Originally Posted by
thelastresort
The Last Resort and Sad Cafe also have a difference which I believes justifies their inclusions on their original records. The Last Resort is a scathing criticism of the American Dream and all the carelessness, hedonism and greed that entailed; which fits perfectly as a closure on the record the band have said is about the American lifestyle, and the change from innocence to experience. Sad Cafe on the other hand is a wistful critique of themselves and all the other country / folk artists who came from the late 60s / early 70s California scene, and how in the end it all proved to be a career based on a false premise that anything ever changes. The critical element for me is that for 14 years, this is what people thought was America's biggest band's last ever song; a reflection that through all the youthful exuberance of Take It Easy, the country and R'n'B years to their stardom with Hotel California and The Long Run, it was all just a fad that had amounted to nothing but wasted years.