Joe Walsh and Don Felder Rewrote and Rerecorded This Part of “Hotel California” for Days

Far more than a handful of musicians have created the greatest tracks in music history in a complete flow state. Others, not so much, as they extensively worked on and worked on certain tracks until they were satisfied with their final product. If you are a creative type, then you know that “being satisfied” is a bit of a myth to an extent, as “finished work” seemingly doesn’t exist. One set of musicians who tirelessly labored over their work in this fashion was Don Felder and Joe Walsh on “Hotel California”.

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For a multitude of different reasons, The Eagles‘ most popular track of their career is “Hotel California”. Released in 1976, the track went on to peak at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and more importantly, became one of the most popular rock ‘n’ roll tracks of all time. The Eagles didn’t achieve this massive feat by simply putzing around the studio and throwing sounds together. Rather, they all worked diligently, especially Felder and Walsh, as they worked on one part of the song for days on end.

The Guitar Solos on “Hotel California” Took Days To Complete

In any artistic endeavor, there is no sure-fire way to know that the public is going to like one’s art. It’s simply impossible, but one can try to make what they personally believe is “the best.” Well, that is seemingly what The Eagles did on “Hotel California”, as they didn’t just throw some tracks down and call it quits. Instead, they recorded, rewrote, rerecorded, and repeated this cycle numerous times.

Concerning the effort put into “Hotel California”, Don Henley told Rolling Stone, “Rather than perfectionism, I like to refer to it as craftsmanship.” “Songwriting and recording are an art, but they are also a craft. Don and Joe sat down and worked on those solos for days. Then [producer] Bill Szymczyk and I did some editing on those solos. Then they relearned the parts after we edited them together, “added Henley.

Frey continued, “They’ll be pissed at me for saying this [laughs], but that wasn’t them just sitting down and spontaneously playing it in one take.” “That was weeks of work to get there. I’m not taking anything away. I have to give them props. They wrote those solos, worked over those harmony parts for days, then played them over and over again.”

Needless to say, this “craftsmanship” benefited the band immensely. Following the release and success of this iconic single, The Eagles became the unofficial rock band of the 1970s.

Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns