11 Hotel, Motel, or Inn Songs | Playlist 🎧

11 Hotel, Motel, or Inn Songs features music courtesy of Arctic Monkeys, Eagles, Quavo & Takeoff, Rina Sawayama, and Whitney Houston.

Cutting straight to the chase, this musical compendium is about temporary places of residence! Yes, folks, we are talking about the hotel(mostly), motel, and/or inn. Interestingly, this playlist has been on my mind for years but the idea remained in the backlog until now.  There is no big concept beyond featuring one of those three words in the song title, honestly. 🎧 11 Hotel, Motel, or Inn Songs features music courtesy of 🎙 Arctic Monkeys, 🎙 Eagles, 🎙 Quavo & Takeoff, 🎙 Rina Sawayama, and 🎙 Whitney Houston among others.  So, pack up your bags, book your favorite hotel, motel, or inn, and join us on this musical journey – or something like that!!!

1. Quavo & Takeoff, “HOTEL LOBBY (Unc & Phew)”

💿 Only Built For Infinity Links • 🏷 Quality Control Music, LLC • 📅 2022

“Pass me that stick, nigga make one wrong move, just pop him / Blame it on bro with a ho flooded out in the hotel lobby.” Woo! 🎙 Quavo delivers the chorus on the single, 🎵 “HOTEL LOBBY (Unc & Phew)”, which appears on his 2022 project with 🎙 Takeoff (RIP), 💿 Only Built For Infinity Links. Quavo also delivers a verse on this brief but hella potent rap banger.  At the end of the second verse, he asserts, “When I get up, we gon’ ball on these niggas / Fuckin’ up shit ‘cause we beat out the system.”

As for Takeoff, he spits the first verse, with no shortage of confidence. It begins with his assertion, “Hop off a sixteen passenger / This a G5, no, this not a Challenger.” In case you are lost, the late rapper is referencing the private jet, which fits the balling aspect of this banger.  Those are not his only colorful lines.  There is also a gem when he speaks about people getting geeked, and my favorite, “I go in the jungle and I ain’t got a coat, I bet I come out with a mink.” Hmm, PETA would have issues with that! Ultimately, “HOTEL LOBBY (Unc & Phew)” bangs hard, featuring superb production work with a lit beat, courtesy of 🎛 Murda Beatz, Keanu Beats, and Fabio Aguillarr.  Both rappers deliver agile flows that feel easy and natural, yet electric.

Appears in 🔻:

• Hotel: 5ive Songs No. 77 (2022)

2. Rina Sawayama, “Tokyo Love Hotel”

💿 Sawayama • 🏷 Dirty Hit • 📅 2022

“They don’t know you like I know you, no, they don’t,” 🎙 Rina Sawayama sings on 🎵 “Tokyo Love Hotel,” a song that appears on her 2020 debut album, 💿 Sawayama.  She continues singing, “Use you for one night and then they go away / Thought I was original, but after all / I guess this is just another song ‘bout Tokyo.” Sawayama is not talking about a sexual relationship but rather the relationship she has with Tokyo, as well as the relationship tourists have with the city. At the same time, sex is part of the equation, as there are literally hotels intended to be rented for sex.

“I don’t wanna check into the Tokyo Love Hotel / I just want your love all to myself,” Sawayama sings in the chorus, adding, “Everybody’s staying at the Tokyo Love Hotel / I just want your love all to myself.” This synthpop joint finds Sawayama taking issue with those who fetishize Tokyo and its culture, using it without truly caring about it.  “Falling for a stereotype / Has it all gone to your head?” She brings up legitimate points, while also depicting her own complex relationship with the country she was born yet emigrated as a child.

Appears in 🔻:

• Hotel: 5ive Songs No. 77 (2022)

3. Lawsy, “Hotel”

🎵 “Hotel” • 🏷 LISTEN TO THE KIDS / Geffen • 📅 2022

“3 a.m., I’m in the hotel / Bitch, I’m missing you and that throat, yeah,” 🎙 Lawsy asserts in the chorus of 🎵 “Hotel.” Anytime the throat is mentioned when it comes to rap, you can guarantee there is a sexual context.  The sexual context is confirmed as Lawsy continues, “I’m in that pussy, she like, ‘Oh, yeah’.” WOO! Sex – kind of a big deal when it comes to “Hotel.” Beyond the chorus, Lawsy drops one melodic verse, which includes more sex (“She open her legs, finna put my cock in it”), violence (“The Drac’ hit his leg, he walked with a lean”), and drugs (“I think he a cop, gotta run from the scene / High as hell, I don’t know what I’m seein’”). Substances are mentioned on “Hotel” but the substance of the track itself – yeah, it’s sus! I mean, give Lawsy a side eye when he asserts, “I got me a main bitch but you the one / Let’s go to your crib, have some fun.” At least he’s honest!

4. Jhené Aiko, “Comfort Inn Ending (Freestyle)”

💿 Sail Out (EP) • 🏷 Def Jam • 📅 2013

🏆 Grammy-nominated R&B artist 🎙 Jhené Aiko introduced herself to the world in 2013.  That, of course, is when she released her debut EP, 💿 Sail Out (EP), comprised of seven tracks. She concludes the brief affair with the comfort-driven song at hand, 🎵 “Comfort Inn Ending (Freestyle).” This five-and-a-half-minute record was written by Aiko and lushly produced by the great 🎛 No I.D.

“Comfort Inn Ending (Freestyle)” features some of Aiko’s most real, unapologetic lyrics.  It is a ‘soap opera’ of sorts.  Regretful, Jhené details an affair (“And I should’ve never took you on a boat for your birthday / And I should’ve never fucked you on a boat on your birthday…”) where ultimately “‘Quis found out and then I had to leave him / ‘Cause I couldn’t be the one to hurt him.”  Regardless of your opinion of Aiko, she definitely captures your attention and ends the EP with a bang… or several. No pun intended – okay, okay, I’m lying!

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Totally Intriguing, Comfortable Songs

5. Montell Fish, “Hotel”

💿 Her Love Still Haunts Me Like a Ghost • 🏷 Lord’s Child • 🗓 2022

“I’m a slave to her, slave to her love.” 🎙 Montell Fish goes on to say on 🎵 “Hotel”, “I’m a slave to your love, it’s who you are that I cry.” Wow, those matters of the heart – better yet, the bedroom – always make for a compelling song.  “Hotel” is no different, appearing on Fish’s 2022 EP, 💿 Her Love Still Haunts Me Like a Ghost.

Nasty, freaky happenings go down in hotels.  That is the case with Fish, who knows he’s made a mistake by meeting her in a hotel room.  “I could tell you were so bad news,” he asserts in the first verse, continuing, “But I keep messing with ya, messin’ with ya / And now you’re messing with me, messin’ with me.” The messing part seems to be both sexual and mental.  Sex is enjoyed universally, however, when it comes to a hook-up, which Fish engaged in, they can be messy – leave you full of regret.  Both enjoyment and regret play a role in “Hotel” where the body memories are, um lit, though not elaborated on lyrically: “You know me, girl / Better than I know myself, my love.” Hmm, wonder how exactly she knows him… 😈!

Appears in 🔻:

• Montell Fish, “Hotel”: After Dark 🕛 🌃 89 (2022)
• Hotel: 5ive Songs No. 77 (2022)

6. Whitney Houston, “Heartbreak Hotel” (Ft. Faith Evans & Kelly Price)

💿 My Love is Your Love • 🏷 Arista • 📅 1998

“This is the heartbreak hotel.” Word, 🎙 Whitney Houston! The late, great singer collaborates with fellow divas 🎙 Faith Evans and 🎙 Kelly Price on 🎵 “Heartbreak Hotel,” a gem from Houston’s 1998 studio album, 💿 My Love is Your Love. “Heartbreak Hotel” peaked at no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March of 1999, tallying 28 total weeks on the chart.  This marked one of the last top-5 hits of her career, making it incredibly special.

