49 Years Ago Today, the Eagles Took “Hotel California” to No. 1—and Cemented One of Rock’s Greatest Songs Ever

Deciding to ditch the most overtly country aspects of their music, the Eagles brought guitarist Don Felder aboard in 1974 in hopes of pivoting to a more rock-oriented sound. Two years later, Felder designed the medley for one of the most beloved rock songs of all time, “Hotel California”. On this day (May 7) in 1977, that song topped the all-genre Hot 100.

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The Eagles had already tasted fame by the time they released Hotel California, their fifth studio album, in December 1976.

The LP’s predecessor, One of These Nights, had topped the albums chart and spawned three Top 5 singles: the title track (No. 1); “Lyin’ Eyes” (No. 2); and “Take It to the Limit” (No. 4). “Hotel California” was a reaction to that sudden international fame.

“When you get into the Hotel California and you have a hit, you’re the new kid in town, and then once you have a great deal of success in the business, you start living life in the fast lane,” Don Felder told Music Row in 2023. “Every once in a while, you start to go, ‘Is this all a bunch of wasted time, all the years we’ve sat in bars and turned into parties?’ So the concept came out of that framework.”

Don Felder Had Low Expectations For This Eagles Classic

While Felder composed the music, co-frontmen Don Henley and Glenn Frey penned the lyrics. After the band played “Hotel California” for their label, Asylum Records, at a Los Angeles playback party, Henley turned to his fellow Eagles and declared it their next single.

Felder was not convinced. “Hotel California is six minutes, the intro is a minute long, it stops in the middle with no drums, and you’ve got a two-minute guitar solo at the end. It’s the absolute wrong format for a single,” he explained. “So I said, ‘Don, I don’t think we can do that.’ But he said, ‘Nope. That’s going to be our single!’”

[RELATED: 3 Iconic Songs That Eagles Didn’t Think Would Become Hits]

Released in February 1977, “Hotel California” eventually sold more than a million copies. In 1978, it won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

“I’ve never been so delighted to have been wrong in my whole life,” laughed Felder, now 78.

Featured image by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns