Hotel California
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Hey guys, just wanna check out with you guys whether is the band Eagles satanic? What does the implications of their famous song Hotel California actually mean? I am doing a study right now and trying to get to a conclusion. Give your inputs and ideas if you have any.
Here's a copy of the lyrics.
Hotel California
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year, you can find it here
Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes benz
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
So I called up the Captain,
'Please bring me my wine'
He said,'We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine'
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise, bring your alibis
Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device'
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
The stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
'Relax,'said the night man,
We are programmed to receive.
You can checkout any time you like,
but you can never leave! -
Hear ppl say when u listen 2 dis song backwards, itz a Satanic message loh... Some sort like dis lah...
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ahah...yes.... i downloaded the clip and heard it myself. Its something like "Satan is organizing his own religion ...." Can't really remember...
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well...i cant comment much since i never download and play backwards....not tt high tech. But Hotel Califonia is well known for being a satanic church..its not a hotel actually. thats all i can say.
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Strange as it seems, when i listened to the song and saw the Hell Freezes Over mtv. I seemed addicted to the song and i kept listening to it over and over again. I wanna learn their guitar tricks and stuff, but somehow the background of their song and rumors of their satanism deterred me from doing so...
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the reality is satan used to be worship leader in heaven...Originally posted by saintboy:Strange as it seems, when i listened to the song and saw the Hell Freezes Over mtv. I seemed addicted to the song and i kept listening to it over and over again. I wanna learn their guitar tricks and stuff, but somehow the background of their song and rumors of their satanism deterred me from doing so...
he is good at music -
Well, it all depends on who you believe.
Don Henley stated in write-up in their "The Complete Greatest Hits" CD: "....We were enamored with hotels. Hotels were a big part of our lives. The Beverly Hills Hotel had become something of a focal point....I though there were a certain mystery and romance about it....There are plays like Neil Simon's Plaza Suite and California Suite, which Glenn and I went to see while writing the song.... bla bla bla"
Obviously this quotation does not prove either way whether the Eagles sang Satanic songs.
While, hopefully, trying not to sound too pro-Eagles, bear in mind that there are always nay-sayers, and witch-hunters.
One issue about backmasking that had bothered me is: If a song is sung by another singer, ie cover-version, does the backmasking still exist?
Or to put it simply,
(A) is backmasking merely a reverse sounding sentence, ie by saying a sentence, instead of singing the song, would the words have come across as backmasked....
(B) alternatively, is backmasking a technical insertion, ie, phrases inserted in a recording attempting to reach the subliminal level of consciousness.
If the answer is (A) - then we CANNOT even recite the phrases in Hotel California or for that matter work that combination of words in our conversation as it might cause someone to stumble.
If the answer is (B) - then go ahead and buy the cover version, backmasked words are not in it.
Or maybe it is (C) - the meaning of the words convey an ideology that is contrary to one's chosen lifestyle. Then there are plenty of this around, whether it's Eagles or Carlos Santana
At the end of it all, it is cause and effect! Does the song (or for that matter, any genre of entertainment) affect you? Never seen Hotel California affecting aunties and uncles.
I like Hotel California, but I am not affected by it in a say supernatural. I listen to it and enjoy it, but I will not listen to it all the time. I prefer cantopop - particularly the ah-pek type, as well as ah-beng mandarin pop,
To anyone interested, the three-piece stroller band at Mandarin Hotel plays a mean Hotel California. Have a meal at Triple Three (a pricey buffet restaurant) and if the band comes to your table, you may request for Hotel California. Filipino accented song, no backmasking, I assure you. -
Personally tried to play it backwards. It doesn't sound like anything. More like some one speaking in a foreign language that you don't understand.
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there is no effect if u dun recognize the cause...
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if it's so easy to stumble, perhaps you should examine the validity of your beliefs.
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like the song.... doesn't affect me...
rather if anything, thought it sounds more like a warning than anything.... warning agst worldly pleasures?? kekeke
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Originally posted by AzRaeL:if it's so easy to stumble, perhaps you should examine the validity of your beliefs.
This is so true....
There are lots of people out there who are so afraid that their personal faith as well as their young ones gets challenged or shaken. So many "pantang" Christians!!! -
Indeed.....we should be wary of becoming 'pantang' Christians....or perhaps being paranoid.
But on the other hand, we need to know that the spiritual realm is a reality and we do not fight against flesh and blood...
Spiritual deceptions come in several forms but one common trait is that they appear harmless and acceptable to public and even Christians that we loose our guard against them.
Things like Hotel Califonia etc....some may think its paranoid but as Christians, whether is the books we read or the songs we listen...we need to give God the honor. That is not trying to say we r legalistic..but to ensure we are exposed to the correct stuffs and not be corrupted. No body can claim he or she is strong enough to go through all of these.
At the end of the day, let our lives be focused upon Jesus Christ. The rest are not crucial. -
Originally posted by NeonTetra:Indeed.....we should be wary of becoming 'pantang' Christians....or perhaps being paranoid.
But on the other hand, we need to know that the spiritual realm is a reality and we do not fight against flesh and blood...
Spiritual deceptions come in several forms but one common trait is that they appear harmless and acceptable to public and even Christians that we loose our guard against them.
Things like Hotel Califonia etc....some may think its paranoid but as Christians, whether is the books we read or the songs we listen...we need to give God the honor. That is not trying to say we r legalistic..but to ensure we are exposed to the correct stuffs and not be corrupted. No body can claim he or she is strong enough to go through all of these.
At the end of the day, let our lives be focused upon Jesus Christ. The rest are not crucial. ... again, not far from the truth. but there are people out there :
who believes that Christians should not patronise establishments whose owners believes in opposing religions. So if this being true, do not eat in Thai restaurants 'cos they typically have the 4-face Buddha in them.
who believes that Christians should not read books by writers who belong to known cults. So if this being true, we should not read, say, "Seven Habits of Effective People" by Stephen Covey (a Mormon)
who believes that we should not support media production by cultist,
we should not watch movies by Tom Cruise (a scientologist)
I am looking at the society, in general, and I can safely say that not many things out there "honour God" in the Christian sense. So to some people, getting into a cab whose driver has an idol of the 4-face Buddha in the dashboard is liken to dishonouring God.
While I agree that that the spiritual realm exists and we should all be very careful when coming in contact with it, we should also be vigilant and not to fall into the trap of "Christian" superstition.
So going back to Hotel California and backmasking - does anyone out there has some explanation on the concept of backmasking and the effects it has on listeners, or is it just another US-origin theory? -
agree. Christ came to set the captives free...who are we to return to the days of slavery? When we look at the above examples....we see paranoid and pantang christians....thai restaurants, books etc.....there is a difference between in the midst of unholiness and being in unholiness...we remember the words of our Redeemer as so true..be in the world but not of the world.Originally posted by Chin Eng: ... again, not far from the truth. but there are people out there :
who believes that Christians should not patronise establishments whose owners believes in opposing religions. So if this being true, do not eat in Thai restaurants 'cos they typically have the 4-face Buddha in them.
who believes that Christians should not read books by writers who belong to known cults. So if this being true, we should not read, say, "Seven Habits of Effective People" by Stephen Covey (a Mormon)
who believes that we should not support media production by cultist,
we should not watch movies by Tom Cruise (a scientologist)
I am looking at the society, in general, and I can safely say that not many things out there "honour God" in the Christian sense. So to some people, getting into a cab whose driver has an idol of the 4-face Buddha in the dashboard is liken to dishonouring God.
While I agree that that the spiritual realm exists and we should all be very careful when coming in contact with it, we should also be vigilant and not to fall into the trap of "Christian" superstition.
So going back to Hotel California and backmasking - does anyone out there has some explanation on the concept of backmasking and the effects it has on listeners, or is it just another US-origin theory? -
I've done some searching on the subject of backmasking before and personally i believe that sublimal messages are absorbed by the conscious mind even though we don't play the music backwards and listen to them but listening to them in obsession exerts a certain influence in the lives of a person. Talk to a Cradle of Filth , Black Sabbath or Marilyn Manson fanatic and you will know what i mean. But perhaps this topic is of a subjective nature.
I don't believe in coincidence in the backmasked messages but it definitely can be done technically, Since I love music, it would be the best if i can explore into every genre of music other than those in the christian category too. But I am aware that we must be careful in everything we do. That's why i've posted this topic and start a discussion of views on it.
2 Corinthians 11:14 -15 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
Satan's main tool is that of deception, its always good to have the correct spirit of discernment.
Backmasking Informationhttp://www.dubaibuzz.com/content.php?article.2[/url] -
Hmm....i'm not sure if there is such thing as the correct or wrong 'spirit' of discernment.Originally posted by saintboy:I've done some searching on the subject of backmasking before and personally i believe that sublimal messages are absorbed by the conscious mind even though we don't play the music backwards and listen to them but listening to them in obsession exerts a certain influence in the lives of a person. Talk to a Cradle of Filth , Black Sabbath or Marilyn Manson fanatic and you will know what i mean. But perhaps this topic is of a subjective nature.
I don't believe in coincidence in the backmasked messages but it definitely can be done technically, Since I love music, it would be the best if i can explore into every genre of music other than those in the christian category too. But I am aware that we must be careful in everything we do. That's why i've posted this topic and start a discussion of views on it.
2 Corinthians 11:14 -15 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
Satan's main tool is that of deception, its always good to have the correct spirit of discernment.
Backmasking Informationhttp://www.dubaibuzz.com/content.php?article.2[/url]
I only know Spirit of discernment could be trained and sharpened. -
Originally posted by saintboy:I've done some searching on the subject of backmasking before and personally i believe that sublimal messages are absorbed by the conscious mind even though we don't play the music backwards and listen to them but listening to them in obsession exerts a certain influence in the lives of a person. Talk to a Cradle of Filth , Black Sabbath or Marilyn Manson fanatic and you will know what i mean. But perhaps this topic is of a subjective nature.
I don't believe in coincidence in the backmasked messages but it definitely can be done technically, Since I love music, it would be the best if i can explore into every genre of music other than those in the christian category too. But I am aware that we must be careful in everything we do. That's why i've posted this topic and start a discussion of views on it.
2 Corinthians 11:14 -15 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
Satan's main tool is that of deception, its always good to have the correct spirit of discernment.
Backmasking Informationhttp://www.dubaibuzz.com/content.php?article.2[/url] ....so if we'd just listen to the unplugged version from Eagles Live should be safe? Or maybe not...
Many years back, I heard a rumour that Coke (the drink, not the drug) inserted subliminal messages into a movie by putting images in between frames of the images. Apparently this had caused an increase of sales at the cinema. Subsequently, I had read some where that this is an urban legend and not to be believed..... ... during my explorative years as a Christian teenager, I too attempted to listen to backmasked music. My conclusion?? Couldn't make out heads or tails of the music. So, herein, if a piece of music had a message that sounded remotely like, SSSS Than sss GD, how can that be inferred to Satan is God.... hmmm???? ... just recalled an incident many years back when an earnest looking senior in my church warned me about a local rock group who had a member called S. Atan. She (my senior) went: You got to be careful, look at the members of the group. I went: "errr, his name is Suleiman Atan....", or another incident, "You should not use the word Gosh, because it means God Shit!!!" ... played "Castle Wolfenstein" many years ago when "first person shooter" games first came out. My wife and I had motion sickness for two whole days. Could put the blame on Satanic influences, but in reality, poorly written software running on lousy hardware. Now? Finished "Halo" without a hitch. ... moral of the stories: don't blame Satan for everything. Sometimes it is just psychological issues or lack of knowledge or just a weak mind. ... of course there are really many things that it is Satan's fault, like ouija boards, tarot cards, practice of white/black magic..... ... good discussion.... -
... sorry couldn't resist.... please look up this link: http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/hotel.htm. Has the lowdown of the satanic rumour.... ... also do bookmark the www.snopes.com website. Pretty good source to debunk many urban legend and internet rumour.
Not to say that there are no Satanic influences in the world. Just that cannot afford to be paranoid otherwise wouldn't even leave my home..... -
It was a comms research on subliminal advertising and later research and re-analysis of the project found the research findings debatable. The researchy claimed that it persuaded movie-goers to buy more coke at the cinema but later analysis of the research found other factors such as cinema-goers eating more popcorn as a result of some promotion or something and therefore end up buying more drinks. Can't rem the exact details but effectiveness of subliminal persuasion has never had concrete support or conclusive evidence.Originally posted by Chin Eng: ....so if we'd just listen to the unplugged version from Eagles Live should be safe? Or maybe not...
Many years back, I heard a rumour that Coke (the drink, not the drug) inserted subliminal messages into a movie by putting images in between frames of the images. Apparently this had caused an increase of sales at the cinema. Subsequently, I had read some where that this is an urban legend and not to be believed..... -
Originally posted by KittynMeow:It was a comms research on subliminal advertising and later research and re-analysis of the project found the research findings debatable. The researchy claimed that it persuaded movie-goers to buy more coke at the cinema but later analysis of the research found other factors such as cinema-goers eating more popcorn as a result of some promotion or something and therefore end up buying more drinks. Can't rem the exact details but effectiveness of subliminal persuasion has never had concrete support or conclusive evidence. so right!!! no conclusive evidence. The entire mechanics of reasoning and understanding hinges on the point that the recipient of message (subliminal or not), is whether one's mind is tuned to the message or not. If a backmasked messages exist but sound gibberish, how then can the mind decode the message? It's like trying to backmask a Hokkien phrase and expect an African to act upon the message.
Another revealing piece of information from Snopes.com:
http://www.snopes.com/business/hidden/popcorn.asp Homework: gotta convert my unplugged Hotel California to MP3 so that I can download into my new mobile phone -
Hotel California is by no means a Satanic song. I am an active amatuer reasearcher on how music impacts our christian life. Hotel California is actually about Satanic practices or to put it more mildly, wayward practices. It is widely spoken that Hotel California is a DRUG HOLE for drug addicts during that period and it could be true because in the second line of the song, you would see the word '...smell of COLITAS, rising up thru the air."
