Lang.

Lit Further Oral Activity (Splashy’s)

Hotel California by Eagles

Intro:
Written by Don Felder, Glenn Frey, and Don Henley in 1976, the Eagles’ classic “Hotel California” is
considered one of the greatest songs of all time. The surreal and sophisticated lyrics have inspired
various creative interpretations and peculiar theories; many suggest and relate this song to
satanism, hedonism, urban legends, and drug addiction. In retrospect, Don Henley personally
confirmed that the theme of the song is about “the dark underbelly of the American dream and
about excess in America”, California in particular.

Throughout the song lyrics, numerous literary devices such as imagery, diction, metaphors and
many more are employed to tactfully construct the entire setting of the song and subtly guide the
audience into the backstage of the 70’s music industry, and undeniably ultimately to bring about
their realization that “Hotel California” is an excellent allegory and criticism about greed, struggles,
hedonism (​the pursuit of pleasure, self-indulgence​), and the distorted American Dream.

As such, this Oral Presentation aims to discuss the impact as well as the relations between the
song’s objective as well as how language could have been used to reach out to the community of
that particular time period. All in all, this presentations largely hopes to point out mainly the
hedonism in the 70s that this song targets.

Title:
To begin with, metaphors and symbols are heavily utilized throughout the entire song to effectively
bring out the song’s dreadful message of a hedonism-infested society. This can be seen in just the
title itself - “Hotel California” - in which the Eagles established it as the so called high life in
California, with California being associated with the entertainment industry and luxurious life-styles
of the wealthy. The title itself can also, therefore be seen as a light foreshadowing to the rest of the
song which portrays how the elusive American dream, when perverted by negative qualities such
as drugs and greed, becomes an American nightmare.

Stanza 1:
In the first stanza, the first line “On the dark desert highway” directly explains the setting with an
alliteration. The use of dark desert emphasizes the relatively dangerous pathway leading towards
the Hotel California, encompassed by a treacherous darkness and desolate area. The rest of the
verse continues to describe the set-up with visual - “I saw a shimmering light”, - organic - “My head
grew heavy and my sight grew dim”, - and olfactory “Warm smell of colitas” imagery, giving the
audience a thorough mental picture of the typical Los Angeles landscape and the protagonists’
confoundment of it, thereby leading him to head to the hotel. It’s worth noting that the term
“colitas” is sometimes interpreted as a reference to marijuana, thus implying the lyrics’ theme of
drug addiction. The last line of the first stanza ends with a short sentence, “I had to stop for the
night” to perhaps serve as a foreshadowing to the unexpected folding of events while smoothly
introducing the encounter with the clandestine Hotel California.

Stanza 2:
Following the disoriented traveler’s need to “stop,” stanza 2 proceeds to depict the obscure
process of how a mysterious woman - “she” - guides the protagonist into the mystical Hotel
California. This presentation of the woman is a metaphor for the prevalence of temptation and
hedonism within the culture in California. Also, the mention of “mission bell” and “candle” can be
deciphered as religious symbols, alongside the somewhat religious line “This could be heaven or
this could be hell”. These religious introductions form a brief but powerful antithesis to emphasize
the ambivalence and confusion when entering an industry full of temptations. Furthermore, the
last line of the first verse, “There were voices down the corridor/I thought I hear them say,”
intensifies the already bizarre atmosphere and adds one more thrilling hue to the mystery of Hotel
California.

Stanza 3:
Stanza 3 ushers in the beginning of the first chorus with the phrase “Welcome to the Hotel
California” and “Plenty of rooms at the Hotel California”, demonstrating a conduplicatio—a
repetition of the key words “Hotel California”. This repetitive use of the key words “Hotel
California” throughout the entire song highlights the significance of the hotel bearing a heavy
symbol of the song’s crucial message of hedonism within the Californian lifestyle. Following, the
lines “Such a lovely place/Such a lovely face” efficiently utilize anaphora to enhance the focus on
the consistency of the diction, thereby cleverly pointing out how these “lovely” appearances are
merely facades to the naked eye covering up for the distorted and corrupted American Dream. In
addition, it is also observed that a rhyme scheme is used throughout the song, though more
obviously in the chorus - in the form of ABBACC - and this can be seen as a tool to present a
pleasant harmony of syllables, which in return can mirror the inviting nature of Hotel California,
though it is nothing but a charade.

Stanza 4:*
After the joyful hook, the Eagles reveal the kaleidoscope of the debauchery and prosperity of
Hollywood and the film industry using a few intricately crafted phrases: “Her mind is
tiffany-twisted” is a cleverly designed allusion and metaphor which exposes the materialism and
strong self-indulgence within the society in the ‘70s. This is easily explained in how Tiffany is a
significantly expensive and renowned jewellery brand, and the additional alliteration further
highlights her materialism and craving for such goods; “She got the Mercedes bends” is a
mischievous play on words which perfectly echoes back and links with the previous line to reach a
structural parallelism. This is seen in how Mercedes Benz is considered to be a luxury car brand and
the fact that the rhyming word “bend” was used instead suggests how she can be easily
manipulated and bought over with simply glitz and glamour. “How they dance in the courtyard,
sweet summer sweat” uses alliteration to emphasize the degeneration and decay of the sweet
American dream under the California sunlight.

