hotel california
Released: December 25, 1976
Recorded at Criteria Studios, Miami, and the Record Plant, Los Angeles
Produced by Bill Szymczyk

Hotel California :: New Kid in Town :: Life in the Fast Lane :: Wasted Time :: Victim of Love :: Pretty Maids All in a Row :: Try and Love Again :: The Last Resort

 

Lyrics and information typed by Becky Rockwell


The Eagles are:
Glenn Frey: vocals, guitar, keyboards
Don Henley: vocals, drums, percussion
Don Felder: vocals, guitar, slide guitar
Joe Walsh: vocals, guitar, keyboards
Randy Meisner: vocals, bass, guitarone

TRACK ONE: HOTEL CALIFORNIA
Written by Don Felder, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey
Lead Vocal: Don Henley
1st and 3rd Guitar Solos: Don Felder
2nd Guitar Solo: Joe Walsh
End Solos by Don Felder and Joe Walsh
Percussion: Don Henley

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dimmer
I had to stop for the night.

There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself
'This could be heaven or this could be Hell'
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face.
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (any time of year) you can find it here

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget

So I called up the Captain,
'Please bring me my wine'
He said, 'we haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty-nine'
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face.
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise), bring your alibis

Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said, 'we are all just prisoners here, of our own device'
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast

Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
'Relax' said the night man,
'We are programmed to receive.
You can check out any time you like,
But you can never leave!

(guitar solos)

TRACK TWO: NEW KID IN TOWN
Written by John David Souther, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey
Lead Vocal: Glenn Frey
Guitarone: Randy Meisner
Electric guitars: Don Felder
Electric piano and organ: Joe Walsh

There's talk on the street, it sounds so familiar
Great expectations, everybody's watching you.
People you meet, they all seem to know you.
Even your old friends treat you like you're somethin' new.

CHORUS:
Johnny come lately
The new kid in town
Everybody loves you
So don't let them down.

There's so many things
You should have told her
But night after night
You're willing to hold her
Just hold her
Tears on your shoulder

There's talk on the street, it's there to remind you
It doesn't really matter which side you're on
You're walkin' away and they're talkin' behind you
They will never forget you 'til somebody new comes along

Where you been lately?
There's a new kid in town
Everybody loves him (don't they?)
Now he's holdin' her and you're still around

There's a new kid in town
just another new kid in town
Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new kid in town
Everybody's walkin' (Like the new kid in town)
There's a new kid in town (I don't wanna hear it).

TRACK THREE: LIFE IN THE FAST LANE
Written by Joe Walsh, Don Henley and Glenn Frey
Lead Vocal: Don Henley
Lead Guitar: Joe Walsh
Clavinet: Glenn Frey

He was a hardheaded man he was brutally handsome
And she was terminally pretty.
She held him up and he held her for ransom
In the heart of the cold, cold city.
He had a nasty reputation as a cruel dude
She said he was ruthless said he was crude.
They had one thing in common: they were good in bed
She say, "faster, faster, the lights are turnin' red,"

Life in the fast lane surely make you lose your mind
Life in the fast lane

Eager for action, hot for the game
The coming attraction, the drop of a name
They knew all the right people, they took all the right pills
They threw outrageous parties, they paid heavily bills
There were lines on the mirror, lines on her face
She pretended not to notice she was caught up in a race
Out every evenin' until it was light
He was too tired to make it she was too tired to fight about it

Life in the fast line surely made you lose you mind
Life in the fast lane everything all the time
Life in the fast lane, uh-huh

Blowin' and burnin,' blinded by thirst
They didn't see the stop sign,
Took a turn for the worse
She said "Listen, baby, you can hear the engine ring
We've been up and down this highway, haven't seen a goddamn thing."
He said, "call the doctor, I think I'm gonna crash.."
"The doctor say he's comin' but you gotta pay in cash."
They went rushin' down that freeway messed around and got lost
They didn't know they' were just dyin' to get off and it was-

Life in the fast lane surely make you lose your mind
Life in the fast lane Unh Life in the fast lane everything all the time
Life in the fast lane uh-huh

TRACK FOUR: WASTED TIME
Written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey
Lead Vocal: Don Henley
Piano: Glenn Frey
Guitar: Don Felder
Organ: Joe Walsh

Well, baby, there you stand.
With your little head down in your hands.
Oh, my God, you can't believe It's happening again
Your baby's gone and you're all alone and it looks like the end
You're back out on the street snd you're trying to remember
How do you start it over? You don't know if you can.
You don't care much for a stranger's touch but you can't hold your man
You never thought you'd be alone this far down the line
And I know what's been on your mind You're afraid it's all been wasted time

The autumn leaves have got you thinkin' about the first time that you fell
You didn't love the boy too much, no no, you just loved the boy too well
So you live from day to day, and you dream about tomorrow
And the hours go by like minutes, and the shadows come to stay
So you take a little somethin' to make them go away
I could 've done so many things, baby if I could only stop my mind
From wonderin' what I left behind, and from worryin' about this wasted time

Another love has come and gone and the years keep rushin' on
I remember what you told me before you went out on your own
"Sometimes to keep it together, we got to leave it alone."
So you can get on with your search, baby, and I can get on with mine
And maybe someday we will find that it wasn't really wasted time.