Besides the commercial success, why is “Heartbreak Hotel” a big deal? It is incredibly relatable, particularly to women because it encompasses the plight of love, sigh.  Houston is agitated in the first verse (in the most classy way, vocally speaking) because this man is not the least bit thoughtful or courteous: “You said you’d be here by nine / Instead, you took your time / You didn’t think to call me, boy /… Why, you do this to me.”  Evans follows Houston in the pre-chorus, stating she’s going to write a letter to this lame dude.  The chorus reveals these heartbroken victims (Houston, Evans, and Price) confronting him (“What’d you do to me? Can’t take what you did to me”).  Houston serves up a second verse, angered by being made a fool of and being cheated on.  This time, Price encourages writing the letter, before they let the emotions loose in the chorus. Once more, the heartbreak hotel appears, in all its heartbroken ways, in the bridge.  While the way these women were treated was incredibly inconsiderate, their pain is our listening pleasure.  It is easy to hear why “Heartbreak Hotel” was such a hit back in the late 90s and remains a surefire bop to this day.

7. Joshua Bassett, “Sad Songs in a Hotel Room”

💿 Sad Songs In A Hotel Room • 🏷 Warner • 🗓 2022

“How the hell we end up, where we did? / Don’t you think it’s messed up? It all went to shit.” That shit is the reason why 🎵 “Sad Songs In A Hotel Room” gets an explicit label.  Sigh, a potty-mouthed young man!  Honestly, the s-bomb is well worth it given that 🎙 Joshua Bassett is coping with heartbreak on this compound-duple metered opener on his 2022 EP, 💿 Sad Songs In A Hotel Room.

Vocally, Bassett sounds beautiful even if he is, “Singin’ sad songs in a hotel room / … Where I once held you.” Oh, the plight of love! Beyond the relatable songwriting, the production shines, especially the guitar and the use of keys.  The harmonic progression, for you music theory nerds, is gorgeous too.  Safe to say, the title track sets the tone of the entire EP.  Furthermore, as a standalone record, it’s pretty sweet – in a sad sort of way!

Appears in 🔻:

• Sadness: 5ive Songs No. 61 (2022)
• 11 Songs Where The Boys Are Sad
• Hotel: 5ive Songs No. 77 (2022)

8. Regina Spektor, “Grand Hotel”

💿 Remember Us to Life • 🏷 Sire • 📅 2016

“Somewhere below the Grand Hotel / There is a tunnel that leads down to hell.” HELL? Oh, really, 🎙 Regina Spektor? Hmm, that is, indeed, food for thought. “Run to the old lake house where it begins,” she adds at the end of the first verse of 🎵 “Grand Hotel.”  Hmm, again.  Interestingly, in the second verse, she does mention devils: “That’s where old devils danced and kissed / And made their blood pacts in the ancient myths.”

So, what precisely is the premise of this third track from 💿 Remember Us to Life (2016)? Unnecessary excess appears to play a role to some degree as Spektor describes affluent life that eschews legitimate substance. Of course, also, this Grand Hotel is sus because of a checkered past. In the fourth verse of this colorful record, she sings, “But no one comes up for the souls anymore / They come for some comfort and for the dance floor.” Fittingly, according to her, “No one sleeps at the Grand Hotel.” All told, this is an intriguing three-minute song which Spektor sings beautifully. The piano and strings create a marvelous backdrop.

9. Calum Scott, “Hotel Room”

             💿 Only Human • 🏷 Capitol • 📅 2018

“Oh, what I’d give / To hear you say that ‘I love you’ / But say it the way I do.” Those are key lyrics on the song, 🎵 “Hotel Room.” “Hotel Room” graces  💿 Only Human, the 2018 album by 🎙 Calum Scott. Scott gets personal, singing about a perceived romance that wasn’t. He liked a guy, went so far to tell him he loved him, only to find out his love interest wasn’t gay.  Yes, the said guy expressed love to Scott, but not in the romantic, relationship sense.

On “Hotel Room,” Calum wishes this wasn’t a case of unrequited love, best summarized during the centerpiece, the chorus:

“There’s nowhere to run tonight

It’s just you and I in this hotel room

And say that ‘I miss you’

But say it the way I do

There’s nowhere to hide tonight

My eyes can’t lie, the way I feel for you

Just give me a moment, it’s all I ask of you

While I’m dying in this hotel room.”

Ugh – it totally sucks, doesn’t it? He still seems to hold out hope but, unfortunately, it seems as if he is left dying in his hotel room, all told 😢. 

