Hotel California | Chords + Lyrics (capo 7)
Intro
||: Em | B7/D# | Dsus2 D5/A | A9/C# |
| C | G/B G | Am Am/E | B7 :||
Verse 1
| Em | B7/D# |
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair.
| Dsus2 D5/A | A9/C# |
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air.
| C | G/B G |
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light.
| Am Am/E | B7 |
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim, I had to stop for the night.
Verse 2
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.
Chorus 1
| C | G |
Welcome to the Hotel California.
| B7 | Em (E F# G A B) |
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place). Such a lovely face.
| C | G |
Plenty of room at the Hotel California.
| Am | B7 |
Any time of year (any time of year). You can find it here.
Verse 3
Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes Benz.
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.
Verse 4
So I called up the Captain, “Please, bring me my wine”.
He said, ‘We haven’t had that spirit here since, 1969″.
And still those voices are calling from far away.
Wake you up in the middle of the night, just to hear them say.
Chorus 2
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.
Verse 5
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.
Verse 6
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.
| Am Am/E | B7 N.C |
You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave”.
Solo
||: Em | B7/D# | Dsus2 D5/A | A9/C# |
| C | G/B G | Am Am/E | B7 :|| to fade
Hotel California Chords: Unlocking the Legendary Progressions
One of the most legendary guitar tracks of all time, the Eagles Hotel California is not played in the key of Bm like most people would have you believe, or at least, it’s not that simple.
To get it right, you need to think in Em, using a capo on fret 7. Once you try it, you will instantly hear how the chords “sound right.”
Several little details can only be described accurately using TAB, so if you want to get to that right now, here’s a link to that part of the lesson: Hotel California – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
In the TAB lesson, there’s the solo to look at as well, now we must remove the capo and think in Bm. Should you learn the original solo, you’ll get a great lesson on how to target chord notes.
I’ve transcribed the arpeggio part of the solo as this is the best part. But what’s even better is what we can learn from Hotel California‘s solo.
When you can see how the arpeggios follow the chords, you can start changing the shapes, and effectively map out the fretboard.
In the TAB lesson, you get a great arpeggio exercise, and play Hotel California‘s solo at the same time!
But let’s focus on how the chord progression moves in and out of the key in this Hotel California chords lesson.
Using a capo on fret 7, thinking in the key of Em, the first four bars of Hotel California are:
| Em | B7/D# | Dsus2 D5/A | A9/C# |
That’s chord VI – IIIx/3. Classical musicians would call the IIIx a mediant major, the most common variation we have, it leans more heavily towards chord VI. Although in Hotel California, we are moving the other way, from VI – IIIx.
The third bar is chord V, but without a 3rd (Dsus2), then with its 5th in the bass (D5/A).
The last chord is almost a C#dim7, only one note differs, which means we have to call it a IIx/3. That’s the II chord, which is major, with that 3rd in the bass (A9/C#).
Usually, this type of chord goes up to V. In Hotel California, we go down to the IV chord instead.
Hotel California Chords: Understanding the Key Shifts and Progressions (Continued)
Here’s the (much simpler) 2nd line of Hotel California‘s verse chords:
| C | G/B G | Am Am/E | B7 |
Starting on chord IV, we go back to chord I using its 3rd in the bass first. Am and Am/E is chord II, now diatonic, not turned into a major. We finish on that mediant major again, or as I prefer to call it, the IIIx.
The chorus is more straightforward, now we’re in the key of G, not Em anymore (compare this with Roxanne). Here’s the first line:
| C | G | B7 | Em (E F# G A B) |
We start on chord IV, making it feel as if we’re taking off harmonically, then go back to chord I. As this is bar two, we don’t feel rested or fully resolved.
The last two bars are as if in the key of Em again, using that IIIx chord to VI. Here’s the 2nd line.
| C | G | Am | B7 |
Start in the same way, and finish on chords II – IIIx. That last B7 sets us up for the verse again in the key of Em.
Here’s a Hotel California chord chart I made for you, this will be useful, especially after you’ve learned the TAB and understood the solo!
Hotel California Chord Chart | PDF + i Real Pro
Perhaps it looks surprisingly easy, that chord chart, but that really is all there is to it. Well, until the solo, when you have to take the capo off and think in a different key, that is!
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Hotel California chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Hotel California chord chart iReal Pro.
Using this and the iReal Pro app, you can change the key, which is necessary as soon as the solo starts and the capo is off!
Hotel California has the greatest guitar solo of all time!
Voted to have the best guitar solo of all time by Guitarist Magazine‘s readers, Hotel California began as an instrumental.
For every album, Don Felder would submit instrumental demos for Henley and Frey to write lyrics and melodies. This is how Hotel California started, with the working title Mexican Reggae.
Many of the original guitar ideas were kept for the epic guitar solo at the end of the tune.
Driving from their Malibu homes into Los Angeles at night, the inspiration for the lyrics came to Henley and Frey to write about the complex world of California fame.
What the lyrics really mean (is it about rehab?) has been discussed endlessly by fans and journalists since its release in 1977, the band themselves claiming it to be their interpretation of Los Angeles high life.
Leaving lyrics open to interpretation can be a great trick, as the listener can find their own individual meaning.
Hotel California Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Hotel California (Eagles) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: