[ ]   [ ]   [ ]                        [ ]      [ ]   [ ]
Eagles — The Last Resort
Album: Hotel California
Avg rating:
7.2

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1490









Released: 1977
Length: 7:27
Plays (last 30 days): 0
She came from Providence, the one in Rhode Island
Where the old world shadows hang heavy in the air
She packed her hopes and dreams like a refugee
Just as her father came across the sea

She heard about a place people were smilin'
They spoke about the red man's way, and how they loved the land
And they came from everywhere to the Great Divide
Seeking a place to stand or a place to hide

Down in the crowded bars, out for a good time,
Can't wait to tell you all, what it's like up there
And they called it paradise I don't know why
Somebody laid the mountains low while the town got high

Then the chilly winds blew down across the desert
Through the canyons of the coast, to the Malibu
Where the pretty people play, hungry for power
To light their neon way and give them things to do

Some rich men came and raped the land, nobody caught 'em
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus, people bought them
And they called it paradise the place to be
They watched the hazy sun, sinking in the sea

You can leave it all behind and sail to Lahaina
Just like the missionaries did, so many years ago
They even brought a neon sign: ''Jesus is coming''
Brought the white man's burden down, brought the white man's reign

Who will provide the grand design? What is yours and what is mine?
'Cause there is no more new frontier we have got to make it here
We satisfy our endless needs and justify our bloody deeds,
In the name of destiny and in the name of God

And you can see them there, on Sunday morning
Stand up and sing about what it's like up there
They call it paradise I don't know why
You call someplace paradise, kiss it goodbye
Comments (249)add comment
I recall hearing this song on Hotel California in the 70s. One of my favorites, then and since. It always seemed to make everything else unimportant during that 7 minutes or so.

I just decided to listen to it a few days ago, I don’t know why. I was blown away when I heard Lahaina in the lyrics. I had forgotten it was mentioned.

Isn’t it so strange, and often so sad, that history repeats itself and seems forgotten, but was mentioned in song so long ago.
The world in general is in a bad place right now. This song sums up perfectly the mentality behind that. It's so sad and it brings tears to my eyes.
 MickyLuv wrote:

This song has always brought a tear to my eye. More-so now.


Me, too.  Heard it first in a normally rowdy college dorm room.  My roommate brought it home early on a Saturday afternoon.   Closed the door and the curtains and listened in silence.

Still brings the goosebumps.

PS: LOVE the button-down white shirts and neckties in the Wikipedia photo!  
Don Henley is my kind of Texan!
And yes, William, it is capitalism as we know it.
I wonder how many who berate Henley and the other lads in the band actually know these guys?  Personally know them, enough to bash 'em?  It's cool to love or dislike the music but lots of folks chip away at the guys personally.  The world we live in these days it would seem.  

For what it's worth I toured with em for ages in the seventies and I have nothing terrible to say.  I guess you could say the usual ups and downs one would expect for touring with one of the world's most popular bands...  Pretty interesting times.  Lightning in a bottle if there ever was some.
 cvandoren wrote:

Cancel That, the pretentious lyrics and awful singing change this to a rare one for me.  I like some of the other songs on the album, but not this one.

Pretentious: "making usually unjustified or excessive claims (as of value or standing)"

I'm curious: What do you find pretentious in those lyrics? Did mountains not get laid low? Did rich men not rape the land? And the missionaries? Did they not have a clear role in cultural genocide of the Indigenous people? Were slaves not brought to work in the plantations? History tells us that is exactly what happened. 

Or do you find it pretentious to talk about how we humans "satisfy our endless needs and justify our bloody deeds"?  That seems to be an apt description of our consumerist society. 

Someone pointed to the fact that Henley owns multiple houses, and flies places. How does that relate to the lyrics? Does Henley not put his money where his mouth is?  

According to the Wikipedia article, in 1990, Henley founded the Walden Woods Project to protect Walden from development. (He won the 2019 Global Environmental Award for his work on this project. Henley also co-founded the non-profit Caddo Lake Institute in 1993 to further ecological education and research. 

As to his singing, you may not like his voice, but "awful singing"--sounds like an unjustified claim to me. 


 skindy wrote:

Whoa, the Wikipedia entry here links to the wrong Eagles. Don, Glenn and company didn't originate in Bristol, England!


A lot of things originate from here...
Whoa, the Wikipedia entry here links to the wrong Eagles. Don, Glenn and company didn't originate in Bristol, England!
Prophetic :(
You know Bill whenever you play this song and your comments about it, just makes me pull out my wallet and donate to paradise.
We call you radio paradise for a reason. 
We can never kiss you goodbye. 
Way too schmaltzy, sorry
not my 70s
Living here in the greater Boston area, I've been to Walden Woods and it is lovely. Until today I didn't know Henley's role in protecting it. I have no doubt it would be all condos and McMansions now were it not for Henley's actions and advocacy in the 90's. Seems the guy put his money where his mouth is, and I am grateful for both the park and this song.
Call someplace Paradise , Kiss it goodbye.  Yup I hear the Eagles call.
 redart wrote:

Anyone who rates this song less than a 5 is probably listening to the wrong radio station.



Nope, we just like different things.  I like Hold Tight by Goldfish better than this, and RP plays both songs. Something here for everyone!
 Businessgypsy wrote:
WTF? Is this Clear Channel? A calculated piece of fluff aping an anti-establishment, anti-corporate line to achieve very corporate goals by bilking the easily led. The pinnacle of insincerity.

They call it (radio) paradise
I don't know why
You call someplace (radio) paradise,
kiss it goodbye.





The only part of this post that makes any sense is.... WTF?
 Stratocaster wrote:

This would be a 10 for me if Henley wasn't such a prick.



Still gave it a high score. But wow, you're right. 
Great, great song. The repeated line 'They call it paradise .. I don't know why' is such a killer. Plus, I adore Don Henley's vocals -- I just love to hear him singing.
This would be a 10 for me if Henley wasn't such a prick.
 kingart wrote:


Hotel California, burning down.  Very very sad. And infuriating.  Years of inaction and defensive stupidity by "leaders" who could have at least made an attempt to take mitigating measures.  Have them come to the front lines and fight these fucking fires from hell.  
 

This song and its theme won't be getting passe or trite any time soon. 
 kingart wrote:
One of their best and finest songs. Thoughtful, it tries to raise the social conscience. The last few stanzas are killer. Americans really ought to listen to songs like this and apply it to their own lives. As long as there are artists like these, no audience can say they were never warned. 
 

Hotel California, burning down.  Very very sad. And infuriating.  Years of inaction and defensive stupidity by "leaders" who could have at least made an attempt to take mitigating measures.  Have them come to the front lines and fight these fucking fires from hell.  
Music - 7 
Words and intention - 9 

The average is an 8, which may in these fookin' times may be less than it deserves. 
"We satisfy our endless needs
and justify our bloody deeds,
In the name of destiny
and in the name of God." 
Change the arrangement, lose the too-sweet strings and lazy percussion, and this could pass as a Mark Knopfler song.  
When any other Eagles song plays on RP, I reflexively hit PSD. For this one, I stop whatever else I'm doing to listen and think.
 master_betty wrote:
What a boring song. Please kill me. Kill me now.
 
No way - better to let you suffer the emptiness of living with yourself.

I notice a ref to Paradise!
 kingart wrote:
These lyrics can be read in two largely different ways.  Watch for the missing comma, between Jesus and people:

Some rich men came and raped the land, nobody caught 'em
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus, people bought them

or

Some rich men came and raped the land, nobody caught 'em
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus people bought them
 

Nah. The way he pronounces Jesus clearly means "Jesus! People bought them". Also the context suggests that meaning way more than the other.
These lyrics can be read in two largely different ways.  Watch for the missing comma, between Jesus and people:

Some rich men came and raped the land, nobody caught 'em
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus, people bought them

or

Some rich men came and raped the land, nobody caught 'em
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus people bought them
Still awesome and way too true globally today.
 redart wrote:
Anyone who rates this song less than a 5 is probably listening to the wrong radio station.
 