Stanza 5:
The fifth stanza, also the second verse, focuses mainly on a particular phrase, and makes an
interesting observation when the lyrics say: “So I called up the Captain/Please bring me my
wine/He said, we haven’t had that spirit here since 1969.” The diction “spirit” is an intended pun
carrying a double meaning. The first and more direct as well as obvious meaning would be the
literal reference to the wine the protagonist was requesting. To better comprehend the second
meaning, there are some historical facts that may be taken into account: the 1960’s is the time
period when the hippie movement and its ideals of love and peace started to thrive; when the
1970's came, as the idealism and ardor gradually gave way to the materialism and cynicism, the
‘60’s spirits faded. This was the work of hedonism and corruption in society, which is the prevalent
matter in the song.

Stanza 6:
Moving on, the second chorus is mostly a repetition of the first one. As the key term, the
metaphorical diction “Hotel California” keeps coming back to remind the audience of the tone and
mood of the song, it is important to take note that the diction used in “welcome,” “lovely,” and
“nice surprise” build up a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere and foreshadow the upcoming ending,
whereby the audience is left to ponder on whether the surprise is indeed nice.

Stanza 7:
Moving on to stanza 7, also the penultimate one, it begins by providing a vivid visual imagery of the
typical Hollywood scene that is often seen in movies - “Mirrors on the ceiling/The pink champagne
on ice”. This once again emphasizes to the audience the pleasurable nature of living a Hollywood
lifestyle, yet in reality how unattainable it is. More importantly, the metaphor in “And she said we
are all just prisoners here, of our own device” reveals the weakness of human minds against the
temptations of fame and wealth; as well as the easily interpreted drug addiction. Similarly, the line
“They stab it with their steely knives/But they just can’t kill the beast” is commonly interpreted as a
reference to drug addiction. This proves to be a final and horrid revelation to the protagonist that
hollywood is filled with temptations and struggles that one simply cannot escape after partaking in
its pleasures.

Stanza 8:
In the end, the narrator suddenly wakes up from the luxurious and twisted American dream to
search for his escape as seen in the last stanza’s first line - “Last thing I remember, I was/Running
for the door/I had to find the passage back/To the place I was before;” To his surprise, he is already
too deep in the black hole of delusion to crawl back when a seemingly friendly night man appears:
“‘Relax’.../‘We are programmed to receive.” The syntax “programmed to receive” exactly describes
the nature of California where people from all parts of the world pursue wealth and their California
dream. The end of the song ruthlessly grips the audience’s hearts with its icy fingers as the night
man finishes his words and turns a desert oasis into an endless nightmare: “You can check-out any
time you like/But you can never leave!’”

Conclusion:
In conclusion, the Eagles, through this statement, unfold the true and horrible face of the
corrupted society infatuated with the concept of the American dream, and through the ambiguous
lyrics and entirety of the song, they manage to strongly employ language in order to bring out the
cold, hard truth of the hedonism-filled society and its people.

Lyrics
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 place)
Such a lovely face.
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (any time of year) you can find it here

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends

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 place)
Such a lovely face.
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (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
They 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 check out any time you like,
But you can never leave!'
 Lang. Lit Further Oral Activity (Rai’s)
We Are the World

Introduction

“We are the world”​ was a song released in 1985 by the supergroup of musicians named
United Support of Artists (USA) for Africa, at a time when Africa was suffering from one of
the worst famines in history. Written by two of the most iconic and talented singers of the
20th century, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, ​“We are the world” ​went on to achieve
worldwide commercial success, topping music charts throughout the world and becoming
the fastest-selling American pop single in history. The historic event also brought together
some of the most famous artists in the music industry at that time.

“We are the world” was recorded with the purpose of raising awareness on the African
famine of 1985 and in doing so, raise funds for humanitarian aid in the continent. It also
aims to unite the world over the tragedy. Therefore, there are various literary and rhetorical
devices utilised in the song that are intended to evoke sympathy and persuade listeners
from around the world to donate to the African cause. As a result, the theme of the song
caring about and helping those in need. My FOA focuses on the impact of language on
communities and how it is used to fulfill the writers’ objectives, which is that of persuasion
and of promoting unity.

Title-ish

Before I begin with the song, let me direct your attention to the name of the supergroup of
artists that recorded “We are the World”. There is a play on words in their name, United
Support of Artists for Africa, which abbreviated to USA for Africa. With the name “USA for
Africa” accompanying the globally famous hit, listeners would likely get the impression that
America as a country was standing alongside Africa and fully supporting them. Furthermore,
the convergence of such prominent artists on this track not only excites music listeners in
general, it attracts fans of each individual artist to listen to the song (and thus increases
awareness) Ethos, the appeal to ethics, is effective as America was and still is a nation that was
influential, especially in pop culture and this would in turn play a part in persuading listeners
to contribute and join in the effort to assist Africa.

