Eagles – The Last Resort

About The Song

“The Last Resort” is a sweeping, cinematic track written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey, closing the Eagles’ 1976 album Hotel California, released on December 8, 1976, by Asylum Records. The album, their fifth studio effort, hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, sold over 32 million copies worldwide, and earned a Grammy for Record of the Year for “Hotel California.” While not released as a single, “The Last Resort” became a fan favorite and critical standout, praised for its lyrical depth and lush arrangement. Clocking in at 7:28, it’s one of the band’s longest songs, featuring Henley on lead vocals, Frey on piano, and Joe Walsh’s pedal steel guitar, with orchestral strings arranged by Jim Ed Norman.

Recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami and The Record Plant in Los Angeles in 1976, the song was produced by Bill Szymczyk. Henley conceived the idea, inspired by his concern over environmental destruction and unchecked development, particularly in places like Hawaii and the American West. He described it as a commentary on “the rape of the land,” reflecting on how paradise is paved over for profit, from missionaries to corporations. Frey contributed the melody and chord structure, while Henley penned the lyrics, drawing on historical imagery like the Spanish missions and modern greed. The song’s narrative traces a woman’s journey from Providence, Rhode Island, to a pristine Western landscape, only to witness its exploitation, ending with the line, “You call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye.”

The track emerged during a pivotal time for the Eagles, as they transitioned from country-rock to a more sophisticated sound after Bernie Leadon’s departure and Walsh’s arrival. Henley, in a 1994 interview, called it a “history lesson” about American expansionism, though he avoided labeling it a protest song. Its recording was meticulous, with multiple takes to perfect the layered instrumentation, including Don Felder’s 12-string guitar and Timothy B. Schmit’s harmonies. The band debuted it live on their 1976–1977 Hotel California tour, notably at a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in March 1977, where its extended outro captivated audiences.

Though it didn’t chart, “The Last Resort” has been covered sparingly, most notably by country artist Midland in 2017 for an Eagles tribute album. It appeared in the 1998 documentary History of the Eagles and was performed during their 2018–2022 tours, often as a set closer. Critics, including Rolling Stone, lauded it as a “mini-epic” in 1976, and in 2016, it ranked No. 7 on their list of the Eagles’ greatest songs. The song’s environmental themes resonated anew in the 2000s, with Henley referencing it in speeches for his Walden Woods Project. Its absence from radio playlists reflects its length, but it remains a staple on classic rock streaming platforms like Spotify.

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Lyric

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, 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 ’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 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 called it paradise, I don’t know why
You call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye