Is Eagles' song "Hotel California" based on something devilish?

No, I think it’s more of a cautionary tale (like “Life in the Fast Lane” on the same album). Kind of a Twilight Zone narrative.

I thought it was about a cult.

I take it as a warning against the excess-laden lifestyles of mid-‘70s SoCal.

I heard it was based on the stories about the Hotel Del Coranado being haunted.

It thought it meant get a firebird, feather your hair and get drunk in California. ???

Members of Eagles have described the album as a metaphor for the perceived decline of America into materialism and decadence….

wow, so it wasn’t about a prostitute giving a guy the thrill of his life??

I heard it was based on life at Folsom Prison, but I could be wrong.

There is a Hotel California in Todo Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico. However, the Eagles never stayed there. At the time of the song was being written it would have been a major drive from LA to Todo Santos. Like a week on dirt roads in Baja.

It came out when I was trying to break away from the drug scene. Every time I screwed up that song would haunt me.

i hate the way people link that shit, so i hope its not.