| Sage Francis – Makeshift Patriot Lyrics | 23 years ago |
| After spending over an hour typing the lyrics, I still have the energy to comment on how influential, and simply awe inspiring these words are to me and many others. Although I do not support Americas war on terrorism, I join Sage Francis in expressing sorrow for those affected by the attacks on Sept. 11 | |
| Eagles – Hotel California Lyrics | 23 years ago |
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I read through about half to the existing reviews before I signed up just to write my own. Although I would never maliciously critisize anyone elses personal opinions on the matter, I would like to point out that this song is not about a cult, drugs, a sadist church, or a mental hospital. Hotel California is a metaphorical representation for a Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle. The drug explaination makes only a little bit of sense. This is a common misconception because there is a sort of addiction in the song, yet it is not a chemical addiction. In a way it is an addiction to fame, but in another way it is not the rock stars mind holding him in, but other forces like the media and fans ensure the rock stars immortality. Basically it is saying that being a rock star is a glorious life, filled with riches, fame and love. Yet the drawback is that one cannot escape from this lifestyle. Up and coming artists hold a one way ticket to stardom, yet once they reach thier destination, they are trapped. I will explain further. The song opens to "A dark desert highway" This represents the road to fame which all artists hoping to make it big walk. Some, including the Eagles, make it to Hotel California, which is the eutopia this song explains. Later in that verse the song reads "this could be heaven or this could be hell". This indicates very early that there are going to be drawbacks to indulging in this lifestyle. The chorus further describes how wonderful and glorious the life is, making it seem evident that one would never want to leave. The next verse speaks "Her mind is tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes-Benz, she got a lot of pretty pretty boys, she calls friends" The Mercedes Benz represents the money involved with being a rock star, and the pretty pretty boys are a clear representation of fans and fame. Yet by referring to the pretty pretty boys as friends, she is denying the fact that their love for her is only because of her fame, she wants to think that they love ther person inside her. The beginning of the next line reads "So I called up the captain, please bring me my wine, He said we haven't had that spirit here since ninteen sixty nine". This line is referrring to the progression of Rock 'n' Roll through the past four decades. By saying "We haven't had that spirit here since 1969" he is referring to Woodstock '69, which is often considered the historical pinnacle of Rock 'n' Rolls popularity. The Second Chorus again displays what happy, glorious lifestyle rock stars live. The next verse is very important, mainly because of the famous line "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device." I agree this does indicate that there is a drug addiction involved, but that is not what it is meant to say. They are prisoners of Rock 'n' Roll, otherwise known as "Hotel California". This means that a famous rock star can't just disappear, his legacy is eternal. The ending of this verse, along with the beginning of the last, represent a struggle to escape. First he tries to "Kill the Beast", the he attempts escape. This is shown in the first four lines of the last verse ( Last thing I remember, I was running for the door, I had to find the passage back, to the place I was before.). His escape is intercepted though by the nightman. The Nightmans line, "We are programmed to recieve, You can check out any time you like, But you can never leave" is very important. It is more or less saying that once a rock star, always a rock star. A popular artist can sheck out any time he likes by simply resigning from the band, quit making music, or even dying. However he is not gone, his entire existence does not disapparate into oblivion. His fans keep talking about it, the media still reports about it, and the albums still sell. I have walked into the music shop and bought albums by The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and many other dead Rock 'n' Roll stars, this proves that their legacy lives on, their existence is remembered, their influential words still exist. I hope this has cleared up some misconceptions, and hope you all continue to support the nearly dead genre or Rock 'n' Roll. |
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