Despite achieving limited mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called "the quintessential critics' band" and maintain a strong cult following. Additionally, the band is renowned for its encyclopedic repertoire of cover songs both in live performance and on record.
Formation and Early History: 1984–1985
Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley, a husband/wife duo, formed the band in 1984. They chose the name "Yo La Tengo" (Spanish for "I've got it!") in an effort to avoid any connotations in English. The name came from a baseball anecdote. During the 1962 season, New York Mets center fielder Richie Ashburn and Venezuelan shortstop Elio Chacón found themselves colliding in the outfield. When Ashburn went for a catch, he would scream, "I got it! I got it!" only to run into Chacón, who spoke only Spanish. Ashburn learned to yell, "¡Yo la tengo! ¡Yo la tengo!" instead. In a later game, Ashburn happily saw Chacón backing off. He relaxed, positioned himself to catch the ball, and was instead run over by left fielder Frank Thomas, who understood no Spanish and had missed a team meeting that proposed using the words "¡Yo la tengo! as a way to avoid outfield collisions. After getting up, Thomas asked Ashburn, "What the heck is a Yellow Tango?".
They placed an advertisement to recruit other musicians who shared their love for bands such as The Soft Boys, Mission of Burma, and Arthur Lee's Love. The group's debut recording was a 7" single entitled "The River of Water" backed with a cover of Arthur Lee's "A House Is Not a Motel" released in late 1985 with Dave Schramm on lead guitar and Dave Rick on bass. After recording "Private Doberman" for inclusion on a Coyote Records compilation entitled Luxury Condos Coming to Your Neighborhood, Rick left the band and was replaced by Mike Lewis, the founding bass player of Boston garage-punk bands DMZ and Lyres, who was also a member of Brooklyn garage rock band The A-Bones throughout his tenure.
Early Releases: 1986–1989
In 1986, Yo La Tengo released their first LP, Ride the Tiger on Coyote Records. Produced by former Mission of Burma bassist Clint Conley who also took over bass duties on three songs, the album "marked Yo La Tengo as a band with real potential" according to reviewer Mark Deming. Kaplan was credited as "naive guitar" on the sleeve, and in the liner notes for the 1993 reissue of the album on City Slang Records, went so far as to say "Dave's guitar playing is inarguably the best thing about the record."
Schramm and Lewis left the band after the album's release, with Kaplan subsequently taking on the role of lead guitar and Stephan Wichnewski joining to play bass. The group's next album New Wave Hot Dogs (1987) sold poorly, but in the words of Mark Deming, "was a quantum leap over the sound of their debut."
The release of President Yo La Tengo in 1989 did much to establish the band's reputation among rock critics including Robert Christgau who praised the "mysterioso guitar hook" in the first song. Produced by Gene Holder of The dB's, the album was the band's last release on Coyote. Despite the positive reception of the album, sales were still poor and Wichnewski left the band not long after. Hubley and Kaplan carried on as a duo and began playing two-electric-guitar shows. Kaplan, though typically a pragmatist, started carrying a bug trapped in amber in his pocket for luck.
Bar/None and Alias Records: 1990–1992
Yo La Tengo reunited with Dave Schramm in 1990 to record Fakebook, an album of mostly acoustic tunes, including covers of Cat Stevens, Gene Clark, The Kinks, Daniel Johnston, among others, with five original songs by the band themselves. Again produced by Gene Holder, the album's folk sound was a change of pace for the band. Years later, Kaplan recalled that the album was "just me and Georgia looking for an excuse to record with Dave Schramm and Al Greller" who played guitar and double bass on the album, respectively.
In 1991, with Dave Schramm in tow, Yo La Tengo collaborated with Daniel Johnston on the song "Speeding Motorcycle" which was released as a single. The band also released a 7" single on Bar/None Records with the song "Walking Away from You" backed with a cover of Beat Happening's "Cast a Shadow." Gene Holder produced the single and played the bass. The That Is Yo La Tengo EP released later that year included some tracks that would end up on the group's next LP.