Colitas is a spanish plural word for COLA...which happens to be the tip of the marijuna branch. And it is more potent accordingly.
Some other evidences in the lyrics i find personally are
"You can checkout any time you like,
but you can never leave! " - DRUGS, you can hardly stop an addiction. You cant leave it!
"'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device' " - true isnt it?
"'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell' " - Drugs can bring u to a high and bring u to a low.
"Some dance to remember, some dance to forget " - drugs enable a person to go into depression and delusion.
So there u go, some tots i found from my research and also some personal views on the songs.
I do not believe in these "ROCK IS EVIL" stuff. Rock is not evil, satan is. To put things into perspective, if SATAN REALLY wants to use music to influence the christians of this world, he would have use music that sounds like HILLSONGS which most christians are suckers for...why would he use rock which he knows most christians are against? Satan is angel of music, he can use HILLSONGS-style of music if he wants to. Remember that.
It is the musicians not the music. Satan uses the musicians not the music. Satan cannot influence the music but he can influence the musicians. So not all musicians who sing about destruction, murder are satanic, they are just like us christians when we adore GOD. They are just expressing how they are feeling inside. If we were to look at them with "Oh so satanic!" kind of eyes, who will reach out to them?
Trust me, Satan doesnt always come in when the music is loud, destructive or when the lyrics are obviously disturbing. Satan is a LION but he TOO can be a SLY SERPENT. So, do you still think its the music? -
The Quintessentials, a relatively unknown punk band, is a band who openly proclaims that they worship satan and they are officially listed by Church Of Satan as one of the Satan's artistes, writes pretty normal songs, albeit a bit crude about girls and stuff. I did not see "SATAN" or "Curse Jesus" or "Kill This World" or "F**k"....but yet satanic..
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Originally posted by gasband:Hotel California is by no means a Satanic song. I am an active amatuer reasearcher on how music impacts our christian life. Hotel California is actually about Satanic practices or to put it more mildly, wayward practices. It is widely spoken that Hotel California is a DRUG HOLE for drug addicts during that period and it could be true because in the second line of the song, you would see the word '...smell of COLITAS, rising up thru the air."
I do not believe in these "ROCK IS EVIL" stuff. Rock is not evil, satan is. To put things into perspective, if SATAN REALLY wants to use music to influence the christians of this world, he would have use music that sounds like HILLSONGS which most christians are suckers for...why would he use rock which he knows most christians are against? Satan is angel of music, he can use HILLSONGS-style of music if he wants to. Remember that.
It is the musicians not the music. Satan uses the musicians not the music. Satan cannot influence the music but he can influence the musicians. So not all musicians who sing about destruction, murder are satanic, they are just like us christians when we adore GOD. They are just expressing how they are feeling inside. If we were to look at them with "Oh so satanic!" kind of eyes, who will reach out to them?
Trust me, Satan doesnt always come in when the music is loud, destructive or when the lyrics are obviously disturbing. Satan is a LION but he TOO can be a SLY SERPENT. So, do you still think its the music? Good information.... as the members of Eagles had stated in the write up of the Greatest Hits album, Hotel California is about the lifestyle at that point in time and it's a reflection of the decadent generation of the people of LA. So while the imagery it conjures is extremely negative, it would only mean that way when one understands the words, only today when I read Gasband's comments that the word Colita has a connotation to drugs.
Gasband, do you have any other comments on Hillsongs? I have my personal reservation about them, but I am guessing that bringing my reservations about them is opening up Pandora's box. What say you? -
Hillsongs? they are good songwriters but as whether they are true worshippers, no one is really fit to comment becos only God sees their hearts.Originally posted by Chin Eng: Good information.... as the members of Eagles had stated in the write up of the Greatest Hits album, Hotel California is about the lifestyle at that point in time and it's a reflection of the decadent generation of the people of LA. So while the imagery it conjures is extremely negative, it would only mean that way when one understands the words, only today when I read Gasband's comments that the word Colita has a connotation to drugs.
Gasband, do you have any other comments on Hillsongs? I have my personal reservation about them, but I am guessing that bringing my reservations about them is opening up Pandora's box. What say you?
Musically, lyrics wise, I find them too 'skimming the surface' when comparing them to people like Don Moen and Bob Fitts. I mean, really, anyone who has a common sense of God could write those lyrics. Music wise, I find them too poppy and even their 'rock' is not really rock. So to a person like me who is into heavier stuff and more thoughtful lyrics, Hillsongs is not my cup of tea.
I am commenting this in a capacity of a musician not as a worshipper. My church sings Hillsongs stuff and I worship the same. I do not question their sincerity, I am not in the position to do so. So well, if you ask me whether I like Hillsongs? Well I DO NOT based on their music and technically. As for their hearts for worship, I really do not know so I cant say anything