Hotel California is the fifth studio album by American rock band the Eagles. The album is one of the best selling albums of all time. There were 3 singles released from the album, each reaching high in the Billboard Hot 100. Take a look below for 22 more interesting and fascinating facts about the Eagles’ Hotel California album.

1. The album became the band’s best selling album after their Greatest Hits, with over 16 million copies sold in the United States and over 32 million copies sold worldwide.

2. Hotel California ranked number 37 on the Rolling Stones list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

3. The album was recorded by Bill Szymczyk at the Criteria and Record Plant studios between March and October 1976, and then released on Asylum in December.

4. This was their first album with guitarist Joe Walsh, who had replaced the founding member Bernie Leadon.

5. This is the last album to feature bassist Randy Meisner.

6. The front cover of Hotel California is a photograph of the Beverly Hills Hotel by David Alexander.

7. The album topped the charts and won the band two Grammy Awards for “Hotel California” and “New Kid in Town.”

8. On the title “Hotel California,” Henley said that the word “California” carries with it all kinds of connotations, powerful imagery and mystique, that fires the imagination of people in all corners of the globe.

9. For Hotel California, the band made a conscious decision to move away from country rock and wrote some songs that are more rock and roll, such as “Victim of Love” and “Life in the Fast Lane.”

10. The melody of the title track, “Hotel California,” was written by Don Felder. Don Henley wrote most of the lyrics, with contributions from Glenn Frey. Henley stated that the hotel had become a, “literal and symbolic focal point of their lives at that time.”

11. The album was recorded between March and October, 1976, at Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida and Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles, California, and it was produced by Bill Szymczyk.

12. According to Henley in a 1982 interview, the Eagles, “probably peaked on Hotel California.” Henley said, “After that, we started growing apart as collaborators and as friends.”

13. While the photograph that was used for the front cover was taken by David Alexander, the design and art direction was done by Kosh. According to Kosh, Henley wanted him to find a place that can portray the Hotel California of the album title and, “portray it with a slightly sinister edge.”

14. David Alexander took the picture 60 feet above Sunset Boulevard on top of a cherry picker. As the picture was taken from an unfamiliar position in a fading light, most people didn’t recognize the hotel. However, when it was found that it was the Beverly Hills Hotel, the hotel threatened legal action over the use of the picture.

15. The back album cover was taken in the lobby of the Lido Hotel in Hollywood. The gatefold picture shows the same lobby but with the band members and their friends.

16. Kosh designed a Hotel California logo as a neon sign which was used on the album cover and in its promotional materials.

17. In 2001, the television network VH1 placed Hotel California at number 38 on their 100 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

18. The album was ranked 13th in a 2005 survey held by British television’s Channel 4 to find out what the 100 greatest albums of all time were.

19. The song “Hotel California” was ranked number 49 on Rolling Stones’ list of “The Greatest 500 Songs of All Time.”

20. The guitar duet at the end of the “Hotel California” song was performed by Don Felder and Joe Walsh.

21. The band manager, Irving Azoff, refused requests by the Grammy producer for the band to attend or perform at the ceremony unless a win was guaranteed.

22. In 2001, Hote California was certified 16 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.