In 1977, one of the most famous singles in rock history was released in the United States: “Hotel California” by the Eagles. As we read on the internet, profound rock connoisseurs have ventured a rather relevant doubt: is "Hotel California" a plagiarism of Jethro Tull's "We used to know"?
Indeed, the very famous Eagles song is very reminiscent of the Jethro Tull song, released 8 years earlier. The chord progression, in fact, is the same, despite the tempo of "We used to know" being 6/8 compared to the 4/4 of the Eagles' song.
It should be noted that the Eagles and Jethro Tull toured together in the early 1970s and the Eagles heard this song. And after the success of "Hotel California", Jethro Tull leader Ian Anderson, in an interview, ruled out plagiarism, speaking instead of a tribute from the Eagles.
“They definitely heard our song. It probably must have been something they pulled out of their subconscious and added that chord sequence into their famous song Hotel California some time later.”
The Jethro Tull frontman, therefore, did not consider it plagiarism, but a kind of influence. “The chord sequence is in a different tempo, a different key, a different context. And it's a very good song that they wrote, so I can't help but feel happy and honored that they came up with that very chord sequence, he adds."
On the Eagles side, the story goes that it was the ex-guitarist Don Felder who wrote the music for "Hotel California" sitting on a sofa, with his swimsuit still wet after a day at the beach, and with the chords that came out of his guitar almost magically.
