"Hotel California" is the title track from the Eagles' album of the same name and was released as a single in February 1977.
Writing credits for the song are shared by Don Felder (music), Don Henley, and Glenn Frey (lyrics). Joe Walsh came up with the dual-guitar descending arpeggio part that ends the song: he did not, however, get writing credits.
The Eagles' original recording of the song features Henley singing the lead vocals, and concludes with an electric guitar solo performed by both Walsh and Felder, in which they both take turns of playing lead before harmonising and playing the aforementioned arpeggio towards the fade out at the end.
The song is considered the best known recording by the band, and in 1998 its long guitar coda was voted the best guitar solo of all time by readers of Guitarist. The song was awarded the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1978.
The lyrics of the song have been interpreted by fans and critics alike, the Eagles themselves describing the song as their "interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles".
In the 2013 documentary History of the Eagles, Henley said that the song was about "a journey from innocence to experience ... that's all".
Since its release, "Hotel California" has been covered by many artists. Julia Phillips proposed adapting the song into a film, but the members of the Eagles disliked the idea and it never came to fruition.
Commercially, "Hotel California" reached the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top ten of several international charts.
The Eagles have performed "Hotel California" 1,038 times live, the third most out of all their songs, after "Desperado" and "Take it Easy".