I finally managed to hook up with my good friends The Moons yesterday. They’ve been MIA for several months. Well, missing in MY action. They’ve had plenty of their own action. They’ve moved back down to Tacoma. Bad for me. But Mr. Moon is still working in Seattle. Mrs. Moon is now on bed rest, due to her second pregnancy. Bed rest is difficult at best when you are a stay at home mom of a 20 month old kid. Despite the fact that the second soon to be born Moon is a girl, they are still not considering Jodi as a name. What is up with that? It’s a great name!
So I was thinking about the song “Hotel California” by the Eagles this morning. Remember that one line in which Don Henly says “So I called up the Captain, ‘Please bring me my wine,’ He said we haven’t had that spirit here since 1969.” Do you think by “spirit” he was referring to the wine itself? As in Wine and Spirits? Because I always thought he was commenting that they have not had that kind of spunk, that kind of party spirit, until Don got there. Not since 1969. Thirty odd years and I’ve always thought this. This morning it occurred to me that I could be wrong. Of course, later they mention pink champagne on ice, so maybe I was right all along, and the Captain was just stoked to have Don’s drinking spirit amongst the guests.
I don’t know… I was just thinking… what do you guys think?
I have known the Hotel California lyrics since about 1999. And I must say, I have never perceived the word “spirit” the way you do. I always just assumed it referred to the wine, although I really like your interpretation. 🙂
Well, there are many theories about “colitas” – I’m sure others will track down the real one, but this was my favourite interpretation (blatantly copied from other websites):
‘posted to the Usenet by Thomas Dzubin of Vancouver, British Columbia: “There was this fireworks factory just three blocks from the Hotel California . . . and it blew up! Big tragedy. One of the workers was named Wurn Snell and he was from the town of Colitas in Greece. One of the workers who escaped the explosion talked to another guy . . . I think it was probably Don Henley . . . and Don asked what the guy saw. The worker said, “Wurn Snell of Colitas . . . rising up through the air.”‘
As for the spirit – I’m going the other way – “Wine” is actually Henley’s secret codeword for Johnny Walker Red – he didn’t want anyone to know he was into the hardstuff and the Wine refers to the red on the label…
I think that you are right. Because you are always right.
The first time I thought about it, “spirit” seemed like the ghosts of those who check out any time but never leave, the hedonistic 60s, etc.
But then I realized it could also mean booze. And I figured it probably referred to both.
i always thought “that spirit” referred to the wine. they didn’t have the wine there anymore.
dunno.
I think that it means both.
i used to think the captain was talking about a ghost. spirt = ghost. because the next line talks about ‘voices’ that ‘are calling from far way’. and ghosts are far away. but now i think he’s just talking about the liquor.
wow. i never even considered ghosts! i really just thought the Captain approved of Don’s party spirit. “Right on! I’ll bring you some wine! This is excellent. You know… we haven’t had this kind of spirit since, oh, 19969! At least. Awesome!”
cam, that’s a pretty darn good explanation of colitas! i’m not even going to look into it anymore, i am just going to go with that one.
We are going to have PLENTY of spirit, of all three kinds, at the hotel washington, let me tell you what.
Being late as usual to the discussion, I always thought it was humanity, free will, fun-lovey, freaky style kind of “spirit”. Glad to know that it could have been some scotch 🙂
Huh..I always thought he was talking about the wine… as in whatever vintage Don was asking for hadn’t been stocked for awhile… never even crossed my mind that they could have been referring to the ‘partying’ spirit….
I assumed Don asked for his “wine”, Johnny Walker Red, and the Captain meant the spirit of a man named “Johnny Walker” hadn’t been there since 1969, a play on words that have double (or more) meaning. I just thought the ghosts of Hotel California were playing mind games with poor old Don, akin to the asshole who replied, “Does anyone really know what time it is?”
while i still think it *mostly* refers to the wine, i do also think it had something to do with the ghosts…being a little bit of word play. spirt=ghost.
but that other stuff is interesting. didn’t know anything about the johnny walker red and colitas stuff.
