Johann Strauss, Jr. and The Eagles are both iconic figures of music in their own rights. One a master of light, fun dance music, like polkas and waltzes, and the other a talented rock band that defined a Californian generation. On the surface, “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” and “Hotel California” couldn’t seem more different. Each song was researched, listened to multiple times, and broken down into segments to analyze and after some investigation, it’s obvious that there are some similarities. Both songs were anthems of sorts, “Blue Danube” defined Strauss’s beloved city of Vienna and “Hotel California” described what it was like to find yourself in the middle of the 1970s. In addition to their anthem-status, both songs share technical
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composed the “Blue Danube Waltz” in 1866 and performed it for the first time in February of 1867. He named the song after the Danube River, which runs through Vienna. The full title is actually “On the Beautiful Blue Danube,” which is a bit ironic considering that the very river it is named after is full of murky, muddy water. It received merely alright responses in Vienna. However, a few months later, in May of 1867, Strauss performed the song for a Parisian audience at the World Exhibition. The reviews were astounding, garnering him incredible opportunities and fame. Upon his return to Vienna, the city that had poorly received the song to begin with, had adopted the song as the city’s very own. “To this day, Strauss's magnificent waltz is the veritable anthem of …show more content…
The andante pace allows for the cryptic lyrics of the song to speak for themselves. The tempo is the perfect match for the almost eerie descriptions of the mysterious Hotel California. Again, the Eagles’ “Hotel California” sways a bit from Strauss’s “Blue Danube Waltz” in the key shifts. “Hotel California” maintains the same key throughout – B minor. However, in the original recording the song was performed in E-minor. That “turned out to be the wrong key for Don Henley to sing and was later re-recorded in the proper key for his voice which was B minor.” The instrumentation of the Eagles’ song is a bit different than most rock songs. The band felt the song needed a heavy hitting, powerful sound from the guitar. Don Felder strummed a twelve string electric guitar and Glenn Frey simultaneously played a twelve string acoustic guitar. Randy Meisner played bass guitar, Joe Walsh jammed on the lead guitar, and Don Henley finished out the band with his drums. Henley also sang lead vocals, with backup vocals from the four other Eagles
composed the “Blue Danube Waltz” in 1866 and performed it for the first time in February of 1867. He named the song after the Danube River, which runs through Vienna. The full title is actually “On the Beautiful Blue Danube,” which is a bit ironic considering that the very river it is named after is full of murky, muddy water. It received merely alright responses in Vienna. However, a few months later, in May of 1867, Strauss performed the song for a Parisian audience at the World Exhibition. The reviews were astounding, garnering him incredible opportunities and fame. Upon his return to Vienna, the city that had poorly received the song to begin with, had adopted the song as the city’s very own. “To this day, Strauss's magnificent waltz is the veritable anthem of …show more content…
The andante pace allows for the cryptic lyrics of the song to speak for themselves. The tempo is the perfect match for the almost eerie descriptions of the mysterious Hotel California. Again, the Eagles’ “Hotel California” sways a bit from Strauss’s “Blue Danube Waltz” in the key shifts. “Hotel California” maintains the same key throughout – B minor. However, in the original recording the song was performed in E-minor. That “turned out to be the wrong key for Don Henley to sing and was later re-recorded in the proper key for his voice which was B minor.” The instrumentation of the Eagles’ song is a bit different than most rock songs. The band felt the song needed a heavy hitting, powerful sound from the guitar. Don Felder strummed a twelve string electric guitar and Glenn Frey simultaneously played a twelve string acoustic guitar. Randy Meisner played bass guitar, Joe Walsh jammed on the lead guitar, and Don Henley finished out the band with his drums. Henley also sang lead vocals, with backup vocals from the four other Eagles