h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Heya folks!

I know this question doesn't matter on a galactic scale of things, but none of the already posted questions do (as a matter of fact, no question apart from The Question matters), so I decided to post it.

I'm sure you all know "Hotel California" by the Eagles. I have a problem or two with getting (understanding?) the lyrics.

1. Right at the beginning, where it goes like

On a dark desert highway,
cool wind in my hair...
Warm smell of ___________

Here it is... What is the next word? It sounds like "polliters" or "collitas", but no dictionary lists such a word...

2. After the first chorus, the lyrics go like this:

Her mind is tiffany twisted,
she got the Mercedes Bends...

Explain the meaning, if you can

Thanks to all who try to help me...

Have a break, have a fish

It's colitas!!
About the Mercedes thing.. I can't explain, I guess it sounds good in the lyric, and it's probably stating Tiffany Twisted's position.
I dunno..

trying to play it on guitar now..

Thanks for trying...

And it would be great if you explained what exactly "colitas" are excuse my ignorance...



PP

Kia Ora!

I have a faint memory of having read somewhere, that colitas are a large white flower found in Mexico, which are used in and around funerals as a sign of mourning, and as a symbol of death or passage into the afterlife.

There are other references to this theme elsewhere in the lyrics.

Don't know about the Mercedes bends, though. Hope someone else can help you.

Ciao miaow !

It is definitely "colitas" which I believe is a brightly colored flower that smells like mint. The line, "her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends..." is a reference to a girl who thinks money can buy happiness. I think "bends" is not the car but the sickness that you get from surfacing too quickly from underwater. So, twisted and bends are references to a sickness which in her case is money. I hope this is some help.

Thanks a lot. This is really helpful .

Have a break, have a fish

PP

Wow... now that you mention it, I begin to see the sense in the lyrics...

Thanks a bunch!

Have a break, have a fish

PP

Though I enjoyed BJ's explaination, the name of the car company is Mercedes-Benz. 8)

In support of VanHalen's statement, the lyrics printed on the album sleeve of "Hotel California" have it as "Mercedes-Benz". Being a diver myself, though, I have to say I got a kick outta the "bends" theory!

Hmm. That *is* interesting:

On my copy of the "Hotel California" album, inside the gatefold sleeve on the righthand margin, the lyric reads thus:

"Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends"

Which isn't to say that either of us is right or wrong here, only that there appears to be more than one version of the lyric in existance...

...proof of crossover between parallel universes perhaps?

Ossario T'an
:^)#

This is getting far to weird.

On the album I have, it's actually ....mind is differently twisted...

How do you explain this Hotel California Phenomenon.

and yes, colitas are small flowers.

I have a copy of the original Hotel California LP on 12-inch vinyl from 1976 and the lyrics on that say :

"Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends......"

Weird indeed!

My copy of the Hotel California LP album is on Asylum Records 7E-1084
®&© 1976 Elektra/Asylum/Nonsuch Records.

The song is credited as written by Don Felder/Don Henley/Glenn Frey.

And re-checking the lyrics, they are as in my previous post here. But at the bottom of the lyrics printed inside is this bit of info...

© 1976 Long Run Music, Fingers Music, WB Music Corp.(ASCAP)
Used by permission. All rights reserved. (Copyright in dispute)

Are we any closer... or is the truth [still] out there?

Ossario T'an
:^)#

I think my copy of the LP is the same......

I just spoke to my dad who was a big Eagles fan and he reckons that the 'Tiffany' referred to in the song is a famous jewellers. This sort of makes sense along the lines of someone's earlier suggestion about money not being able to buy happiness.

This really is strange. To me it is anyway.

Having been convinced for years it said 'differently twisted', I just checked and yes, it is tiffany twisted.

Thank God, someone asked this question otherwise I would have continued under this delusion for years to come.

There were two versions of Hotel California recorded, an acoustic version and two electric versions, in one of the electric versions the lyric Mercedes Benz had to be changed to bends for copyright reasons.




P.S. Not too sure about the fish thing

P.P.S. P...P...P...Pick up a face

Sorry, three. bye

Hi! Taipan-Jack of Hearts

Getting lyrics wrong "ain't no big thing" -in fact it is rather common. Some even have it elevated into an art form!

Check out this URL: http://www.kissthisguy.com/ which owes its existance to a mis-heard lyric of Jimi Hendrix!

Ossario T'an
:^)#

Thanks a lot to all of you guys (and girls ?) who answered my question... it really was a kinda desperate situation, cause I had noone to discuss it with... I think it's much clearer now.

Thanks again, especially to Downings, who seems to have given the final answer (but what was the question? oh, yes...).

I didn't expect a question about the Eagles to produce such a discussion

Have a break, have a fish
(Yes, you too, Downings! )

PP

PS: Thanks to Ossario for the site he mentioned ( http://www.kissthisguy.com/ , I really enjoyed it)

Well I have one more ques tion on this subject and that is to do with the chorus.
"Welcome to the Hotel California" - fair enough
"Such a lovely place" - I've no doubt about that
"Such a lovely face" - FACE??
HELP!
HELP!

P.S How do I do a fish or face?