Amen to that. It's a very thoughtful and get-fucking-real-people kind of track. 
Anyone who rates this song less than a 5 is probably listening to the wrong radio station.
This song has always brought a tear to my eye. More-so now.
Apparently, the town was named after a gold rush era saloon and casino called the Pair o' Dice.
OK, the song is fine.  But, after hearing it *EVERY DAY* I've listened to the mellow "mix", I'm really tired of it.
One of their best and finest songs. Thoughtful, it tries to raise the social conscience. The last few stanzas are killer. Americans really ought to listen to songs like this and apply it to their own lives. As long as there are artists like these, no audience can say they were never warned. 
The lyrics really make this song.  I've grown tired of 99% of the Eagles music I hear, but this always makes me stop what I am doing and listen intently.  
 cvandoren wrote:

Cancel That, the pretentious lyrics and awful singing change this to a rare one for me.  I like some of the other songs on the album, but not this one.

 
The lyrics are prophetic, not pretentious.  An American tragedy whose costs we're only beginning to understand.  
 midreaming wrote:

..has the nutritional value of wonder bread



 
I'm not sure if any music has ever had any nutritional value at all.  I imagine you are suggesting that The Eagles were the cultural equivalent of what Wonder Bread was to nutrition.  I agree with that suggestion.
 lkovathana wrote:
I've always loved this song.  Who doesn't?

 

There's always one in every crowd: 


Jeff Bridges as The Big Lebowski



In this scene, we learn that the Dude does not always abide: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JlmvtAHhnc


Guess you had to be there to appreciate this music.  I wasn't, and I don't!
 fatcatjb wrote:
Love Jackson Browne, loathe the Eagles. Doesn't make sense to me, either
 
I was thinking almost the same thing when reading the comment right above this one. Maybe my tastes are swayed by pop culture and hippness (hey the dude f***ing hates them!) or maybe its these terrible strings that just started while I was writing.
I like the Eagles, and I love this song.  I think I kinda like haters though too lol, as long as they entertain.  Their uncontrollable urge to "express" their authoritative disdain for a tune that is a 7+ and others appreciate.  Bring it, but do a little soul searching.  What is it really?  Did a Don Henley clone have an extramarital thing with ur mammy?  Denied by the jock when Witchy Woman was on the 8 track? 

..has the nutritional value of wonder bread


 funkyalfonso wrote:
Thank you Eagles. Your timelessly boring and unoriginal music was a great influence in starting the Punk movement. They had to react to that poppy, self-indulgent dross.
 
I think the Punk movement was driven by a lot more than the Eagles and their genre of music. Maybe to a small degree, a very small degree. That said, while not a true Eagles fan, they do have their place in the musical landscape and it's nice that Bill includes them in small doses here on RP.
 lkovathana wrote:
I've always loved this song.  Who doesn't?
 


me...
 lkovathana wrote:
I've always loved this song.  Who doesn't?
 
...me....

...and YES....the wiki-link is great...hehe....
{#Clap}
Love the wiki link on this song :D
Thank you Eagles. Your timelessly boring and unoriginal music was a great influence in starting the Punk movement. They had to react to that poppy, self-indulgent dross.
 helgigermany wrote:
Why you listeners dont like the eagles music? Can you tell me?
  It's an interesting question. In the US it was more or less the correct response among the more hip folks to disdain the Eagles, although I was never certain why. In Japan I met an Irish fellow who was into the hip European bands of the day, many of which I had never heard, but mysteriously, he liked the Eagles. It caused me to wonder, as I still do, why certain aspects of culture acquire reputations that have little or nothing to do with their merits. For example, hating the Grateful Dead seems to be de rigueur in many circles. Why? Because that's what one does, I suppose. My memories of life in the Arizona desert are intertwined with Eagles music, so I cannot and will not be impartial.


 CamLwalk wrote:
Lebowski
 
The Eagles were one of my favorite bands through the '70s. Now I just find the majority of music produced by Henley & Co. to be just depressing. That, and terrestrial AOR stations killed the experience for me. I hope I never have to hear anything from this album in particular ever again.
Love Jackson Browne, loathe the Eagles. Doesn't make sense to me, either
 QuestionMark wrote:
The American Beatles! See them if you can. Perfection on stage!
 
no, sorry, very different bands, indeed a very different time and very different place.  why compare?    just further along in the album rack (or further down the list in iTumes, winamp, etc etc)

oh and a few cd encoding clicks on this one too, especially in the quiet piano bit in the middle.
Bye.
Great song. Certainly showcases Don Henley's voice.
 QuestionMark wrote:
The American Beatles! See them if you can. Perfection on stage!
 
