Top 25 Yo La Tengo Songs
(Disclaimer: This is an all opinion based list.) |
| 25 |  | Yo La Tengo
New Wave Hot Dogs
A Shy Dog- New Wave Hot Dogs showed one of the first leaps in the bands sound as they kept the folk sound of the first record but began to develop more as songwriters. This song shows this transformation as it is one of the first songs were Yo La Tengo really rocked on a song and Ira's lyrics of a lonely recluse show shines of how he would continue to develop as a lyricist throughout his career. |
| 24 |  | Yo La Tengo
I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
Black Flowers- James never got a lot of chances to sing on any Yo La Tengo records. But here he shows his power as a lyricist as he sings so mournfully above the piano, horns and violins that adorn this track. The loneliness and beauty of this track show a sincerity that many songwriters fail to ever achieve. But this track comes through as the best song that James has ever written with the band and in that case is one of their best moments. |
| 23 |  | Yo La Tengo
I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
Shadows- Although one of the shorter songs by Yo La Tengo it is also one of the most powerful and depressing. The song is very simple musically giving Georgia's the lead in the song as she sounds like she is about to start crying any second. She feels alone and alienated by her lover. She finds a place in the shadows though, far away from the complex and difficult relationship they have. But maybe her lover can turn things around and help her out of the shadows. But this light of hope she has is never answer in the meager two minutes of the track as the light we see at the end of the tunnel dissipates into a cloud of fuzz for the next track. |
| 22 |  | Yo La Tengo
Painful
From A Motel 6- After the quiet Big Day Coming comes in the first rocker on Painful. The guitar hook on this song is great and injects a lot of power into the record as well as keeping the mood of the record. The song is a duet between Ira and Georgia as they sing about the touring life as they had already been on the road for over seven years at that point and had not had a somewhat successful record until this record was released on Matador in 1993. |
| 21 | | Yo La Tengo
I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
I Feel Like Going Home- On I Am Not Afraid... Yo La Tengo made a conscious move to bring back more rockers to the mix of their next album and have more orchestration. The problem with this is that now that their beautiful ballads stood out a lot more especially the third track. On I Feel Like Going Home the sounds of a simple piano, violins, and Georgia's lovely voice create one of the most emotional tunes the band ever has and makes one feel like Dorothy if they are listening to this tune. (Wanting to be home is a reoccurring theme in Yo La Tengo's work due to their relentless amount of touring they do). |
| 20 |  | Yo La Tengo
President Yo La Tengo
Barnaby, Hardly Working- Yo La Tengo's work was based on mostly jangly folk rock as comparable to bands like The Feelies and R.E.M. But on their third LP the opening track sets it apart with that 'mysterious' guitar hook that brings a very different feel to the sound of the one was already akin too. But this transformation from folk to a more noise orientated sound matches up perfectly as a Ira mumbles throughout the song as the songs workingman like rhythm continues to float along like a river. |
| 19 |  | Yo La Tengo
And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside...
Our Way to Fall- On And Then Nothing... the mood of the record is one of its most distinct aspects. As every song on the record carries a very sluggish, lo-fi, and nighttime mood. Though each of the thirteen songs on that record address uniquely different aspects. On Our Way to Fall Ira sings about one of the most conventional subjects and that is love. The song though very simplistic and having a somewhat dark atmosphere is intensely romantic as Ira recounts meeting Georgia on a summers day and how they were on their way to fall in love. |
| 18 |  | Yo La Tengo
Fakebook
The Summer- The most ominous song in Yo La Tengo's canon of songs and one of the few originals on Fakebook. The song is a unique folk song talking about confusion as one wanders darkened streets at night till the summer comes undone. The undoing of summer though will lead into fall and inevitably winter, and where will one find themselves then? |
| 17 |  | Yo La Tengo
Electr-O-Pura
Flying Lesson (Hot Chicken #1)- One of the darker songs of Yo La Tengo's output. The song gives the feel of one driving through the desert early in the morning after leaving their hotel room searching for something. But what? Throughout the song you fly across the desert like a hot chicken as the guitar echo below through the many crevices and caverns. You try to reach someone on the phone. You try searching for love. You try escaping reality through tv. But all their is for you is more miles and miles of desert. 'Where will I go? When will it end?' No one knows but all I feel you have to do is to stop and look through the seven minutes of this song and maybe you will find the answer. |
| 16 |  | Yo La Tengo
Summer Sun