Here’s something I found on “Colitas”. Sounds about right to me:
[quote]It seems to translate as “little tips” or “buds” – presumably of the
marijuana plant (Cannabis sativa) – where the tetrahydrocannabinol is most
concentrated.[/quote]
I always felt “Hotel California” was about being trapped; trapped in a lifestyle, in a state of mind, in a self fullfiling prophecy. It’s being stuck in the world you always thought you wanted and now you can’t escape. Very Twilight Zone. And Meta.
The actual lyrics seem like a story about a guy driving in the desert who stops at a place and it’s really between dimensions. He’s stuck in a place that exists out of time and out his original dimension and there’s no getting out. He’s stuck in a loop with the same people, acting out the same scenarios over and over. It could be the amount of science fiction I grew up reading science fiction that makes me think of the song in these terms.
It’s not quite “American Pie” in references, but there is some nice imagery there.
And I think spirits means both alcohol and disembodied energy.
Ahhh, interpretation of Hotel California. Which, oddly enough, I’ve heard three or four times in the last week.
you know, i’ve always loved this song. and i can sing along with it pretty well. but i just never really thought about the lyrics.
Hi Jodiferous, I am a Jodi too! and proud of it. I just stumbled onto your site today and I’m still trying to get a clue about your world. so far so good. I figured now’s a good time as any to jump in and give a shout. Everybody’s got an opinion about hotel california, right? The song is about drugs their addictive draw right? I hope that I’m not way of base. So the whole “spirit” comment to me says that they could really party. drugs sex and rock and roll.
I just realized that i can’t post with your our name. So I’ll post with something, now.
I always figured it was spirit as in enthusiasm as well. Spunk — yes. Pluck. Later I came across the alcohol conundrum and liked that it could be used either way. That was when I started writing similar double meaning into most of my songs. Nothing is ever what it seems. Unless it is.
Funny, I was thinking about the Eagles and “Hotel California” over the past couple of days(and “Desperado” and “Life in the Fast Lane” and… but I digress).
Anyway, I was curious enough about just what they were saying (“warm smell of —” WHAT!?) so thought I’d search for the lyrics and find that it was something simple that I merely heard wrong. (“Colete gas” was one of my guesses, but that didn’t mean anything to me, either.)
So, I found your site while trying to determine the meaning, and I love the various explanations, especially the one about the marijuana tips or buds…Made sense to me.
The song itself has always made me uncomfortable because of its hopeless, trapped feeling — “We are programmed to receive…but you can never leave.” Definitely a combination of science fiction and horror.
Straight from the source… Eric SMS’d me from the Hotel California in Cabo, so I asked him. He asked the bartender. The bartender said it’s a Mexican marijuana cigarette.
Too bad we won’t see Eric again…
When I tried to find out what Colitas meant Google asked me did I mean Colitis. Hmmmm, I thought. maybe I do, but I really can’t imagine why anyone would want to sing about the warm smell of the infection in his large intestine!
In the context of “Hotel California”, “colitas” refers to the “little buds” at the end of a hemp (marijuana) plant. Happy Smoking!
spirit, i think, speaks of his spirit to party and enjoy… the song talks of a hopeless situation “Don’s character” has come to realize and ultimatley (in the end of the song) accept, ie; life itself. colitas, as far as i can find does “refer” (heh heh) to a certain wonderful little plant. Just one more reason why the Eagles kick ass.
According to the Eagles PR Management, Colitas is Spanish. It’s literal translation is “little tails” commonly translated as “little buds” and it refers to the tips of marijuana leaves. The tips are considered the most potent part of the leaf.
Sorry, but the Wurn theory is nothin but hot air, and it stinks… So I guess were stuck with the Warm Smell of Wurn Snell 🙂
i dont know to much about this song or any other song that isnt elvis or peter frampton. did the eagles later become the birds? any way a spirit is clearly a spirt of a man who died. maybe the song speaks of oven mits who cares!!! i just want to know if any one else eats their own pooh.
has any one figured out how to freeze their pooh and eat it later without causing freezer burn i eat my own pooh and i sure as hell eat your pooh too!!!
Maybe it’s my colitas-induced memory lapses playing tricks on me, but I seem to remember reading that the “spirit” line was a dig at CS&N becoming too enamored of the BigTime about 1969; hence, losing their hippie-proletarian “spirit.” Anyway, I think I heard that Still was pissed off by the line.
Öor maybe it was all a dream, and Bobby Ewing is just taking a year-long shower.