'Satanic' Hotel California : Are there some secrets we could never reveal ?

Written and released in the year 1977, Hotel California is the title track from the album with the same name. Probably one of the best rock songs of all times, this song brought The Eagles many awards, topping the charts for many weeks. Musically it has one of the best guitar solos, by lyrically this song has a lot more to say… Even though The Eagles claim that the song has just a plain meaning about the high lifestyle in LA back then in the 70s, but critics and fans have interpreted the song in many ways…

• Some say that the hotel is actually the Camarillo State Hospital (a mental hospital) in Ventura County between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

• Some say it’s a metaphor for cocaine & the effects of the drug, Hotel California = HC = High Cocaine. Colitas mentioned in the song is a Mexican slang for marijuana.

• Some say it’s about a brothel, and the woman in the song is a prostitute in that hotel who seduces the travelers and never lets them “leave”.

But, the most common and famous interpretation is that the hotel is actually the church of Satan established by Anton Lavey on June 6, 1966 (6-6-66!!!).

And this really made me think and do a little research on the song. Some say The Eagles were the followers of Lavey, well, that’s possible as Lavey advocated materialism and individualism. He did not worship Satan rather he referred Satan as a balancing factor in nature. Atheist Satanism patronizes self-worship and not worshipping the Devil. As quoted by heavy metal artist and Satanist Marilyn Manson “Satanism is not about ritual sacrifices, digging up graves and worshipping the devil. The devil doesn’t exist. Satanism is about worshipping yourself, because you are responsible for your own good and evil”.

In the 70s, just after the establishment of the Church of Satan, the members except for Lavey himself were mostly underground because of the fear of the Christian church. But they kept working on their religion. Mansion says “Music is the strongest form of magic”. And maybe The Eagles were Lavey’s workforce back then.

Now, back to the point, how is the song a Satanist one. Lets me point out some notable clues,

• Hotel California refers to the Church of Satan because it was established at California Street in San Francisco near 24^th Avenue. Lavey purchased an old Hotel and transformed it to the church and wrote his book “The Satanic Bible” there.

• The reference of Hell, “This could be heaven or this could be hell”.

• The guests in the Hotel are dancing, “some dance to remember, some dance to forget”. Satanists are stereotyped to dance naked!!

• In Christianity, wine is a holy drink, refers to Jesus’ blood. So when the protagonist asks the captain (Lavey for that matter) to give him some wine, he calmly replies that “we haven’t had that spirit here since nineteen sixty-nine”
  Naturally, the spirit is the Holy Spirit, Lavey published “The Satanic Bible” in 1969. So, after that the Holy Spirit never came back.

NOTE: 1969 – 969 – 666!!!

• The reference of Alibis, simply means Satan is everywhere watching you, or Satan is you yourself… that’s the basic statement of Laveyan Satanism, self-worshiping.

• “We are all prisoners here, of our own device”, the device is the body. We are all imprisoned in the human body and the ultimate aim of any religion is to get free from all worldly pain and suffering and leave the body. The soul wants to be free but is a prisoner of his own device (body).

• “They just can’t kill the beast”, the beast is Satan himself, the coming Antichrist. It says about the immense power he has got.

• And finally, the song ends with a warning to humankind. If you don’t follow the path of Satan then salvation is not your cup of tea. You can checkout anytime (die and end this life) but you can never leave (but you can’t escape the fate that Satan has in store for you). Moreover, the Church of Satan members take an oath that is binding even after their death, hence the lyrics "You can checkout at any time you like, but you can never leave".

Now, to support all these there are many direct clues that refer to the connection of Anton Lavey and the Satanic Church with The Eagles and the song. The picture in the inside covers shows a demonic person watching the guests in the lobby from a window in the upstairs, well that’s Lavey himself. Another vital clue is the song, when played in reverse, called backward masking says “Yeah Satan, organized his own religion”

The Eagles’ manager, Larry Salter, admitted in the Waco Tribune – Herald (Feb 28, 1982), that the Eagles’ were involved with the Church of Satan! Not surprisingly, one of the Eagles’ songs is titled “Have a good day in hell”.

The song is believed to be a tribute to the place where The Satanic Bible was written. But, the truth proves far less satisfying that the rumors. Lyrical interpretations are hard to decode. And, generally, witchcraft lyrics are deliberately written in short incomplete phrases, to convey ideas without detection.