Foo Fighters’ Chris Shiflett recently sat down with NME for a chat, where he admitted his desire to have written the Eagles’ ‘Hotel California,’ stressing both the song’s musical impact and its financial benefits.
He named the Eagles hit while discussing songs he admires in the ‘Soundtrack Of My Life’ segment. His desire stems not just from the song’s musical genius but also from its potential financial benefits, as the guitarist said:
“The real answer is: every good song I hear. But this one continually pops up. I wish I had played the guitar solo. And the royalties wouldn’t be bad either. We’d be able to afford better hotels and maybe an upgrade from the Sprinter van we’re going to take on [my solo] tour in March.”
‘Hotel California’ quickly became a music industry success after hitting the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1977 and reaching number one by May. It was the Eagles’ fourth number-one song and also performed well on other charts. The RIAA awarded it Gold status within three months of its release, and it has since gone Platinum for over one million digital downloads, totaling over 3 million sales.
Don Felder Reflects On Royalties
The financial implications of creating a hit like ‘Hotel California’ are not just theoretical. Don Felder, who co-wrote the song with Don Henley and Glenn Frey, spoke to KSHE 95 radio station about the continuous financial benefits it provides. The musician noted:
“Anytime you write and publish something like that, you get writers royalties, publishing royalties, and record sale royalties when that’s on it for an AirPlay performance. There’s all that stuff. So yeah, I still make money on that. I would just say that ‘Hotel California’ has been very, very good to me.”
The Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ won the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1977 and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003. It’s also on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
