一首老歌- 加利福尼亞旅館

 

 

 

 

開車時，收音機裏的輕揺滾頻道隻是調到似有似無的音量。有一天，聽到短短一小段吉他前奏曲，飄揚的旋律帶著一種引力，就順手調高音量想聽聽這是一首什麽歌曲。噢，原來是- 加州旅館。一首聽過的歌，讀過的歌，半熟不熟的歌曲歌詞。演奏者是老鷹樂隊，曾經是一首七十年代流行榜排名第一的歌曲。

 

加州旅館？去過加裏福尼亞許多次，也在那裏住過許多次旅館，有若幹可以回憶的故事，聖地亞哥，洛杉磯，舊金山，半月灣，矽穀，等等。其實這首歌中的加州旅館，隻不過是用來作比喻的，並不是指特定的旅館。哪裏有旅館可以退房，卻永遠不能離開呢？聯想到加州旅館外麵有很多無家可歸者，有一年的三月份去舊金山開會，市中心旅館牆外的許多熱氣出口處，躺著住在＂加州旅館＂的人，加州真的是個好地方。

 

關於加州旅館這首歌，有許多人寫過這個題目，對歌詞的意思作出種種解釋，包括用中文翻譯了這個歌曲。四十年過去了，又有過雜誌電台多次對詞曲作者的釆訪。作詞者的解釋說，歌曲是對當時他們所認知的美國夢或夢魘的一種描述，對物質主義的隱諷。

 

加州確實是一個很美的地方。三月裏，山坡上野草黃中帶綠，銀翹花開得金黃，黃色的檸檬掛在枝頭。加州有個有名的一號公路，大約一千公裏的長度，沿著海岸線彎曲蛇行，一邊是一望無際的藍色海水，另一側是山巒森林市鎮的變換。海灘上，有玩帆板的，衝浪的，風箏衝浪的人，一灘一景。有一次停下車看衝浪，看到一個年紀稍大點的穿著黑色橡膠衝浪衣的人抱著一塊衝浪板上岸，隨口誇了那人一句，衝浪的人年輕勇敢。那個人說他五十歲了。這是加州海灘的某個星期一的中午情景。

 

老鷹樂隊的歌手雖然老了，加州旅館這首歌仍在代代傳唱-

 

“在黑暗無人的公路上

冷風吹過我的發梢

考麗塔花蕾的暖香

在空氣中氳氤散放

遠遠地望去

有盞明滅閃爍的燈光

頓覺得頭頂發沉

眼睛暗澀

這該是個休息的地方

 

看見她婷立在門外

聽到布道的鍾響

不覺思量，這地方

是地獄，還是天堂

她點燃一隻蠟燭

帶路走在前邊

樓下傳來聲音

有些人把故事在講

 

歡迎你，來加州旅館

一個如此可愛的地方

有如此的可愛的臉龐

有許多房間

一年四季每天

都可以在這裏停歇

 

…… ……”

 

 

Hotel California by Eagles 

 

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
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
'This could be heaven or this could be Hell
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, that 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!