Like most touring musicians, Al Stewart spent a lot of time in hotel rooms, so it was only natural that he would write at least one song about them. "Broadway Hotel" is about something more specific though; he told biographer Neville Judd, "It's a song about trying to understand people who live in hotel rooms, people who are rich and can afford houses but prefer to live in a hotel room." It also has what might be called a love and loneliness theme. The song runs to 3 minutes 58 seconds and was also released as the B-side of "Year Of The Cat," December 11, 1976 on RCA.
On an interview disc to promote the Year Of The Cat album, Stewart explained: "It's a very strange song. It's about a woman who checks into a hotel in order to be alone. She's alone for a little while and she orders room service. The man who comes up and brings the trey begins a lengthy relationship with her. They lock themselves in the room for about a week and then they order room service."
The song is a waltz, done in 3/4 time to accommodate phrases like "roll away," "cajole away," "summer's day." Said Stewart: "To me, this is as much an exercise in language as much as it is love relationships."
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