henley came up with the idea of a place called the Hotel California. The hotel was entirely fictitious, though Felder connected it to The Beverly Hills Hotel. The Beverly Hills Hotel is famous for hosting major celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra. A photo of the place is one the cover of the album Hotel California, making The Beverly Hills Hotel an eternal part of classic rock history as well as Hollywood history.
‘Hotel California’ was of the band’s 5 chart-toppers
“Hotel California” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a single week and stayed on the chart for 19 weeks in total. It was one of five No. 1 singles by The Eagles. The others were “Best of My Love,” “One of These Nights,” “Heartache Tonight,” and “New Kid in Town.”
“Hotel California” appeared on the album of the same name. The record Hotel California was No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for eight weeks. Hotel California charted for 158 weeks in total, making it the band’s most popular studio album. The Beverly Hills Hotel will be famous for that album cover alone.
Whether or not “Hotel California” was once called “Mexican Reggae,” it’s a perfect song.