The Beagles?
No apologies.  I love this song.
Lebowski
I've always loved this song.  Who doesn't?
I'm not a huge fan of the Eagles, but this song gets a 10!
The American Beatles! See them if you can. Perfection on stage!
 cvandoren wrote:
Interesting seqway after John Prine's Paradise.  References to paradise here, plus the obvious connection to ruining the land.  Still don't like the long though, a Ho-Hum for me.
 
Maybe what you don't get is the bitter irony hidden beneath the Ho-Hum?
Just a great band......
Just finished reading Don Felder's book on his 27 years in the Eagles.  Interesting read!
 cvandoren wrote:
Interesting seqway after John Prine's Paradise.  References to paradise here, plus the obvious connection to ruining the land.  Still don't like the long though, a Ho-Hum for me.
 
Cancel That, the pretentious lyrics and awful singing change this to a rare one for me.  I like some of the other songs on the album, but not this one.
Ha! Check it out: If you click on the "Artist's Website" above you are sent to the Philadelphia Eagles website.  Who plays better??{#Cheesygrin}
Interesting seqway after John Prine's Paradise.  References to paradise here, plus the obvious connection to ruining the land.  Still don't like the long though, a Ho-Hum for me.
hate almost everything from the eagles, but LOVE this song! dont know why ...
What a great frickin year! I remember being blown away by this album and if the "New Kid In Town" were removed from it (because it was about the only damn song played constantly) how PERFECT this was/is. In retrospect... I still can't stand (the) "New Kid In Town" {#Cool} Still sounds good after all this time (less you know who...).
What a bunch of elitist snobs.  Gave this a 9.
 Ears_of_Stone wrote:
If only we could live the the "green" lifestyle of Don. Flying everywhere on expensive, polluting airliners & private jets to visit his multiple, large homes. {#Drummer}

 

Ye Ye we ALWAYS got to have an Eagles Basher... these guys contributed so much to the music scene and all you got to say is a load of Utter tripe .. Get out from under those hoofs and look at the world in a Positive manner not joining the Green lemmings.. Needless to say I have been a fan of 'The Eagles'' for years.

Why you listeners dont like the eagles music? Can you tell me?
The Last Resort - Los Angeles not Bill's Paradise, CA
...          Yawn
If only we could live the the "green" lifestyle of Don. Flying everywhere on expensive, polluting airliners & private jets to visit his multiple, large homes. {#Drummer}

What a boring song. Please kill me. Kill me now.
 Businessgypsy wrote:
WTF? Is this Clear Channel? A calculated piece of fluff aping an anti-establishment, anti-corporate line to achieve very corporate goals by bilking the easily led. The pinnacle of insincerity.

They call it (radio) paradise
I don't know why
You call someplace (radio) paradise,
kiss it goodbye.


 

you forgot POWER TO THE PEOPLE mannnnnnn {#Devil_pimp}

Aw Man, I hate the f***ing Eagles - The Dude


 jagdriver wrote:
I hated this LP then and continue to loathe it today. It was, in effect, shoved down our throats by terrestrial radio and the media machine.
 
Yes, I never really liked this album, or band, very much and there was no escaping any of it back then.  They made plenty of other folks happy, so I suppose the did their jobs well.


just heard the lyrics -
'if you call somewhere paradise, kiss it goodbye'

- how true.  Who would have thought such an over-played and pedestrian song (to my ears) would have such a profound lyric?!!!
On_The_Beach wrote:

A minor point, but the line is:
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus, people bought 'em.

Webfoot wrote:


Now they can't sell 'em. 
 
                                    {#Lol}  Hilarious Comment!

