age of nine. From the age of three Chlara was singing and was very much influenced by the music of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Air Supply, The Carpenters, Christina
Aguilera, Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. After moving back to the Philippines, Chlara’s mum Gina enrolled her into a few singing schools, While regularly joining the school singing programs and plays Chlara also began playing the guitar at the age 11, learning from his brother and with her own self study, she would watch & learn from videos on YouTube. Before starting college Chlara had already started writing her own songs.
Chlara was featured in evosound’s album Voices of Love together with the finest female vocals featuring Susan Wong, Olivia Ong, Julienne Taylor, Emi Fujita, Stacey Kent, Katie Melua, Chantal Chamberland with her version of Lionel Richie’s Stuck on You. Chlara has been regularly performing in the Philippines during 2012 and 2013. On May 30th 2013 Chlara made her debut overseas live performance at the Poly Theatre, Beijing, China as special guest to Connie Talbot.
In July 2013 Chlara recorded her debut album of self-written compositions in Manila with Swiss-based producer Adrien Zerbini. The album Unstoppable comes out in 2014.
Hotel California
Chlara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here
Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
So I called up the Captain,
"Please bring me my wine"
He said, "We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine"
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise)
Bring your alibis
Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device"
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
"Relax, " said the night man,
"We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave! "
The singer of Chlara's song "Hotel California" is driving down a dark desert highway, enjoying the cool wind in his hair and the warm smell of colitas (a Spanish slang term for marijuana) rising up through the air. As he drives, he sees a shimmering light in the distance and realizes he needs to stop for the night. He pulls up to a hotel and is greeted by an enigmatic woman who guides him to his room. As he wanders the corridors, he hears mysterious voices and a mission bell, leaving him in a state of confusion about whether he's found heaven or hell. He comes across a group of people gathering for a feast in the master's chambers, where they are stabbing a beast that won't die.
The lyrics to "Hotel California" are widely debated, with some interpretation suggesting that they were inspired by the excesses of the music industry and others suggesting that it's a commentary on the hedonistic lifestyle of California in the 1970s. The hotel itself has been interpreted as a metaphor for the drug culture of California, while the enigmatic woman may represent either a lover, a drug dealer or possibly even the devil. The use of the word "beast" to describe the impossible-to-kill entity being stabbed by the revelers has been interpreted as a reference to the biblical book of Revelations.
Line by Line Meaning
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
I was driving on a deserted road at night with my car windows down, feeling the cold wind blow against my hair.
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
The scent of weed was lingering in the air.
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
I saw a light in the distance, which caught my attention.
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I was feeling sleepy and my vision was blurry.
I had to stop for the night
I had to find a place to rest for the night.
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
In front of me, a lady appeared in the doorway, while the bell of a nearby church rang.
And I was thinking to myself,
"This could be Heaven or this could be Hell"
I was wondering if the place I was in was good or bad.
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...
The lady lit a candle to show me the way, while I heard voices coming from down the hall.
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here
The lady introduced me to the Hotel California as a beautiful place to stay which was open 24/7.
Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
The lady had a complex personality and many attractive male friends who danced together in the courtyard. Some of them danced to remember good times while others danced to forget bad experiences.
So I called up the Captain,
"Please bring me my wine"
He said, "We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine"
I asked for a drink from the hotel owner, but he informed me that they no longer serve my preferred drink anymore.
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...
I kept hearing uncertain voices at night, which would wake me up from my sleep.
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise)
Bring your alibis
The hotel guests were living extravagantly and indulging themselves during their stay. The singer was surprised by this behavior and felt the need to be prepared with an excuse.
Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device"
There were mirrors installed on the ceiling and pink champagne being served chilled. The lady informed me that everyone staying in the hotel was trapped there by their own will.
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast
In the luxurious suite of the hotel, the guests gathered for a banquet. They attacked their food with sharp knives but did not finish it.
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
I vaguely remember running towards the exit and wanting to go back to the place where I came from.
"Relax, " said the night man,
"We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave! "
The hotel staff told me to calm down and check-out at any time, but intimated that it was impossible to truly leave the hotel and its secrets behind.
Contributed by Brody I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.