Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ Was Supposed to Feel Like These Classic Movies
The best classic rock songs often took inspiration from unexpected sources. For example, Eagles’ “Hotel California” was supposed to feel like a number of classic movies. The 1970s band Steely Dan also helped inspire the track.
Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ is based on a cult classic movie
During a 2003 interview with The Uncool, Eagles’ Don Henley discussed the main character of “Hotel California.” “We take this guy and make him like a character in The Magus, where every time he walks through a door, there’s a new version of reality,” he said. The Magus was a surreal novel adapted into a cult classic movie in 1968.
Henley discussed some of the song’s other cinematic ambitions. “We wanted to write a song just like it was a movie,” the “Boys of Summer” singer recalled. “This guy is driving across the desert. He’s tired. He’s smokin’. Comes up over a hill, sees some lights, pulls in. First thing he sees is a really strange guy at the front door, welcoming him: ‘Come on in.'”
The amazing movie director who inspired Eagles
Henley went on to compare the song’s story to movies by Federico Fellini, an arthouse director who was known for dabbling in surrealism and metafiction. “Walks in, and then it becomes Fellini-esque — strange women, effeminate men, shadowy corridors, disembodied voices, debauchery, illusion,” Henley said. “Weirdness.” When “Hotel California” came out in 1976, Fellini was one of the rare directors who was also a celebrity, so much so that his name was worked into the titles of some of his movies.
Henley and company wanted the track to be novel in Eagles’ discography. “So we thought, ‘Let’s really take some chances. Let’s try to write in a way that we’ve never written before,'” he revealed. “Steely Dan inspired us because of their lyrical bravery and willingness to go ‘out there.’ So, for us, ‘Hotel California’ was about thinking and writing outside the box.”
‘Hotel California’ owned the 1970s and it owns the radio now
“Hotel California” was No. 1 for one of its 19 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune was the title track of the album Hotel California. That record topped the Billboard 200 for eight weeks, lasting on the Billboard 200 for 158 weeks in total. Hotel California remains Eagles’ most popular studio album in the United States.
The album Hotel California produced two more hit singles. “New Kid in Town” was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week and remained on the chart for 15 weeks altogether. Meanwhile, “Life in the Fast Lane” peaked at No. 11 and charted for 14 weeks.
At this point, “Hotel California” is the one Eagles song that everybody seems to know. Perhaps that’s simply because of its quality. Perhaps it might be because the song combines several genres (Mexican music, rock, reggae) in order to have a massive crossover appeal. Or maybe the song connects with people because it has a narrative that draws from the best of The Magus and Fellini. Few pop songs have complete narratives, and “Hotel California”‘s storyline is superb.
“Hotel California” is a classic rock song and it was inspired by some classic arthouse movies.
