HOTEL CALIFORNIA
The Eagles
| Bm | F# |
| On a dark desert highway, | cool wind in my hair |
| A | E |
| Warm smell of colitas, | rising through the air |
| G | D |
| Up ahead in the distance, | I saw a shimmering light |
| Em | F# |
| My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim, | I had to stop for the night |
| Bm | F# |
| There she stood in the doorway, | I heard the mission bell |
| A | E |
| And I was thinking to myself: this could be | heaven or this could be hell |
| G | D |
| Then she lit up a candle | and she showed me the way |
| Em | F# |
| There were voices down the corridor; | I thought I heard them say: |
| G | D |
| Welcome to the Hotel Cali | fornia |
| F# | Bm | |
| Such a | lovely place (such a lovely place), such a | lovely face |
| G | D |
| Plenty of room at the Hotel Cali | fornia |
| Em | F# | |
| Any | time of year (any time of year), you can | find it here |
| Bm | F# |
| Her mind is Tiffany twisted, she got the | Mercedes Benz |
| A | E |
| She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, | that she calls friends |
| G | D |
| How they dance in the courtyard, | sweet summer sweat |
| Em | F# |
| Some dance to remember, | some dance to forget |
| Bm | F# |
| So I called up the captain, | ”Please bring me my wine”, He said |
| A | E |
| ”We haven’t had that spirit here since | nineteen sixty-nine” |
| G | D |
| And still those voices are calling from | far away |
| Em | F# |
| Wake you up in the middle of the night, | just to hear them say: |
(Chorus)
| Bm | F# |
| Mirrors on the ceiling, | the pink champagne on ice, and she said |
| A | E |
| ”We are all just prisoners here, | of our own device” |
| G | D |
| And in the master’s chambers, | they gathered for the feast |
| Em | F# |
| They stab it with their steely knives | but they just can’t kill the beast |
| Bm | F# |
| Last thing I remember, I was | running for the door |
| A | E |
| I had to find the passage back to | the place I was before |
| G | D |
| ”Relax,” said the night man, “We are | programmed to receive |
| Em | F# |
| You can check out any time you like, | but you can never leave” |
Hotel California is the title track from the Eagles’ album of the same name and was released as a single in February 1977. Writing credits for the song are shared by Don Felder (music), Don Henley, and Glenn Frey (lyrics).
The song is considered the most famous recording by the band, and its long guitar coda has been voted the best guitar solo of all time by readers of Guitarist in 1998. Hotel California is also one of the most famous song written in the key of Bm (D)
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