Memories of renting a tour bus and 40 of my friends jumping on it for a raod trip to Montreal to see the Eagles with Jimmy Buffet warming up. We had the bus loaded and had a huge ghetto blaster up in teh luggage rack blasting the LP /tape there and back. To huge garbage cans full of ice and beer and well you can guess the rest
 Cynaera wrote:

I like my version better. {#Roflol}
 
considering all the other jesus references, i'm not so sure your version is wrong.  it's implied at the least!

The modern American anthem. So sad.
"Who will provide the grand design?
What is yours and what is mine?
'Cause there is no more new frontier
We have got to make it here

We satisfy our endless needs and
justify our bloody deeds,
in the name of destiny and the name of God."



 Webfoot wrote:
Now they can't sell 'em. 
 
Damn, ain't that the sad truth.

 Businessgypsy wrote:
WTF? Is this Clear Channel? A calculated piece of fluff aping an anti-establishment, anti-corporate line to achieve very corporate goals by bilking the easily led. The pinnacle of insincerity.

They call it (radio) paradise
I don't know why
You call someplace (radio) paradise,
kiss it goodbye.


 
Thank you for your simplistic and uninformed analysis. We'll keep your resume on file. No, we, uh, have your phone number.

a nice outro and the tail end of a massively popular album and career...until Hell froze over....
 jagdriver wrote:
I hated this LP then and continue to loathe it today. It was, in effect, shoved down our throats by terrestrial radio and the media machine.
 
My favorite Eagles album, and one of my favorite Eagles song.  Thanks RP!
WTF? Is this Clear Channel? A calculated piece of fluff aping an anti-establishment, anti-corporate line to achieve very corporate goals by bilking the easily led. The pinnacle of insincerity.

They call it (radio) paradise
I don't know why
You call someplace (radio) paradise,
kiss it goodbye.


 On_The_Beach wrote:

A minor point, but the line is:
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus, people bought 'em.
 

Now they can't sell 'em. 
I hated this LP then and continue to loathe it today. It was, in effect, shoved down our throats by terrestrial radio and the media machine.
Only time I saw them was one of Bill Graham's "Day on the Green" series at the Oakland-Alameda Co. Coliseum. Heart (on their Little Queen tour) opened, followed by the Steve Miller Band (on their Fly Like an Eagle tour). The Eagles, touring behind Hotel California, were amazing. The Atlanta Rhythm Section (A Rock and Roll Alternative) played at some point, and Wiki sez Foreigner played, too, but I don't remember them. At the very end, The Eagles came back out with Steve Miller and Boz Scaggs (who'd started with Miller) and they played a massive version of Chuck Berry's "Carol" with Walsh, Felder, Frey, Miller, and Scaggs all taking turns at lead. Excesssive? Well, somewhat, but this was the '70s, the playing was amazing, and no one seemed to mind.
had to push this... from 9 to 10.
did i say before i really hate the eagles, normally? it´s a fact!

but this song is ... yes... godlike :-)
I know it is not popular to like this song or the Eagles, but I like what I like! 8
 shutter wrote:
OK, I'll take the contrarian view amidst the Eagles fans.  I think the song is boring. The music is pretty bland and over-produced,  I think. The singing is especially boring. The lyrics appear to be the typical anti-establishment lamentations with a wistful generalization of dangers of greed and self-interest, "why can't we all get along" and "be kind to Mother Earth", etc.  Pretty much the standard expression of disappointment with the status quo. Welcome to the human race.

Since this track is like many anti-U.S. songs, I don't think I've never heard many songs from Neil Young, The Eagles or others that extol the virtues of living in Cuba, France or the UK - or, perhaps, Scandinavia - or of people's epiphanies after having sought-out, arrived and lived in those places.  They may be out there but I've not heard any played here. 

This song just seems to bemoan how great thing could be if there were just more good, decent people who didn't have any of those icky, jejune religious beliefs, or were less interested in the success and wealth that cause so many problems for folks who don't share those aspirations - like the rock stars and celebrities so many people worship and emulate.

I'll go along with the perception - and reality - of the plastic nature of much of society and the hyper-obsessed drive to have and consume more, but the song doesn't address the folks who are able to avoid  these evils and somehow manage to lead satisfied, meaningful lives.  That's just another story someone else may have written.

