Hotel California

The first song written was the title track, and it became the theme. Henley said the album carries the themes of all their work: loss of innocence, the perils of fame and excess, and the dark underbelly of the American dream. He told ZigZag it was a concept album, set not in the old West but in the city, and that for the bicentennial year they used California as a microcosm of the country. Felder wrote the music of the title song. Walsh supplied the opening riff of Life in the Fast Lane. Meisner wrote Try and Love Again alone. New Kid in Town began as a chorus by JD Souther.

The sessions ran from March to October 1976, split between Criteria Studios in Miami and the Record Plant in Los Angeles, because Szymczyk wanted to work in Miami and the band preferred Los Angeles. Black Sabbath were recording Technical Ecstasy next door at Criteria, and the Eagles had to stop on several occasions because the noise came through the wall. The Last Resort had to be redone a number of times for the same reason. The title track was assembled from several complete takes with 33 edits on the two-inch master. Victim of Love was recorded in a single live session apart from the lead vocal and chorus harmony. Felder sang early takes, but the band judged them below standard and Henley took over. The run-out groove on side two reads "V.O.L. Is Five-Piece Live." Henley said in 1982 that the Eagles probably peaked on Hotel California and that after it they began to grow apart.

The cover is a photograph of the Beverly Hills Hotel by David Alexander, taken from a cherry picker 60 feet above Sunset Boulevard, with design and art direction by Kosh. The hotel threatened legal action once it was recognized. The back cover was shot in the lobby of the Lido Hotel in Hollywood, and a shadowy figure on its balcony set off speculation.

The album entered the Billboard 200 at four, reached number one in its fourth week in January 1977 and topped the chart for eight weeks, not consecutively. It was certified platinum in the week of release, and in January 2026 28 times platinum in the United States. It has sold over 42 million copies worldwide. New Kid in Town reached number one on 26 February 1977 and Hotel California on 7 May 1977, and Life in the Fast Lane reached 11. At the 1978 Grammys the title song won Record of the Year and New Kid in Town won Best Arrangement for Voices. Azoff refused to let the band attend unless a win was guaranteed, so they stayed away. Christgau called it their most substantial if not most enjoyable LP, and Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times later called it a legitimate rock masterpiece. Rolling Stone placed it at number 37 in 2003 and 2012 and 118 in 2020.