The Eagles' Don Felder Thought 'Hotel California' Would Flop

Posted by Jim Burger on Aug 24, 2012

Here's a good one. Eagles' guitarist Don Felder originally thought Hotel California would be unsuccessful because the intro was too long and the song was too long.

Here is an interview with Felder where he talks a bunch about what went into making Hotel California, it's pretty interesting stuff. I like how it gives insight into the creative process, where Felder wrote the music, then Henley and Frey molded it into the final creation.

The only thing that mystifies me is, did Felder really think every song needed to be under 4 minutes? 'Stairway to Heaven' came out 5 years before 'Hotel California'. He should have known better...

Source: http://beta.musicradar.com/news/guitars/interview-don-felder-on-the-eagles-classic-song-hotel-california-557397/