Any singer in the Eagles would inevitably end up vying for second place next to Don Henley. Glenn Frey had a laid-back tone, and Joe Walsh had his characteristic squawky voice. However, Henley’s vocals stood out in the California rock scene for their clarity and ferocity. He effortlessly combined strength and grit in every song he sang. Although it is difficult to envision an Eagles classic without Henley’s voice, ‘Hotel California’ offered a unique challenge for him to portray.
However, Henley was never one to back down from a challenge. Just one album before Hotel California, ‘One of These Nights‘ had some of the best high notes on an Eagles album. Henley soared into the sky near the end of the track. After the experimental albums, it was time to focus on more serious work.
Frey and Henley realized they had to go all out on their next endeavor after covering so much ground previously. When Don Felder walked in with a Spanish-tinged song, Henley realized. He’d found the foundation for a story about Hollywood’s darker side.
After listening to it for hours in his car, Henley realized that the band needed to perfect the composition in the studio. Coming up with lyrics on the perils that the spotlight can have on a person, Henley became increasingly invested in the song. He realized that the key in which it was composed was nearly difficult for him to sing.
Given that Felder composed the progression for acoustic guitar, the initial demo tape was in the key of E minor. This was far too low for Henley to sing. Instead of increasing the recording speed, the singer decided to sing it one octave higher. This resulted in one of the most unintentionally funny mistakes in rock history.
Even though ‘One of These Nights‘ was a hit, Felder realized there was something wrong with it the moment he heard Henley attempt to sing it. He told Music Radar, “We had to record it twice.” Originally, I recorded it in E minor, a suitable key for the guitar. That is the demonstration I gave to Don. When we arrived into the studio, we recorded the basic track in E minor. Don stepped out to begin singing on it, and he sounded like Barry Gibb with his high voice. I said, ‘Wait, wait!’ “That just doesn’t work.”
Moving the tune up to the key of B minor, Henley reduced his singing voice an octave and delivered one of his best performances. Whereas he would have sounded like a frontman on helium in the original version. Henley makes you feel as if you’re right by his side. He marvels at the mirrors on the ceiling and the cheap champagne on ice, straight out of The Twilight Zone.
However, the headaches in the studio had only just begun. Working to achieve the greatest takes possible, Felder was given the shaft when the rest of the band opted to work on the song ‘Victim of Love‘ without him. They replaced his vocal with Henley’s. Felder may have had a say in how ‘Hotel California‘ sounded, but the Eagles‘ obsession with perfection would finally kill them.