TRACK FIVE: WASTED TIME (REPRISE)
Instrumental
Written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Jim Ed Norman
Strings arranged and conducted by Jim Ed Norman

TRACK SIX: VICTIM OF LOVE
Written by Don Felder, Don Henley, J.D. Souther and Glenn Frey
Lead Vocal: Don Henley
Lead Guitar: Don Felder
Slide Guitar: Joe Walsh

What kind of love love have you got ? You should be home but you're not
A room full of noise and dangerous boys still make you thirsty and hot
I heard about you and that man
There's just one thing I don't understand:
You say he's a liar and he put out your fire
How come you still got his gun in your hand ?
Victim of love, I see a broken heart
You got your stories to tell
Victim of love, it's such an easy part
And you know how to play it so well.
Some people never come clean
I think you know what I mean
You're walking the wire of pain and desire
Lookin' for love in between.
Tell me your secrets I'll tell you mine
This ain't no time to be cool
So tell all your girl friends, your 'been-around-the-world-friends
That talk is for losers and fools
Victim of love, I see a broken heart
And I could be wrong but I'm not
Victim of love, we're not so far apart
Show me, what kind of love have you got

TRACK SEVEN: PRETTY MAIDS ALL IN A ROW
Written by Joe Walsh and Joe Vitale
Lead Vocal: Joe Walsh
Piano: Joe Walsh
Synthesizer: Joe Walsh and Glenn Frey

Hi there, how are ya ? It's been a long time
Seems like we've come a long way
My, but we learn so slow And heroes they come and they go
And leave us behind As if we're s'posed to know-why
Why do we give up our hearts to the past ?
And why must we grown up so fast ?
And all you wishing-well fools with your fortunes
Someone should send you a rose With love from a friend
It's nice to hear from you again And the storybooks comes to a close
Gone are the ribbons and bows
Things to remember, places to go
And pretty maids all in a row


TRACK EIGHT: TRY AND LOVE AGAIN
Written by Randy Meisner
Lead Vocal: Randy Meisner
Lead Guitar: Glenn Frey
Gretsch guitar: Joe Walsh

When your' out there on your own
Where your memories can find you
Like a circle goes around
You were lost until you found out
What it all comes down to
One by one the lonely feelings come
Day by day they slowly fade away
Ooh, the look was in her eyes
You never know what might be found there
She was dancin' right in time
And the moves she made so fine
Like the music that surrounds her
Should I stay or go ? I really want to know
Would I lose or win
If I try and love again
Oh gonna try and love again
Oh gonna try and love again
Oh gonna try and love again
Right or wrong what's done is done
It's only moments that we borrow
But the thoughts will linger on
Of the lady and her song
When the sun comes up tomorrow
Well it might take years
To see through all these tears
Don't let go, when you find it you will know
Oh gonna try and love again
Oh gonna try and love again
Oh gonna try and love again

TRACK NINE: THE LAST RESORT
Written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey
Lead Vocal: Don Henley
Synthesizer: Joe Walsh and Don Henley
Pedal Steel Guitar: Don Felder

She came from Providence T
he one in Rhode Island
Where the old-world shadows hang
Heavy in the air
She packed her hopes and dreams
Like a refugee
Just as her father came
Across the sea

She heard about a place
People were smiling
They spoke about the red man's way
And how they loved the land
They came from everywhere
To the Great Divide
Seeking a place to stand
Or a place to hide

Down in the crowded bars
Out for a good time
Can't wait to tell you all
What it's like up there
They called it Paradise, I don't know why
Somebody laid the mountains low
While the town got high

Then the chilly winds blew down
Across the desert
Through the canyons of the coast
To the Malibu
Where the pretty people play
Hungry for power
To light their neon's way
And give 'em things to do
Some rich men came and raped the land
Nobody caught 'em
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus, people bought 'em
And they called it Paradise, "the place to be,"
They watched the hazy sun
Sinking in the sea

You can leave it all behind
And sail to Lahaina
Just like the missionaries did
So many years ago
They even brought a neon sign that said, "Jesus is coming"
They brought the white man's burden down
They brought the white man's reign
Who will provide the Grand Design ?
What is yours and what is mine ?
There is no more new frontier
We have got to make it here
We satisfy our endless needs,
And justify our bloody deeds,
In the name of Destiny
And in the name of God
And you can see them there
On Sunday morning
Stand up and sing about
What it's like up there
They call it Paradise, I don't know why
You call some place Paradise
Kiss it good-bye.