Analysis of the Chord Progression for Hotel California

[rlrhett]

I was playing an old favorite from bygone years when I realized I didn't really understand how it might work from a functional harmony perspective. Ted Green said you should always learn new chord progressions as roman numerals either with reference to the named key or to the passing tonal centers. I realized that with this seemingly simple tune, I wasn't sure how to do that.

It is usually written as an eight bar progression:

|--Bm--|--F#7--|--Amaj--|--Emaj--|--Gmaj--|--Dmaj--|--Em--|--F#7--|

The melody distilled to its key notes (one note per chord):

F#("On a...")
E("...wind in my hair...")
E("...smell of colitas...")
E("...through the air..."
G("Up ahead...)
D("...light!)
E("...head grew heavy...")
F#("...had to stop...night")

So how would that break down in functional harmony? I realize there must be a big gap in my knowledge if this sounds so natural and common and yet I don't recognize it at all. It all sounds very Bm/Dmaj, but I'm having trouble understanding it from that perspective.

Dmaj:
vi-III7-V-II-IV-I-ii-III7?

or

Bmin:
i-V7-bVII-IV-VI-III-iv-V7

or

Bmin:
i-V7-bVII-IV

Dmaj:
IV-I-ii-III7

or

Bmin:
i-V7

[Emaj:
IV-I]

Bmin:
VI-III-iv-V7

or...?

Thanks

[Pycroft]

Strong descending chromatic line in a minor key .

Incidentally same chords as this Jethro Tull song

Also V. similar to this

The original precedent is probably some Baroque piece , it has that sort of ' Didos' lament ' vibe .

[bako]

Bm | % | A | % | G | % | F#7 | % ||

How would you analyze this reduction?

This is the essence of the progression but each of the first three chords each have an auxiliary V chord
that creates some nice linear voice leading.

Bm F#
A E
G D

and the V7 (F#7) is preceded by the IVm (Em)

[rlrhett]

Bm | % | A | % | G | % | F#7 | % ||

How would you analyze this reduction?

This is the essence of the progression but each of the first three chords each have an auxiliary V chord
that creates some nice linear voice leading.

Bm F#
A E
G D

and the V7 (F#7) is preceded by the IVm (Em)

Thank you Bako. That is really helpful. I am unfamiliar with the concept of an non-functional auxiliary chords, although it makes sense. Walking two voices down on these two bar static chords gives it a lot of movement that supports the overall diatonic descent from Bm to F#.

I've Googled "auxiliary chord" and found sparse information. Is it possible that it the concept is known by another name, or is there a resource you can suggest to become more familiar with the concept and use? I don't know if this is "music theory 101" in college, but I am entirely self-taught and this is the first I've come across this.

Thanks!

[bako]

Don't look too hard for auxiliary chords. I was using the expression in an informal way.

Let me play another juggle the progression around game to perhaps shed some light on the functionality
of this chord combination.

Reversing the order of the 1st three chord pairs:

F#7 Bm // E A // D G > Em F#

The song just present these same elements in reverse order.

[rlrhett]

Yes, but that was what was confusing me. The V lead to I, reversing that and going I-V didn't make sense to me (unless followed by the I, as in I-V-I). I suppose that is what threw everything off for me. I don't really know why I-V that doesn't resolve to the I works. Especially since it sounds resolved at the end of the two bar phrase.

I guess it can be thought of as a series of plagal cadences. It does somewhat sound like a series of three descending "Ah-men" that walks back up to the root in the last two bars.

[bako]

I am just sharing my observations for better or worse.

Bm A G F# is a common sequence in Flamenco music and elsewhere.
Im bVII bVI V7 Aeolian and a borrowed dominant.

I > V is a half cadence.
In the same way, multiple chords in a key can each have a secondary dominant,
this could be described as a sequence of unresolved half cadences, attached to
the frame of this typical minor sequence.

[OneIFourIVFiveV]

Bako, your answers here regarding Hotel California's progression are really helping me see what's going on. I never considered that from the start it's all about going to the V chord of every other chord. And the flamenco progression aspect instantly made me think of Sultan's of Swing. No wonder Hotel and Sultan's are two of my favorite songs.

To help me see what basic key the song is in am I correct in thinking these would be the chord numbers you'd assign: Bm(vi), A(V), G(IV), F#7(iii, but played Major, so III?). Then, G(IV) goes to D(I) followed by Em(vii diminished, but played as a minor?). Or is there some key changes happening during the progression?

I know my brain tries it's best to cram any song I'm learning into my understanding of the 7 diatonic chords.