So that's just what *I* see in these lyrics and my US$0.02.  Lyrics, like poetry and visual art, can be interpreted many ways.  That's just what I got from this song.  I was never much of an Eagles fan although there are a number of their songs I do like - but just not this one.  I guess that's kinda obvious at this point.

Sorry to intrude! I'll decline the frontal lobotomy and settle for a bottle in front o' me...
  Shutter - you think too hard. Thank goodness.  I still love this song, because it states what I can't tactfully put into words of my own, especially now. Back when this song was written, people still had ideals and could relate to the rape of the land and the corruption of the government.  It seemed to be a harbinger of the future, and lo and behold, it's accurate today.  I don't see it as an "anti-U.S." song, but I do see it as prophecy fulfilled.

And for the record, I'd love to live in Finland, Denmark, or some off-the-grid island, but since I'm stuck here in the U.S., I'll continue to make the best of things. (The bomb-shelter is in process, and there's a pantry for stockpiling canned goods.) {#Whistle}


 On_The_Beach wrote:

A minor point, but the line is:
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus, people bought 'em.
 
I like my version better. {#Roflol}
OK, I'll take the contrarian view amidst the Eagles fans.  I think the song is boring. The music is pretty bland and over-produced,  I think. The singing is especially boring. The lyrics appear to be the typical anti-establishment lamentations with a wistful generalization of dangers of greed and self-interest, "why can't we all get along" and "be kind to Mother Earth", etc.  Pretty much the standard expression of disappointment with the status quo. Welcome to the human race.

Since this track is like many anti-U.S. songs, I don't think I've never heard many songs from Neil Young, The Eagles or others that extol the virtues of living in Cuba, France or the UK - or, perhaps, Scandinavia - or of people's epiphanies after having sought-out, arrived and lived in those places.  They may be out there but I've not heard any played here. 

This song just seems to bemoan how great thing could be if there were just more good, decent people who didn't have any of those icky, jejune religious beliefs, or were less interested in the success and wealth that cause so many problems for folks who don't share those aspirations - like the rock stars and celebrities so many people worship and emulate.

I'll go along with the perception - and reality - of the plastic nature of much of society and the hyper-obsessed drive to have and consume more, but the song doesn't address the folks who are able to avoid  these evils and somehow manage to lead satisfied, meaningful lives.  That's just another story someone else may have written.

So that's just what *I* see in these lyrics and my US$0.02.  Lyrics, like poetry and visual art, can be interpreted many ways.  That's just what I got from this song.  I was never much of an Eagles fan although there are a number of their songs I do like - but just not this one.  I guess that's kinda obvious at this point.

Sorry to intrude! I'll decline the frontal lobotomy and settle for a bottle in front o' me...
Trop jeune pour connaitre les Beatles en action,mais assez jeune pour connaitre The Eagles {#Guitarist}


Jesus People, Dear Readers.
 Shesdifferent wrote:
One of their better songs
 
Completely agree... and with the Radio Paradise HD, I just can't quit watching!  Sheesh.. doesn't Bill realize I have to WORK!!!!!!
One of their better songs
 Cynaera wrote:
. . . Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus-people bought 'em . . .
 
A minor point, but the line is:
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus, people bought 'em.


Not a big Eagles fan, but credit where credit's due: this is a classic song.
The Eagles were always too cheesey for me........except for THIS SONG!  Thank you for playing this!
Right up there with Prine's "Paradise"
I remember the first time I heard this song, when the album was released. I sat cross-legged on the floor of my bedroom. The house was empty - Mom and Dad were at the grocery store, and my brother was doing what older brothers do (getting stuck in ditches, pulling people out of ditches, exploring the mountains and breaching gate-barricaded roads far too enticing to ignore.)

I sat and listened, and everything about the song made me feel.  I wept, and I thought, and I became involved in something called "Humanity."

I still can't listen to this song without crying. Of all the wonderful things the Eagles have given us in music, this one song still stands, in my mind, as an icon.

Can't vouch for the lyrics, but who the frell is "Papa Roach?" Apparently, he's done a "last resort" song that the mindless monkeymass is enamored of - it took several tries to get the lyrics to the REAL "Last Resort."

So - for whatever it's worth...

