Hotel Yorba

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Revision as of 15:07, 9 September 2006

"Hotel Yorba" is a song by The White Stripes. It was the lead single off their third album, White Blood Cells, and their first single to be released commercially. The single was released in November 2001.

Track listing

All songs by The White Stripes unless otherwise noted

7"

1. "Hotel Yorba" (Live at the Hotel Yorba)
2. "Rated X" (Live at the Hotel Yorba) (Loretta Lynn)

CD

1. "Hotel Yorba"
2. "Rated X" (Live at the Hotel Yorba)
3. "Hotel Yorba" (Live at the Hotel Yorba)
4. "Hotel Yorba" Video (QuickTime movie)

Trivia

• According to the audio commentary of the "Extended Pilot" episode of Arrested Development, this song was to be heard when the Funkes were leaving their Beverly Hills hotel without paying their bill, but it was decided that it would be too costly to obtain permission.
• Hotel Yorba is a real hotel in Detroit, Michigan. The song was recorded in one of its rooms. Some that's why Jack and Meg are now banned from the hotel, but Jack claims "I don't know why we are banned from the hotel."

Lyrics

I was watching with one eye on the other side
I had fifteen people telling me to move
I got moving on my mind
I found shelter in some thoughts turning wheels around
I said 39 times that I love you to the beauty I had found

Well it's 1, 2, 3, 4
Take the elevator at the Hotel Yorba
I'll be glad to see you later
All they got inside is vacancy

I been thinking of a little place down by the lake
They got a dirty little road leading up to the house
I wonder how long it will take till we're alone
Sitting on the front porch of that home
stomping our feet on the wooden boards
never gonna worry about locking the door

Well it's 1, 2, 3, 4
Take the elevator at the Hotel Yorba
I'll be glad to see you later
All they got inside is vacancy

It might sound silly for me to think childish thoughts like these
But I'm so tired of acting tough and I'm gonna do what I please
Let's get married in a big cathedral by a priest
Cause if I'm the man that you love the most, you can say "I do" at least

Well it's 1, 2, 3, 4
Take the elevator at the Hotel Yorba
I'll be glad to see you later
All they got inside is vacancy

And it's 4, 5, 6, 7
Grab your umbrella
Grab hold of me cause I'm your favorite fella
All they got inside is vacancy

Video

Contrary to popular rumors, the video was actually not shot at the actual Hotel Yorba. "They wouldn't let us in.", Jack White said. "They thought we were from the IRS or something. It's a really seedy hotel, so I guess we just looked a little too respectable to get a room there. The funniest thing was we were sitting out in the van saying 'Man, we can't get in, I can't believe this', and just then NPR did a review of our new album saying, 'Here's the new song Hotel Yorba.' They started playing, and we were just laughing." Meg White later said about the video : "When we made "Hotel Yorba" we didn't think that it would get played or anything like that. I love that video as well. What we were doing at that time, it was like really low budget. The director did a good job for that."

The video was directed by Anthony Garth as well as Dan Miller, guitarist/singer of Blanche and former member of Goober and the Peas and 2 Star Tabernacle. The video also stars Miller's wife and Blanche bassist Tracee Jae Miller.

There are versions of Rated X and Hotel Yorba on the Hotel Yorba single that were recorded at the hotel in room 286 by Brendan Benson.

External links