LIST: 50 Best Singles Released Since 1971 #13

13. “Hotel California,” The Eagles, 1977

Not unlike Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski, I hate the fuckin’ Eagles, man. However, the epic, dreamlike, poetic power of this poison love-letter to Southern California cannot be denied. Divorced from everything you may love or hate about the Eagles, it’s still a hell of a song (confession: so is “Life in the Fast Lane”). I’m not alone in loving “Hotel California”: Rolling Stone put it at #49 of their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.

Regardless of how you feel about the 70’s So-Cal rock sound, or the solo careers, ranging in quality from okay to terrible, of the individual Eagles, this song kicks your ass, junior.

Favorite Lyric: “They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can’t kill the beast.”

Favorite Musical Moment: Why, the mournful, duelling guitar breakdown that caps the song off, of course. Something about it speaks of the sad resignation of the song’s protagonist, stuck forever in the bleak hell of California.

Would It Make Good Karoaoke? Yes, but you’re going to get all awkward and twitchy during the instrumental parts. It’s probably best to just give it a miss.