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Hotel California Literary Devices

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Words 796
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Ryan Stanley
May 28th, 2015
Art History period 4
Music as Art Essay
Hotel California – The Eagles Hotel California is a song created by the band, “The Eagles” in 1977. Members of the band include Don Fedler, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey. Don Henley is the lead vocalist on the original recording of the song and it ends with an extended section of electric guitar played by both Fedler and Frey. The meaning of the song has many different interpretations, such as a connection to Satanism, psychiatric hospitals, and cocaine addictions, while the members of the band claim that it is a depiction of their experience of “the high life” in Los Angeles. Through the lyrics, vocals, and music in the song Hotel California, it describes the excess of sex, …show more content…
In the beginning, the words of Hotel California explains a man who stays at a place called Hotel California, where he meets a woman who is more than a friend to him. As you analyze the lyrics further, it is apparent that the band uses certain literary devices that have clear connections to drug usage, which was common for music groups around the time. For example, a line from Hotel California says, “They stab it with their steely knives but they just can’t kill the beast”. This quote could be referring to the use of heroin where the knives are the needles and the beast is the corruption and addiction that is a result of the use of heroin. In the song, the lyrics also state, “and she said we are all just prisoners here of our own device”. This could be another quote connected to the use of drugs where the prisoners are the people trapped in the high life who are unable to escape the addiction they have created. It is apparent that in regards to other bands around their time using common symbolism of the use of drugs in their lyrics, that the Eagles, as they were creating the song, also were referring to their experience with narcotics and other mind altering …show more content…
However, all the fame and excitement comes with heartaches and missing home and a peaceful life. The sound and tone of the song convey the idea that the band is happy in the place that they are at. For example, during the chorus, when the lyrics say “Welcome to the hotel California. Such a lovely place. Such a lovely face”, it clearly states that they believe their location, California, is “lovely”. However, the lyrics also depict their sadness and how much they miss being at home when the lyrics state, “And still those voices are calling from far away. Wake you up in the middle of the night, just to hear them say”. The voices he speaks of are the family members back at home whom they miss very much. These lyrics can also connect back to drug usage when they say, “calling from far away” which could be drug addiction itself, and when they say, “wakes you up in the middle of the night” which could be the drugs either keeping them up at night or waking them up in the middle of the night due to a sort of mind alteration. Another interpretation of the lyrics could be that the Eagles can “check out” from California at any time but no matter what, the memories they have will stay around forever and will never be forgotten. The emotional connection they have with the place they are will never be forgotten

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