Classic songs: The story behind ‘Hotel Yorba’ by The White Stripes.

“Welcome to the Hotel California Yorba. Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place). Such a lovely face. Plenty of room at the Hotel California Yorba. Any time of year. (Any time of year). You can find it here.” Somehow I don’t think Jack White would agree considering he was chased out of Detroit’s very own Hotel Yorba. Of course, this would have never happened at the Hotel California. Jack would have been welcomed with open arms. (“Relax,” said the night man, “We are programmed to receive.”) By the way the above are the lyrics from The Eagles classic song Hotel California, minus my poor attempt at humour.

Some commentators are brave enough to call out the Hotel Yorba for what it is, a notoriously rundown (now abandoned) southwest Detroit hotel. It was made famous in 2001 when Jack and Meg White in secret managed to record their new song Hotel Yorba in one of the hotel’s room without being detected. They subsequently failed to shoot the accompanying music video for it because hotel management got wind of it. They didn’t understand what Jack and Meg were trying to do and things got heated very quickly as an argument broke out. According to Jack someone allegedly brandishing a hammer chased him out of the hotel while looking for a gun. It all seems next level, right? And no wonder Jack is happy to tell us how all the Hotel Yorba has got inside is vacancy.

So it’s a good thing Jack and Meg were able to reconvene and film the music video for their song in the surrounds (exterior) of the Hotel Yorba without the threat of eviction. They end up faking the interior of the real Hotel Yorba by using another location about a mile away. Interestingly, Jack White’s obsession with Hotel Yorba has everything to do with its history and close proximity to where he grew up but also one of his favourite rumours as kid that he heard The Beatles once stayed there. 

For the most part the quirky music video for Hotel Yorba finds Jack and Meg sitting on a bed playing their instruments. The deadpan nature of the video is everything you would expect to see from the eccentric duo. I even like the scenes where Meg is tied to Jack by a rope representing their inseparable connection. 

With its infectious singalong, country twang and foot-stomping beat and whimsical lyricism related to young love, marriage, elopement and maybe even codependency, Hotel Yorba is a beautiful reminder of the first time many of us heard and truly fell in love with The White Stripes.