說夠了肉類的話題,我們往後跳三十年,來到七十年代的英國。當時英國有一個很受歡迎的喜劇團體叫「Monty Python」,中譯「蒙提‧派森」、「蒙提巨蟒」或粵語譯音「踎低噴飯」,他們以新穎的搞笑演繹手法贏得觀眾愛戴。他們在文化圈及次文化圈影響深遠,例如電腦語言「Python」便是因為開發者鍾愛他們特以命名,而在很多遊戲中出現的怪獸「Killer Rabbit」(殺人兔子)和強力武器「Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch」(朗基努斯之手榴彈)等等皆出自他們的電影「Monty Python and the Holy Grail」。1970年12月,他們在BBC的電視節目「Monty Python's Flying Circus」中演出名為「SPAM」的短劇:
Her mind is Tiffany twisted She's got the Mercedes Benz She's got a lot of pretty, pretty boys That she calls friends 她的心思被名牌扭曲、她擁有高價的賓士車 她有很多很多稱作「朋友」的漂亮的男生
支持者說這是聖經啟示錄中形容的大淫婦。
So I called up the Captain Please bring me my wine He said We haven't had that spirit here since 1969 於是我喚來領班,請拿酒給我 他說1969年起就沒有那樣的烈酒
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 他們在主人房裡聚集赴宴 他們以鋼鐵小刀刺殺牠 但是卻不能殺死那野獸
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 在黑暗沙漠的公路上,冷風吹過我的頭髮 溫暖的柯利塔氣味在空氣中升起 在前面不遠處我看到閃爍燈光 我的頭愈來愈沉重,視線也愈來愈模糊 我必須留宿一晚
Colitas暗示大麻,吸食後當然會「My head grew heavy, and my sight grew dim」不能繼續駕車。
Mirrors on the ceiling Pink champagne on ice And she said We are all just prisoners here of our own device 天花板上的鏡子、冰鎮的粉紅香檳 她說我們都是自願成為這兒的囚犯
Relax said the nightman We are programed to receive You can check out any time you like But you can never leave 守夜的人說:「放鬆吧,我們是被設定作接收一切的。 你想任何時刻都可以結單,可是你永遠無法離開。」
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 Plenty of room at the Hotel California Any time of year You can find it here
Her mind is Tiffany twisted She's got the Mercedes bends She's 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 1969 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 face They're livin' it up at the Hotel California What a nice surprise, Bring your alibies
Mirrors on the ceiling 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 nightman, We are programmed to receive You can check out any time you like But you can never leave
歌曲中的主角,看到國家的理想精神淪落而感到痛苦,希望尋回昔日的美國(I had to find the passage back to the place I was before),可是即使他再痛苦,他也無法否定自己的國家。雖然他可以隨時離開國境(check out any time),但他永遠也是美國人(you can never leave)。
其實看一下Hotel California的大碟,「美國說」還有一個很好的支持論點。在這大碟裡,Hotel California是大碟的第一首歌曲,而最後的一首是The Last Resort。The Last Resort不比Hotel California易懂,但普遍認為是描述白人在美國開拓、以正義及上帝的名義犧牲原住民印地安人的故事(也有說是隱喻紐約市失去美國精神的可悲情況)。整片大碟也以美國的社會現像作主題,如果從這個角度來看,作為首尾呼應的話,拿毒品或精神病或撒旦跟美國立國(或更直接的美國精神)並論大概不太像樣。Eagles是一個很擅長製作概念大碟的樂團,若然考慮到這一點,以「美國精神的沒落」作為大碟開首,以「美國精神的錯誤建立」(或另一說法中的沒落)作為大碟結尾,整片大碟的「自省」的理念便很明顯。