10. Arctic Monkeys, “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino”

💿 Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino • 🏷 Domino • 📅 2018

“Good afternoon / Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino / Mark Speaking / Please, tell me, how may I direct your call?” Not a chorus you hear every day to say the least! Most critics embraced 💿 Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, the unique, 2018 album by British alternative band 🎙 Arctic Monkeys, though some were skeptical.  Personally, the album was intriguing – a refreshing change of pace from 🎙 Alex Turner and company. Minor key title track 🎵 “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino” ranks among the crème de la crème.

“I’ve been on a bender back to the prophetic esplanade / Where I ponder all the questions but just manage to miss the mark…” Fascinating! Weird to the core, “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino” encompasses politics, philosophy, technology… it’s something. Turner sings about an imaginary hotel and casino (we think), possibly on the Moon. According to an EW interview, Turner, referencing the title track states, “…Whether we’re actually talking about a sort of hotel-casino complex on the moon or not is debatable.” Additionally, many of the lyrics can be interpreted as literal or more figurative.  A perfect example is the bridge, where Turner sings, “And do you celebrate your dark side / Then wish you’d never left the house.” This represents the conscience, but also, the moon…maybe. Back up to the second verse, and Turner indeed references the moon, along with technology and sex: “Technological advances really bloody get me in the mood / Pull me in close on a crisp eve, baby / Kiss me underneath the moon’s side boob.” What more can you say but, dammnnn!

Appears in 🔻:

• 101 Best Songs of 2018
• Recapping 40 Stunning Ballads from 2018
• 13 Songs About Buildings, Real or Imagined
• 13 Totally Captivating Songs That Reference Science
• 12 Unique Songs Loosely Associated with the Moon
• Hotel: 5ive Songs No. 77 (2022)

11. Eagles, “Hotel California”

💿 Hotel California • 🏷 Rhino / Elektra • 📅 1976

“‘Welcome to the Hotel California / Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place) / Such a lovely face.” Honestly, there can be no hotel-themed musical compendium without highlighting the 🏆 Grammy-winning, platinum-certified classic, 🎵 “Hotel California”.  “Hotel California” is the greatest hotel song of all time, PERIOD. 🎙 Eagles need no introduction as one of the greatest rock bands of all-time.  Their 1976 album, 💿 Hotel California, has earned diamond certification, selling more than 26 million copies. For those keeping tabs, It is one of the very best-selling albums of all time.  “Hotel California” the no. 1 hit on the pop charts, is a big reason for the album’s success.

The protagonist in “Hotel California” “stops for the night” at quite the destination. “There she stood in the doorway / I heard the mission bell / And I was thinkin’ to myself / ‘This could be heaven, or this could be hell.’” Interesting, Eagles. Is this a literal hotel or is it one of the many metaphors 🎙 Don Henley, 🎙 Don Felder, and 🎙 Glenn Frey serve up on “Hotel California?” The excerpt from the second verse speaks to the narrative established in this heavily analyzed song which receives varying interpretations of its meaning and speculation. In the third verse, the girl receives a name, Tiffany-twisted, which seems to speak to suspect intentions, hellishness, as well as enjoying the finer things in life – take your pick.  Part of the twisted-ness is the fact that “She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys / That she calls friends,” which also opens another can of worms, depending how you read into or hear it sung.  By the fifth and final verse, there are arguably more questions than answers regarding checking out of the hotel: “‘Relax,’ said the night man / ‘We are programmed to receive / You can check out any time you like / But you can never leave.’” All told, “Hotel California” is six-and-a-half-minutes of sheer excellence. It is one of the greatest songs of all time.

Appears in 🔻:

• Eagles, “Hotel California”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 128 (2022)

11 Hotel, Motel, or Inn Songs [📷: Atlantic, Brent Faulkner, Capitol, Derek Pope, Dirty Hit, Domino, Elektra, Fruits Music, Geffen, Lofi Fruits, LISTEN TO THE KIDS, Lord’s Child, The Musical Hype, Quality Control Music, LLC, Rhino, Sire, Warner, Jon Tyson on Unsplash, Kait Herzog on Unsplash, Mick Haupt on Unsplash, Ph B on Unsplash]