Eagles

Released: November 14, 2000

Songwriter: Don Felder Glenn Frey Don Henley

Producer: Bill Szymczyk Jay Oliver Mike Harlow

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 dim
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

one of the most popular and successful bands of all time. Originating in Los Angeles in 1971, its founding members were Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner. They saw the coming and going of various members, including Frey who passed away in 2016.

Eagles were a success from the start. Their eponymous debut album, Eagles (1972), saw three singles enter the Top 40: “Take It Easy”, “Witchy Woman”, and “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, reaching respective peaks of 12, 9, and 22.

At this point, however, the Eagles were just getting started. Their second album, Desperado (1973), featured two of their most popular songs of all “Tequila Sunrise” and title track “Desperado”. Additionally, the other songs were critically acclaimed for other reasons, such as Leadon’s performance on “Saturday Night”. You’d be wrong if you thought the Eagles were settling down after back-to-back triumphs. Their next album, On the Border (1974), had on it their first “Best of My Love”.

more tracks from the album

Selected Works: 1972–1999

From the albums

Selected Works: 1972–1999 (2000)
Farewell 1 Tour: Live from Melbourne (2005)

Eagles popular songs

Hotel California (Live Millennium Concert Version)Eagles

Eagles

Selected Works: 1972–1999