Hotel California
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 face)
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
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 face)
They livin’ it up at the Hotel California
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.
I went through this article - I Thought is worth sharing
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Growing up during the 80s, one was subjected to alot of contraversial stuff, from backwards masking to hidden meanings in songs and what they really meant. I went to a christian school during my first 2 years of highschool and listened to many speaches that were given concerning rock and roll music as a medium for satanic and other occults teachings. I did remember that one of the sessions said that the Eagles song Hotel California was a song dedicated to a hotel brothel where people were converted and worshiped satan.
https://geocities.com/backmasking_2000/heavymetal.html
".One of the top songs of the 70’s was "Hotel California" by the Eagles. Most people have no idea the song refers to the Church of Satan, which happens to be located in a converted HOTEL on CALIFORNIA street!?Some of the lyrics: "And in the master’s chambers, They are gathered for the feast, They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can’t kill the beast." Inside the album, looking down on the festivities, is none other than Anton Lavey, the founder of the Church of Satan and author of the Satanic Bible!?The Eagles manager, Larry Salter, admitted in the Waco Tribune-Herald, (Feb. 28, 1982) that the Eagles were involved with the Church of Satan! Not surprisingly, one of the Eagles’s songs is titled "Have A Good Day in Hell."{ and of corse. album title?Hell frezze Over}."
Then it was thought that the Hotel California was actually in Todos Santos where it was also called "The mission". This website dispells that rumor.
https://todossantos-baja.com/todos-santos/eagles/hotel-california.htm
".The hotel has had different names, that much is certain. Some say it was the Hotel California for a long time and then, in the late 70’s early 80’s, the Hotel Mission Todos Santos and then the Hotel California once again. Professor Nestor, of the Centro Cultural, used to have on display, a very old black and white photo of the hotel when it was called the Mission. Unfortunately the photo wasn’t dated and it is no longer on display.
A man in town claims to have started the rumor that became legend, in the early 80’s - and for purely selfish reasons. He says the town was so unknown, so lacking in tourists or business that he felt compelled to do something to stir things up. He was in the real estate business and there weren’t any buyers around to sell to. So he says he dreamed the "Eagles" thing up right out of thin air. There weren’t many takers for an urban legend either, but by the time the hotel’s infamous ex-manager signed his 10-year lease in the late 80’s, the legend had begun to grow. And this opportunistic manager had no qualms about furthering its reach. He told anyone who would listen that this indeed was the HOTEL CALIFORNIA. That the Eagles had stayed there. That Don Henley had written the song right here, while renting a room for$2/night, sleeping in a hammock. He knew because he claimed he had been here. And to further the effect, he blared the song over his barroom stereo into the streets. Why it had to be true, didn’t it?."
If I find out anything more I will add it on to this post
Unquote
Then I went to some site which had this -
Qoute -
"Satan!
If the lyrics aren’t enough, there are also rumors that The Church of Satan was founded in California, and that its leader was somehow affiliated with The Eagles. A typical assertion: "One of the top songs of the 70’s was Hotel California by the Eagles. Most people have no idea the song refers to the Church of Satan, which happens to be located in a converted HOTEL on CALIFORNIA street! On the inside of the album cover, looking down on the festivities, is Anton Lavey, the founder of the Church of Satan and author of the Satanic Bible!"
Unqoute.
Argumentatives also come up with strong claims on observations like -
"The song IS about the church of Satan. I’ve also heard it played backwards, and it DOES say, "Satan organized his own religion". At one point the singer asks for wine. The response he gets is, "We haven’t had that spirit here since 1969". Wine is a symbol of the blood of Christ; 1969 was the year the satanic bible was released. It IS a satanic song. However, "colitas" does not refer to pot, but foxtail."
Claims about the cover of the album - "All I know is that when you open up the album cover and see the picture of the band in the lobby, there is a demon hanging on the railing.and on the back cover with the empty lobby there’s nothing there anymore." and also - "
Quoting:
i heard(not seen it myself) the image of Anton Szandor LaVey is some on the cover, just behind some pillar.
does anyone has the cd to check that?
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On the inside cover of the album you will see a party scene. Towards the top of the picture there are 3 windows; Lavey is in the middle window. "
Back Cover Image of the Lobby.