First verse

Right from the beginning of the song, listeners will notice that it is sung from a f​irst-person
point of view​ using the plural pronoun "we". This immediately builds unity between the song
and its audience and creates a sense of togetherness right from the beginning of the song. As
the intended audience was global, Jackson’s and Richie’s intention was to bring humanity
together in a shared responsibility to the people of Africa which is also seen in the second line
of the first verse “the world must come together as one” Furthermore, the repetition of the
word “we” throughout the song possibly signifies how unity in the world should last forever,
from start to the end, thus imploring listeners from around to globe to take action and not
abandon Africa in their hardship.

Personification is an important device used in the first verse of the song that helps the writers
achieve their intended outcome. It is first heard in the song when Paul Simon sings, “Lend a
hand to life”. This line is personified as it is physically impossible to give a hand containing life
to a person, and yet has profound effects on the listeners. Listeners are undoubtedly moved by
this simple request as it highlights the difficulty being faced by those in Africa , which is that of
the lack of basic necessities such as food. Apart from evoking sympathy from the world, it
prompts them to reflect on how they can do their part in improving the plight of the people in
Africa and “lend a hand to life”.

Second Verse

The following verse brings to light the harsh reality of the African situation which is that of
unawareness and disregard towards them. James Ingram sings “we can't go on
pretending...that someone somewhere will make a change’”. Apart from revealing that Africa’s
famine has gone unnoticed around the world, it calls listeners to take responsibility and
contribute to the cause in any way they can. Furthermore, the alliterative sibilance perhaps
signifies the magnitude of the lack of awareness by humans around the world and this
increases the urgency of the artists’ message to the world. Also, the third verse continues on
the idea of collectivism, with the line “We are all part of God’s great big family” sung by Billy
Joel and Tina Turner. Apart from fostering a greater sense of unity with the listeners as the
song goes on, this line is significant due to the Artists that are singing it. Billy Joel and Tina
Turner are both of different religions, yet they sing this line together about the idea of a single
god with one family. This promotes the idea of putting aside differences, such as race and
religion, and uniting to provide aid to Africa. This can be seen as an appeal to ethos as well, as
listeners may be persuaded and swayed by the 2 influential artists singing this line to follow in
their footsteps.

Chorus

After this comes the chorus! Iconic lines that were sung even years after 1985. The lines “We
are the world, we are the children” is a prime example of how repetition is used in the song as
not only is the entire chorus repeated ten times until the end, but the phrase “we are the” is
repeated thrice in the chorus! Once again, the collective pronoun “we” coupled with repetition
aims to place emphasis on the message that they aim to transmit. Another poetic device that
appears consistently throughout the chorus is metaphor. This is seen in the lines “we are the
world, we are the children” In the metaphor, he compares the listeners to the world and to
children. While Jackson is not literally insinuating that the collective "we" are "children," he is
using metaphor as a device to persuade the listener to feel responsible not only for themselves,
but also for the greater good—that is, the world and the children. This effectively manages to
evoke sympathy from the readers, not just once, but during all the times the chorus is repeated
in the song with hopes that listeners are persuaded to donate to the African aid by the time the
song is over.

Third Verse

The second instance of personification can be seen in the third verse, when Dionne Warwick
sings “Send them Your hearts” . Once again, although it is impossible to send someone your
heart, this personified line has a simple meaning, which is that showing Africans that you care
is enough, thus effectively prompting listeners to donate to the cause. The third verse also sees
Jackson makes a ​Biblical allusion,​ in the phrase "turning stones to bread." According to the
book of Matthew, "after Jesus had fasted for forty days and nights, the tempter challenged him
to turn stones to bread." This allusion is used to describe a miracle, of turning stones to bread,
and songwriters are trying to imply that hopefully there can be a miracle in the world which
would see everyone love each other, This biblical allusion is also significant as it implies to
listeners that helping others is a divine act and that it is God’s wish for us to do so. The allusion
helps the writers achieve their intended purpose as those listening, especially christians, may
be more inclined to donate after hearing this verse.

Bridge

The last verse before the repeating chorus is unique as it is the only verse in which rhyming
has been incorporated. Unlike most parts of the song which were written in free verse, the
bridge adds variety to the song. The rhyming scheme in the first and second lines “NO hope at
all, no way we can fall” and third and fourth lines “change can only come , together as one” do
contribute in making the song catchy to listeners, which could in turn increase its popularity
around the world and thus effectiveness in reaching a larger audience.

Conclusion

“We are the world” was a song which undoubtedly managed to achieve its intended purpose,
which was to raise money for Africans suffering from famine during that time. They managed
to raise $63 million ($144 million equivalent in Singapore dollars). This song is a prime
example of how language can be used to leave a lasting impact on its targeted community,
which in this song is not just one but a few. It includes but is not limited to fans of the
individual artists who recorded on the track, christians and music listeners around the world.
Both literary devices, such as sibilance, repetition and metaphors, and rhetorical devices , such
as ethos and pathos, were used to great effect in this song to increase the effect of persuasion!