"Hotel California" is a song by the Eagles that was released in 1977. The song has been interpreted in various ways, but the band members have revealed in multiple interviews that the true meaning behind "Hotel California" is a commentary on the hedonism and self-indulgence of America. The song is about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in America. The song title suggests a sunny, laid-back place where people drink lots of pomegranate juice and practice yoga, but it also hints that the state of California—or, more accurately, the idea of California—isnt really home to anyone. Its a place for people who are between destinations: transients. The hotel itself could be taken as a metaphor not only for the myth-making of Southern California but for the myth-making that is the American Dream, because it is a fine line between the American Dream and the American nightmare. The song chronicles the culture of excess, wealth, decadence, and self-destruction in the Southern California cultural milieu of the mid-1970s. The song has been interpreted in various ways, including as a song about drug addiction, a mental hospital, devil worship, or even a real hotel run by cannibals. However, most likely, its a song that chronicles the culture of excess, wealth, decadence, and self-destruction in the Southern California cultural milieu of the mid-1970s.