After the release of That Is Yo La Tengo, James McNew began playing bass with the band, forming the trio that continues to make up the band today. According to McNew,
“I originally signed on as a fill-in for a short US tour, and a 4-week summer tour of Europe with Eleventh Dream Day. One night after a show in Munster, I was to look after our box of merchandise while Ira and Georgia went gallovanting through the town, meeting their policemen. Needless to say, during our soundcheck in Hamburg the next day, it suddenly dawned on me that I had left the box filled with copies of this EP back at the club in Munster. Oh man, was I in trouble... Sure... blame it on the rookie.”
The band recorded May I Sing with Me in Boston with Holder producing and Lou Giordano engineering. The album was released on Alias Records in 1992. Two of the album's eleven songs ("Swing for Life" and "Five-Cornered Drone") were carried over from the That Is Yo La Tengo EP and feature Holder on bass. The Upside-Down EP was released on CD in support of the album, rounding out the band's releases on Alias.
Early Matador period: 1993–2000
In 1993, Yo La Tengo began their partnership with Matador Records, releasing a 7" and CD5 of the song "Shaker" which the band recorded with John Siket in New Jersey. The following LP, 1993's Painful was also the beginning of the band's fruitful creative partnership with producer Roger Moutenot, who has produced all of their subsequent albums. Painful is the first Yo La Tengo to feature James McNew on every song; Rob Sheffield, writing for Rolling Stone remarked that McNew "became an essential part of the sound on Painful, the 1993 album that kept every promise Yo La Tengo ever made and blew their previous highlights away." Critical reaction was quite positive, with reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine calling it "a subtly addicting album." Robert Christgau also praised the group once again, writing in his review that Yo La Tengo is "always friendly. This is not the forbidding experimentation of an aspiring vanguard. This is the fooling around of folks who like to go out on Saturday night and make some noise--and then go home humming it." The band released Electr-O-Pura in 1995 to similar acclaim. For the first time, all songs were credited to the band as a whole rather than individual members; this became the norm for all future releases.
The band's 1997 LP I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One synthesized the group's eclectic combination of folk, punk rock, shoegazing, long instrumental noise-jams, and electronic music into a sprawling, multi-faceted style. Critical reaction was extremely positive; Pitchfork Media awarded the album a 9.7 out of 10 and reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that it was "arguably Yo La Tengo's finest and most coherent album to date." Kaplan recalled a turning point in the band's musical progression:
“I think after Electr–O-Pura we’ve had a direction of trying not to worry too hard about what the next album is going to sound like. Everything we’ve ever played on we just do whatever seems right at the moment, we just write a bunch of songs, and then go one baby step at the time and just do what seems right.”
With their critical reputation higher than ever before, the band toured extensively and their fan base continued to grow. In 1998, they collaborated with Jad Fair and released the album Strange But True to mixed reviews. The band entered the studio again in late 1999 to record their ninth LP. And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out was released in February 2000 to a warm reception.
Continued Acclaim and Soundtrack Work: 2001–Present
In 2001, Yo La Tengo recorded an instrumental score for eight short undersea documentaries by Jean Painlevé, entitled The Sounds of the Sounds of Science. The program debuted at the San Francisco Film Festival and has been performed live approximately twelve times. The band also released an EP with covers of Sun Ra's "Nuclear War" in late 2002.
The band's tenth LP, Summer Sun, was released in 2003. Although the album received generally favorable reviews, some critics found the album's quiet atmosphere "underwhelming." Others criticized the band for a perceived lack of invention. When asked about the album's quiet nature, Kaplan stated,
“We made a decision at the last second just to leave the loud songs off. We were looking at the material we recorded and just trying to put out the best record that we could. At a certain point, we just thought it seemed right to put out the quiet ones. I've been aware that there's been some surprise about that and people saying it's even quieter than the last record, which has sort of taken me by surprise."
Yo La Tengo collaborated with Yoko Ono on the 2003 charity album Wig in a Box: Songs from and Inspired by Hedwig and the Angry Inch in support of the Harvey Milk High School. The band put together their first "best of" compilation entitled Prisoners of Love: A Smattering of Scintillating Senescent Songs: 1985–2003 which was released in 2005. They composed scores for four more films: 2005's Junebug and Game 6, and 2006's Shortbus and Old Joy. Their scores for these four films were collected on the 2008 compilation They Shoot, We Score.
