# What came first, the Hard Rock Cafe or Carole King's song of that name?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-hard-rock-cafe-or-carole-kings-song-of-that-name/489459>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [March 14, 2009, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-hard-rock-cafe-or-carole-kings-song-of-that-name/489459 "2009-03-14T23:15:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![whofan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@whofan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whofan)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-hard-rock-cafe-or-carole-kings-song-of-that-name/489459/1 "2009-03-14T23:15:28Z")

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I only saw this question when I chose a random one today…but wasn’t the Hard Rock Cafe named after this?;

> **[Morrison Hotel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrison_Hotel)**
>
> Morrison Hotel is the fifth studio album by American rock band the Doors, released on February 9, 1970, by Elektra Records. After the use of brass and string arrangements recommended by producer Paul A. Rothchild on their previous album, The Soft Parade (1969), the Doors returned to their blues rock style and this album was largely seen as a return to form for the band. The group entered Elektra Sound Recorders in Los Angeles in November 1969 to record the album which is divided into two separa...

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**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-hard-rock-cafe-or-carole-kings-song-of-that-name/489459/2 "2009-03-15T00:23:39Z")

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Here is the staff report in question: [What came first, the Hard Rock Cafe or Carole King’s song of that name? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1488/what-came-first-the-hard-rock-cafe-or-carole-kings-song-of-that-name)

Here is the follow-up column that answers that follow-up question: [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1487/followup](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1487/followup)

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-hard-rock-cafe-or-carole-kings-song-of-that-name/489459/3 "2009-03-19T16:50:41Z")

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Though the column refers to Carole King’s _Hard Rock Cafe_ on a 1994 album, Wiki’s Carole King page says it was released as a single in 1977. This doesn’t change the historical order of events, though. First, the photo shoot for _Morrison Hotel._ Second, the birth of the glitzy night club chain, now owned by the Seminole nation. Third, Carole King’s song.