Thanks again for enlightening me this much in just a few of your comments!

[SoftwareGuy]

Hotel California harmony moves through a circle of 5ths; just like the Jimi Hendrix tune Hey Joe.

[Christian Miller]

|--Bm--|--F#7--|--Amaj--|--Emaj--|--Gmaj--|--Dmaj--|--Em--|--F#7--|

it’s a variant lamento!

which is to say similar to No Moon At All.

Bm F#7/A# A E/G# G D/F# etc

However the B-A#-A-G#-G-F# is in the middle voices and the bass leaps. Not sure if there’s a name for that.

[Christian Miller]

Regarding Bakos point (from 2019) the chromatic lamento can be through an embellished version of the diatonic one, which looks like the Adulsian/flamenco cadence

Bm A G F#

Embellished with a chromatic first inv major triad every other chord and you are almost there

Bm F#/A# A E/G# G D/F# (evade the V by going to Em)

[ragman1]

Analysis of the Chord Progression for Hotel California


Somehow I missed this.

Do you really need to analyse this? It's not in Bm, it's in Am played with capos. Check out any live video. This isn't one of Wayne Shorter's mysterious tunes or Schoenberg poring over one of his scores, this is a bunch of guys on weed throwing a few chords together and, eventually, and I mean eventually, coming up with a rock song, mostly about drugs.

There's nothing interesting about the chords at all, it's all just Am stuff. Every folk song has these chords in it, especially Mexican ones.

Am E7 G D F C Dm

So that's that. I'm not saying it's not a good song, by the way, it's okay. I like the Eagles' laid back style a lot but musically it's nothing special.

What's far more interesting is the lyrics. Try analysing them. Good luck with that!

[ragman1]

[Lionelsax]

I call this the "Hey Joe Syndrome" !
Playing everything backward.

[wolflen]

"..its got a good beat and you can dance to it..."

Don Felder (? sp) has the credit for writing the song..and he is said to have created the entire solo..though that is part of
the legal trouble he has (had) with the band

Rag...really like you dig on the Eagles..

yes the flavor of the "circle of fifths" is the main motion of the progression - with a couple of twists

what I would love to see is a vid of Felder showing Joe Walch how to play his part on the song,,now THAT would be interesting

[ragman1]

Lyin' Eyes, innit?

ii - IV - I Nice.

And all the rest of those great songs... takes me way back, I can tell you. Hopeless romantic :-)

[pingu]

I know this is old
but anyway ….

So it could be played

7x777x
6x467x
5x467x
4x245x
3x245x
2x023x
022000
2x4320

yes makes sense , I like it a lot

[pingu]

This type of movement is apparent
in other tunes

yes No moon at all Mr C

also

‘To make you feel my love’ by Dylan

‘How insensitive’ Jobim

any more for any more ?

[pingu]

anyone worked out the solo ?

I think I’ll have a go at it
there’s some good lines in there

[pauln]

Hotel CA has always sounded very predictable to me. The Eagles played some much nicer tunes with more subtle and complex harmonies*...

I don't know if it would be properly called the C section of the form, or the bridge, or the interlude of Tequila Sunrise at the 2 minute mark, but the chords are carefully "folded"...

I think of it as an interlude because it is a temporary one time movement away from G with a nice return to G.
I think of it as "folded" because of the use of both major and minor versions of the chords rooted on A, B, and E.

G
Am D
Bm E
Am B
Em A
G...

That is just beautiful composition - so much with just a few chords. A hint as to the progression analysis - looks like pairs of minor to major type changes, but also notice that you can play all these chords using strings 2 3 4 like this(!):

xx000x G
xx555x Am
xx777x D
xx777x Bm
xx999x E
xx555x Am
xx444x B
xx000x Em
xx222x A
xx000x G

or even like this, which is perhaps more geometrically suggestive of composition

xxx555 Am
xx777x D

xxx777 Bm
xx999x E

xxx555 Am
xx444x B

xxx000 Em
xx222x A

*A college in the 70s there were two main watering holes, the Crystal Pistol (blue jeans, beer, popcorn, and hours of continuous Eagles) and The Bombay Bicycle Club (dress up, drinks, kitchen, Steely Dan and such); I spent lots of time in both.

[pingu]

yes that’s a nice bridge

secondary dominants on the 6 chord
and on the 3 chord

It rises up subtly the falls back
gently to another Tequila Sunrise

we better not turn this into an Eagles
thread , there’ll be complaints
from the jazz police