Their eleventh LP, I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, was released in 2006 to universal acclaim. Informed by their soundtrack work, the arrangements included more strings and horns than any of the band's previous albums. Kaplan told an interviewer: "I think we gained an element of comfort with using that kind of instrumentation, and it became something we could draw on for our other songs." In addition, the album was book-ended with two guitar jams lasting over ten minutes each.
In 2006, the band released Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics, a compilation of their live impromptu cover-song performances on the New Jersey freeform radio station, WFMU. As part of the station's annual fundraising marathon, listeners who call in to pledge money to the station may request a favorite which the band will then perform on the spot. In late 2007, the band began performing acoustically for "The Freewheelin' Yo La Tengo" tour. Audiences were encouraged to request songs and ask questions which, Kaplan stated, the band tried to answer "in a strategic manner so that the answers to the questions will lead to the next song."
In March 2008, Yo La Tengo performed under the alias "Condo Fucks" at Brooklyn's Magnetic Field. As Condo Fucks, the band released an album of cover songs, Fuckbook, on Matador in March, 2009. On June 4, Matador announced a new Yo La Tengo album called Popular Songs. Yo La Tengo is also contributing to a tribute album for New Zealand rock and roll musician Chris Knox who suffered a stroke in June 2009. All proceeds from the album will go towards Knox's recovery.
Ohm
Yo La Tengo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes the good guys lose
We try not to lose our hearts, not to lose our minds
Sometimes the bad days may take their grip
Sometimes the good days fade
But the rain today hurts the head to drink
Nothing's explained
The harder the we go
The longer we climb
'Cause this isn't the road we know
So say good night to me
Lose no more time
No time
'Cause it's been fun
I heard you called me
From far away, far like the king Tut
Having the voice to make it right
So I just cry
I fell to stay good
So been away
Before I could even see
Tried once more
Lost my ??? and we're gone
But nothing ever stays the same
Nothing's explained
The longer it takes
The looser the times
'Cause this isn't the road we know
So say good night to me
Lose no more time
No time
'Cause this ain't the road
But nothing ever stays the same
Nothing's explained
The stronger ???
The faster ???
'Cause this isn't the road we know
So say good night to me
Lose no more time
No time
'Cause this ain't the road
'Cause this ain't the road
'Cause this ain't the road
'Cause this ain't the road
'Cause this ain't the road
'Cause this ain't the road
'Cause this ain't the road
'Cause this ain't the road
'Cause this ain't the road
The lyrics of Yo La Tengo's "Ohm" are an introspective reflection on the transient nature of life and the uncertain path that lies ahead. The song's opening lines, "Sometimes the bad guys go right on top, sometimes the good guys lose" are a clear indication of the unpredictability of life. The band acknowledges that there will be good days and bad days, good guys and bad guys, but it's important to stay focused and not let the negative experiences get the better of us. It's about holding on, in spite of whatever the world might throw our way.
Throughout the song, the band references the idea that nothing ever stays the same, and that nothing is ever fully explained. They relate this to the journey that they are currently on, acknowledging that it's not always the easiest road, but it's the one that they have chosen. There are moments of pain and confusion, and times where the future seems uncertain, but they continue to walk the path, taking each day as it comes. The repeated refrain, "this isn't the road we know" serves as a reminder that life is constantly changing, and we must be willing to adapt and grow along with it.