She came from Providence,
the one in Rhode Island
Where the old world shadows hang
heavy in the air
She packed her hopes and dreams
like a refugee
Just as her father came across the sea

She heard about a place people were smilin'
They spoke about the red man's way,
and how they loved the land
And they came from everywhere
to the Great Divide
Seeking a place to stand
or a place to hide

Down in the crowded bars,
out for a good time,
Can't wait to tell them all,
what it's like up there
And they called it paradise
I don't know why
Somebody laid the mountains low
while the town got high

Then the chilly winds blew down
Across the desert
through the canyons of the coast, to
the Malibu
Where the pretty people play,
hungry for power
to light their neon way
and give them things to do

Some rich men came and raped the land,
Nobody caught 'em
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus-people bought 'em
And they called it paradise
The place to be
They watched the hazy sun, sinking in the sea

You can leave it all behind
and sail to Lahaina
just like the missionaries did, so many years ago
They even brought a neon sign: "Jesus is coming"
Brought the white man's burden down
Brought the white man's reign

Who will provide the grand design?
What is yours and what is mine?
'Cause there is no more new frontier
We have got to make it here

We satisfy our endless needs and
justify our bloody deeds,
in the name of destiny and the name
of God

And you can see them there,
On Sunday morning
They stand up and sing about
what it's like up there
They call it paradise
I don't know why
You call someplace paradise,
and kiss it goodbye

 

Anyone who calls this song "boring" needs therapy. Or perhaps a pre-frontal lobotomy.




OMG! Thank you!!!! Eagles are not one of my favorites,  but I absolutely ADORE this  song. it is in my all time top 5. It is the most powerful, image provoking, thought provoking  songs out there, and it kicks butt, too.  And that's not just because I moved from Providence, RI to the open west, no not the malibu, and finding the warts. It's my job to stop those ugly boxes from going up.

the eagles rank very high in my "most-hated-bands-of-all-time"-list. there is exactly 1 song i really like... no.... i do not like it, i love it. di you guess xD - it´s "the last resort".
alright. this is as kitschy as you can go, even more. but somehow they managed to give this song a i-do-not-know-what-it-is-but-it-works quality that is nothing less than unforgettable
 HazzeSwede wrote:
So,14 Beatles tracks to 2 Eagles ! A good ratio ?
 {#Whisper} The Eagles,,"Long Road Out Of Eden" ain't all that bad ! IMHO,of course.
 
14 Beatles tracks is excessive, right enough - I'd not known there were that many on the playlist. I was really thinking of the ratio of old to new music, though there's plenty enough new music on RP to keep me listening and contributing.


 fredriley wrote:

Maybe not. The classic/modern balance on RP is ok at the minute, perhaps a little skewed to the classics for my liking but enough new music is played so that it doesn't turn into a Golden Oldies station. Just the occasional Eagles track will do, thanks, particularly when they go  on as long as this one.
  So,14 Beatles tracks to 2 Eagles ! A good ratio ?
 {#Whisper} The Eagles,,"Long Road Out Of Eden" ain't all that bad ! IMHO,of course.


 HazzeSwede wrote:
So.maybe one or two more Eagles' tracks?{#Ask}
 
Maybe not. The classic/modern balance on RP is ok at the minute, perhaps a little skewed to the classics for my liking but enough new music is played so that it doesn't turn into a Golden Oldies station. Just the occasional Eagles track will do, thanks, particularly when they go  on as long as this one.


Bill, don't apologize for the Eagles.. This music is foretelling.  It's beautiful, thanks for playing it.
So.maybe one or two more Eagles' tracks?{#Ask}
This is one of the few Eagles song that I kinda sorta like.
 Photo-John wrote:
Epic. This is one of my very favorite Eagles songs.

"Call something paradise, kiss it goodbye."
 

I wore the tape out on this one...and my parents record...CD is still going strong though...

Epic. This is one of my very favorite Eagles songs.

"Call something paradise, kiss it goodbye."
Still as relevant today as it was when it came out......Amen!!!!  Thanks Bill....
F***'n Eagles.  F*** the Eagles Dude.  Let's go bowling.

— Achiever. 
The Eagles wrote some great stuff.  Thanks Bill for reminding your listeners...