Probably more 1970s college Bible study groups than anyone cares to remember spend way too much time dissecting lyrics for "Meaning" in popular songs. I'm certain that included the Eagles' iconic "Hotel California." But if you want a real trip through time and space, go watch "Thanatos Palace Hotel" on the reruns of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. I raced to Google, and couldn't find anything relating the two from any quote from the Eagles, but about a half-dozen people besides myself noticed the similarities
SPOILERS ALERT
It was a hotel in California
In the Desert
The guests could "check out" any time they liked, but they could never leave
There was champagne on ice
There was a reference to knives
There was a reference to dancing in an outside courtyard
Angie Dickinson was a central character, and she had a lot of "customers" she called men
A wine steward played an important role
Guests were "visited" in the middle of the night
The phrase "We are all prisoners here" was a line of dialogue.
After I heard that. I thought: what if I hear "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device"? Not quite, but just a few minutes later, one of the characters said "He's just as much a captive of his own devices." I just about fell out of my chair.
Unfortunately, besides the six or so actual human beings writing comments about the similarities, by far the most common cross reference entries on Google are "fee for service" school essays whose theme is comparing "Hotel California" with "Thanatos Palace Hotel." Sigh. The TV and music of my youth are now just the fodder for bad, ghostwritten highschool English essays.
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