Towards the end of the song, the lyrics shift to reflect on the power of love and connection. As the band sings "I heard you called me from far away, far like the king Tut, having the voice to make it right, so I just cry," they seem to be acknowledging the importance of their personal relationships as a source of support and comfort in the face of life's challenges. The song ends with a repetition of the refrain, "this ain't the road," driving home the idea that the journey of life is never straightforward or predictable, but we must keep moving forward nonetheless.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes the bad guys go right on top
At times, the people who act in immoral ways seem to come out on top
Sometimes the good guys lose
Occasionally, those who are morally upright don't succeed
We try not to lose our hearts, not to lose our minds
We strive to stay emotionally and mentally stable despite life's challenges
Sometimes the bad days may take their grip
On occasion, unfortunate events can have a chilling effect on our moods
Sometimes the good days fade
On some days, nothing seems to go right, and positivity can be difficult to hold on to
But the rain today hurts the head to drink
The current state of affairs is emotionally painful
But nothing ever stays the same
Change is an inevitable part of the human experience
Nothing's explained
Often there is no logical explanation for the changes that occur in life
The harder the we go
The more effort we put into things
The longer we climb
The more time and effort it takes to reach our goals
'Cause this isn't the road we know
The current path we are on is unfamiliar and not what we are used to
So say good night to me
Bid me farewell and move on from this experience
Lose no more time
Stop wasting time and move forward
No time
There is no more time to waste
'Cause it's been fun
Despite everything, there were enjoyable moments
I heard you called me
I heard you reaching out to me
From far away, far like the king Tut
From a remote and distant location
Having the voice to make it right
Possessing the power to make things better
So I just cry
Feeling emotional pain and sadness
I fell to stay good
I struggled to maintain good morals and principles
So been away
I withdrew or escaped from the situation
Before I could even see
Before I even realized the cause of the problem
Tried once more
Attempted to make things right again
Lost my ??? and we're gone
Lost what was important to us and we're no longer part of the situation
The looser the times
The less controlled and more chaotic the events
The stronger ???
The more we have to rely on our inner strength to get through the situation
The faster ???
The quicker we need to adjust to changes in circumstances
Lyrics © BEGGARS MUSIC, LTD.
Written by: GEORGIA MIA HUBLEY, IRA DAVID KAPLAN, JAMES GEORGE MCNEW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
samurai mama
Sometimes the bad guys come out on top
Sometimes the good guys lose
We try not to lose our hearts, not to lose our minds
Sometimes the bad days maintain their grip
Sometimes the good days fade
But the rain today hurts the head to dream
But nothing ever stays the same
Nothing's explained
The higher we go, the longer we fly
'Cause this is it for all we know
So say goodnight to me
And lose no more time, no time
Resisting the flow
'Cause this is it for all we know
So say goodnight to me
And lose no more time, no time
Resisting the flow
Doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo dood doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
But nothing ever stays the same
Nothing's explained
The stronger the wind, the faster we'll fly
'Cause this is it for all we know
So say goodnight to me
And lose no more time
No time
Resisting the flow
Resisting the flow
Resisting the flow
samurai mama
Sometimes the bad guys come out on top
Sometimes the good guys lose
We try not to lose our hearts, not to lose our minds
Sometimes the bad days maintain their grip
Sometimes the good days fade
But the rain today hurts the head to dream
But nothing ever stays the same
Nothing's explained
The higher we go, the longer we fly
'Cause this is it for all we know
So say goodnight to me
And lose no more time, no time
Resisting the flow
'Cause this is it for all we know
So say goodnight to me
And lose no more time, no time
Resisting the flow
Doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo dood doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
But nothing ever stays the same
Nothing's explained
The stronger the wind, the faster we'll fly
'Cause this is it for all we know
So say goodnight to me
And lose no more time
No time
Resisting the flow
Resisting the flow
Resisting the flow
Joshua Kirk
Great song. Cool animated video. Very memorable. Digging this band and this album. Possibly one of the best albums of 2013 so far.
BDHermann10
My favorite band. And a fuckin' awesome song. And a fuckin' awesome video. (Thanks for including EL PASO in the equation. I'm sure that's what makes 'em special!)
Paula Colina
I really love it!
Marco Bordoni
Recentemente visti in concerto a Milano. Riescono sempre a mettermi di buon umore. Canzoni fantastiche di una semplicità disarmante
valdeci silva
Boa musica e desenho animado no clipe. Som altentico e original. Ci.
Claymo
Go-to song when I'm moody and hungover
TheBluridgemountains
Love the album Dig the tune and video
Martin Perdomo
Great song, great video = YLT
naama hirsh
Love this!