Don Felder was The Eagles’ guitarist for decades. He was there for quite a few magical moments in the band. He was also there for more than a few chaotic, not-so-magical moments. Though he was later fired from the band in 2001, he was indeed present for the big moment when Hotel California and its hit title track exploded in 1977. He was a big part of it, considering he co-wrote the song.
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Naturally, it’s not exactly easy for any musician to pinpoint when a hit is going to happen. For Don Felder, though, he didn’t even realize that “Hotel California” was as historically important as it is today until the 2010s.
Don Felder said that
In an interview from a few years back with Ultimate Classic Rock, Don Felder said that he did indeed know that “Hotel California” was a big deal the moment it was released. However, in terms of the song’s impact on listeners, he didn’t realize that it was as powerful as it is until around 2013.
According to Felder, the realization that “Hotel California” had become so historically and culturally significant came during a performance at the United Nations in New York City. He was performing in front of an audience of hundreds of people from different nations and countries around the globe. There were plenty of people in attendance, many of whom didn’t even speak or understand English. Felder was apprehensive about whipping his former band’s hit out. He worried that it was an American hit that few outside of the country would know.
Apparently, he was quite wrong about that. Within seconds of the song’s start, the crowd was singing along perfectly.
“I’m playing for this audience, and I hope they could understand the lyrics and the song,” said Felder. “So when I get to ‘Hotel California’, everybody in the crowd is singing along, they knew every lyric to this song. ‘Wow, guys in parts of the world who don’t even speak English know this song.’ It was an awakening for me about the global impact that the song has had over the years. Forty years later, it’s still going along.”
I suppose I can understand Felder’s surprise at the global longevity of “Hotel California”. But I don’t find it surprising at all. It has sold millions of copies, is still heavily streamed today, and contains what many believe to be one of the greatest guitar solos of all time. I’m sure Felder is quite proud of that.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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