Felder's Role in Writing Hotel California

[Topkat]

Why do people have to downplay Felder's part in the writing of Hotel California? He wrote the music & yes, that was pretty major.

[Freypower]

Yes, but he did not write the ENTIRE song. To state this is not 'downplaying' his part in it.

[Topkat]

Well, to me it is downplaying it. As far as I know, Felder wrote all the guitar parts, the introduction, the melody. I would be curious to know what part of the song he didn't write. Does anybody actually know this?

[Freypower]

Well, to me it is downplaying it. As far as I know, Felder wrote all the guitar parts, the introduction, the melody. I would be curious to know what part of the song he didn't write. Does anybody actually know this?

He didn't write the lyrics. The lyrics were written by Don Henley & Glenn Frey.

[Topkat]

It's well known that Henley & Frey wrote the lyrics, but your quote was:

"He wrote the MUSIC for Hotel California, or some of it. "

I don't want to argue this. It's long in the past.

Felder is no longer an Eagle, & they've all moved on.....Peace out!!!

[Ive always been a dreamer]

I remember Joe saying that he helped Felder work out some of the guitar parts for the song. However, since the co-writers on the song are listed as Don Felder, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey only, I guess it really doesn't matter. If Joe did help, he obviously wasn't credited.

But, I totally agree that none of this is worth arguing over. Only those guys know for sure how it all went down.

[chaim]

For some reason in rock music the vocal melody is often not considered "music". When rock people talk about writing "the music", they often mean the chord progressions, riffs and sometimes full arrangements. As far as I know, Don Felder's demo was an instrumental, on top of which Don Henley and Glenn wrote the vocal melodies and lyrics. Is there someone who thinks that the chorus melody (supposedly written by Glenn or/and Don Henley), for example, doesn't have anything to do with the song's appeal?

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Not me!

[sodascouts]

Amen, chaim!

You know, it's only right that Felder take his deserved credit for jump-starting and co-writing the song. It just irks me when he happily takes credit for the song in its entirety.

He has every right to be very proud of his significant contribution; why isn't that enough for him? Why does he have to act as if he wrote it himself?

Note: To be fair, he does share credit in his book. It's only in interviews and press where he presents himself as "Don Felder, the Man Who Wrote Hotel California." I daresay we can expect this from press on his new album, although one can always hope he "sees the light" so to speak and puts the brakes on that misrepresentation.

[Freypower]

For some reason in rock music the vocal melody is often not considered "music". When rock people talk about writing "the music", they often mean the chord progressions, riffs and sometimes full arrangements. As far as I know, Don Felder's demo was an instrumental, on top of which Don Henley and Glenn wrote the vocal melodies and lyrics. Is there someone who thinks that the chorus melody (supposedly written by Glenn or/and Don Henley), for example, doesn't have anything to do with the song's appeal?

The chorus melody, as others have said about THIO, is what gets the crowd going & singing along. It's unusual in that it only occurs twice in the song. Without that chorus, the song would be very similar to a rambling epic by Dylan like Desolation Row (which I love).