Journal Entry: “Hotel California” - The Eagles - Classic RockWords, Rhetoric, Voice, and Meaning Classic rock is a familiar genre to many, and indeed, this song is one of the most iconic selections of the genre. Although I have heard this song before, I am not very comfortable or familiar with the classic rock genre because I didn’t grow up listening to it, and it is not a genre that I ever listen to now. The first thing I noticed when listening to “Hotel California” by The Eagles was that this song is a narrative. Don Henley, lead vocalist of “Hotel California,” tells a story about a disappointing realization of truth through a careful combination of his words, rhetoric, and voice. He expresses emotion through belting the lyrics, as he is accompanied by a band with tangible and dramatic musical instruments to allude to a deeper meaning.
It is interesting how California is known to be, in the words of The Eagles, “such a lovely place.” California symbolizes the American dream, freedom, sunshine, and peace; the ‘Golden State’ with golden sunsets, flowers, bridges, and authentic gold (the Gold Rush). With Hollywood in its heart, California also represents celebrity culture and the American dream, more so, the California dream. From an outsider’s perspective, this is extremely exciting and groundbreaking, how could one not think California is “such a lovely place?” In contrast to his words, Henley’s rhetoric and voice tells the listener the story of how deceiving this hyperreal fantasy of California is. He tells a story that reveals the truth about California, specifically Hollywood and Los Angeles, drawing from firsthand experience gained from working in the music industry and chasing the California dream. He sings about the differences between perception and reality of this imagined “paradise.” I would also like to point out how the words of this song literally refer to the “voices” the speaker hears telling him how lovely California is. This further shows how voice is only one aspect of generating meaning and does not achieve deep connections on its own. Words, rhetoric, and voice are equally important. As we learned in class, “songs allow voices to propel emotions forward,” and “songs are often less about what is said, but how it is said.” The combination of the extended guitar solo towards the end of the song, the actual words of the song (lyrics), the rhetoric and repetition of the lines “such a lovely place,” along with Henley’s melancholy voice gives the listeners insight into the deeper meaning of the song. It is clear that this song is a form of self-expression and not a formal organization like classical music. It is packed with emotion and tells a story. Without the musicalized voice, the lyrics of the songs themselves would not effectively represent the deeper meaning of the song.
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