You can almost count on there being an Eagles song playing on a radio station if you flip through your car stereo at any given time. They’re still on such a constant rotation today that you could practically set your watch by it. What’s the first song you’d guess would come up when you flipped to the local classic rock station? “Take It Easy”? “One Of These Nights?”
For me, it’s almost always “Hotel California,” which I’ve grown to hate at times. Too much of any good thing gets old. On the rare occasions I go down a dad rock rabbit hole, I end up watching old Eagles live shows and am reminded how much they ripped in their heyday.
The Eagles are still a touring band, which baffles me. I’d like to think that after being in one of the most successful music acts in North America for the last 50 or so years, it would be enough for me to hang up my hat and consider it a job well done, but these old rockers seem to want to ride the tour bus until the damn wheels fall off. I respect it, even if I don’t understand it. Maybe when you have the “juice” the way the Eagles have, you’d play until you dropped dead on stage.
Formed in 1971, the Eagles started as Linda Ronstadt’s touring and studio band, laying down tracks for her 1972 album before branching out. The original lineup: Glenn Frey (guitar/vocals), Don Henley (drums/vocals), Bernie Leadon (guitar/vocals), and Randy Meisner (bass/vocals), delivered some of the most beautifully recognizable tunes and “white dude” harmonies of the 1970s, or maybe of all time.
After various lineup changes, three albums (including their first number one), and several hits, they added guitarist Joe Walsh and prepared their fourth and fifth albums: “Greatest Hits 1971-1975” and “Hotel California.” Issuing a greatest hits album so early on in a band’s career, but record labels are concerned about quarterly earnings over artistic fulfillment for a band most of the time. Don Henley would express his disappointment in having to chop up previous records to piece together an album of out-of-context hits, saying, “They (their record label) didn’t give a shit about whether the greatest hits album was good or not, they just wanted product.”
It’s a tale as old as the industry: the band clashing with their financiers. Despite this, the delay gave them more time to work on “Hotel California,” released in December 1976.
The album was an instant success, charting well and earning two Grammys in 1977 for the title track and “New Kid in Town.” It nearly won album of the year, but Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumors” edged it out. Still, “Hotel California” became one of the best-selling albums ever—26 times platinum, their second most successful record after the same year’s Greatest Hits. The irony is clear.
The title track was an epic 6-plus-minute song, with music arranged by guitarist Don Felder and the vocals and lyrics tag-teamed by Glenn Frey and Don Henley. Though the song is one of the most recognizable “easy listening” songs of all time, it has a moody sound and complex structure. Without getting too into the weeds, music-theory-wise, the chord structure and choices are not common to pop music, and the key change from verses to the chorus transitions from a moody, emotional unease into a catchy and “happier” melody and chord structure in the choruses. Pretty much the song builds tension and gives the listener a sense of relief any time the chorus comes on, so even though it wasn’t super common for pop songs to exude this vibe, the formula proved to work well.
I think the best way to experience this song is to listen to, ideally to watch, a live performance of the song because it gives you a glimpse into the inner workings of what’s being played, but also a visual of its complexities. The YouTube video from their 1977 concert at the Capital Centre in Maryland is maybe the best example of the song. It’s about as close to an album recording being performed live to a tee as one can get. The boys are so dialed in with each other that if you close your eyes, it may as well just be the album itself coming out of your speakers.
It’s really interesting to watch the drummer of a band take lead vocals on a song like this as well. Just as watching Levon Helm front the band from behind the drums for The Band’s live show “The Last Waltz,” seeing Don Henley manning the mic from behind the skins, while coordinating the rhythms and changes of the song, is just awe-inspiring. It’s almost like watching someone rub their belly while patting their head, spinning plates, and riding a unicycle.
Now add all five members providing backup vocals and harmonies, nearly constant lead guitar from Don Felder, and the famous dual solo by Felder and Walsh—and you have one hell of a tune, overplayed or not.
Watching them go through the dynamic rollercoaster of the song’s ups and downs really places us, as listeners/viewers, directly into the story. It makes for a beautiful ride, and once we get to those dualing and harmonized guitar solos to round out the song, we are fully engulfed. Watching them all just jamming together at the end is by far my favorite part because they’re fully in the pocket and their chops are on full display.
It’s no surprise this video has over half a billion views —it’s become a legendary performance that really stands the test of time. Though I will almost always skip the song if it comes on the radio while I’m driving or riding in a car, I would have a really hard time skipping this video or being bummed if it came on.