About The Song
Eagles icon Don Felder recalled his disappointment at coming back from dinner to find that Don Henley had recorded the vocal track for the Hotel California song “Victim of Love,” even though the lead part had been promised to him.
He told Uncle Joe Benson on the Ultimate Classic Rock Nights radio show that he remembered having written 14 or 15 song ideas in his “little back bedroom” for what was to become one of the greatest rock albums of all time.
“I put ‘em on a cassette, gave copies to everybody in the band, and the two that Don and Glenn [Frey] liked the most were ‘Hotel California’ and that track ‘Victim of Love,’” Felder said. “So we sat down with Don and Glenn and myself and J.D. Souther and we wrote the lyrics … and J.D. said, ‘There’s something about the word “victim” in a sentence. I like that word, “victim” – I think that’s a good hook for a song.’”
The next question was “What are we victims of?” Felder continued, “I think Henley said, ‘Victim of love.’ So that became the title of the song.” Unusually, the instrumental track was recorded with all five Eagles playing live together. “If you look on the vinyl of Hotel California, it’s etched into the vinyl inside… ‘V.O.L. is five piece live,’” he noted.
The vocal work was to be done in Criteria Studios in Florida. “When we got to Miami, originally I was supposed to sing it,” Felder recalled. “I went out and set up a mic. I hadn’t even seen the finished lyrics until that day. I wasn’t feeling comfortable with it, wanted some more time to work on it. While I went to dinner, I think Don went out and sang it, just as a demo for me to hear how he heard it; and when I came back and heard it, it was great.”
He admitted he was “really upset because we were supposed to everybody have a song on that record… and I was told I was going to be able to sing that. … When I listen to it now, Don did a great job on it.”
Along with Don Felder, Don Henley and Glenn Frey, J.D. Souther helped write this song. Other Eagles tracks Souther co-wrote include “Heartache Tonight” and “New Kid In Town.”
Video
Lyric
What kind of love have you got?
You should be home, but you’re not
A room full of noise and dangerous boys
Still make you thirsty and hot
I heard about you and that man
There’s just one thing I don’t understand
You say he’s a liar, and he put out your fire
How come you still got his gun in your hand?
Victim of love, I see a broken heart
You got your stories to tell
Victim of love, it’s such an easy part
And you know how to play it so well
Some people never come clean
I think you know what I mean, oh
You’re walking the wire, pain and desire
Looking for love in between
Tell me your secrets, I’ll tell you mine
This ain’t no time to be cool
And tell all your girlfriends, your been-around-the-world friends
That talk is for losers and fools
Victim of love, I see a broken heart
And I could be wrong, but I’m not, no, I’m not
Victim of love, we’re not so far apart
Show me, what kind of love have you got?
Victim of love, I see a broken heart
And I could be wrong but I’m not
Victim of love, we’re not so far apart
What kind of love have you got?
Victim of love, you’re just a victim of love
And I could wrong, but I’m not, no, I’m not
Victim of love, now you’re a victim of love
What kind of love have you got? (Who-who-who-who)
What kind of love have you got? (Who-who-who-who)
What kind of love have you got?