Today Is The Day- On Summer Sun Yo La Tengo continued the prevailing laid back mood of And Then Nothing... but this time instead of taking place int he quiet streets of Hoboken it took place on a beach. This song exemplifies that as one pictures a couple walking down the beach together in paradise. But today the sun has not come out as it has been obscured by the clouds. But for Georgia that is alright as today is still the day for she has someone still to share the day with. |
| 15 | | Yo La Tengo
I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
Sugarcube- Ok I am sorry but before I talk about this song I have to first tell you that the music video for it is the greatest indie video ever. Like seriously just go watch it right now even if you are not a fan of the band you will enjoy it, and you will finally know what the Foghat rule is. Haha! But seriously Ira how do we get blood from a Sugarcube I still do not fully understand? This song is one of their best guitar pop songs as the band glides through the three minutes seamlessly making it one of the best songs on the record. |
| 14 | | Yo La Tengo
I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
The Story of Yo La Tengo- The story behind how Yo La Tengo got their name is actually quite a funny inside joke for fans of the band to enjoy. But I will leave up to you to go on their website and watch the video where Ira explains it. This song though is one of the many closers by Yo La Tengo to occupy the list as it is one of their best. The subtle electronics of the song build up like a volcano until the roof of it pops off. Ira sounds torn apart when he begins to sing as the seconds count down till the end of the record. The claustrophobic atmosphere of the song show how the band has tried so hard but success still eludes them. but hopefully things will continue to look up for Yo La Tengo as their popularity continues to grow. |
| 13 | | Yo La Tengo
Painful
Nowhere Near- Georgia's shining moment in my opinion as she sings about an earnest and undying love in an an incapacitated lucid dreamlike state. The song seems so honest and carries the prevailing dark shogaze mood of Painful in its organ line. The song never explodes like many there of their ballads but instead builds tension as the drums finally come in but as Georgia builds up the momentum to go see that love of hers they seem to be nowhere near. Defiantly a highlight of their discography. |
| 12 | | Yo La Tengo
And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside...
Cherry Chapstick- For many this song is the redheaded step child of And Then Nothing... as it breaks up the whole mood of the record for one distorted rocker. For me though it is still one of the best and I feel keeps the atmosphere of the record but injects a little life into the record. The duel guitar lines of Ira and Georgia create a dense atmosphere while James keeps this simple steady drum line throughout. Ira then details why girls never pay any attention to awkward geeky men like you and I before exploding into a thunderous nonsensical guitar solo twice in the song. In my mind it fits perfectly in the album and is one of their best rockers but everyone is entitled to their own opinion. |
| 11 |  | Yo La Tengo
Popular Songs
More Stars Than There Are In Heaven- Yo La Tengo's later work is full of more orchestrated works. But this epic sets most of that aside to return to the shogaze-esque mood that encapsulated their 90s work. The song is a beautiful duet between James and Ira as they sing about walking hand in hand with their respective loved ones. Georgia then joins in with a steady drum line leading up to a signature Ira guitar solo. This song shows just how consistent Yo La Tengo has been over their career and in my opinion should have been he closer of Popular Songs. |
| 10 | | Yo La Tengo
I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
Damage- James's heartbeat like bass line begins the song. Then Georgia joins in with one of her thunder like drumming. Ira then joins in with the acoustic guitar as walls arise out of the feedback of another. This leads into the beautiful chorus that sounds like one might imagine would be the sound of the gates of heaven opening. The damage that has been done to the narrator in this song does not seem to hold them back as they reach greater heights then the antagonist. But is the protagonist reaching new heights of success or are they simply drifting off as the songs music suggests? |
| 9 | | Yo La Tengo
And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside...
Night Falls on Hoboken- Being a long song does not always make a song necessarily good. But in the case of this eighteen minute closer the length of it creates one of the most hypnotic and beautiful songs ever written. As the sun fades away in Hoboken, New Jersey tonight is the night that everyone returns to their home to have a bit of lonely contemplation as they look out their window for hours. The song carries one from a different place then their home as they wander the streets in their minds looking for a new place to thrive in and leave their misery behind. |
| 8 | | Yo La Tengo
I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
Autumn Sweater- For a band that typically uses the standard guitar, bass and drums lineup. They sure do whisk that all away like a pile of leaves as this songs use of multiple types of drum sets, prominent organ line and electronic bass create a song unlike any other in their discography. The song is one of their most romantic despite being about being in a relationship where communication between partners has fallen apart. Yet the beautiful music creates a sense of desire still lingering between the two lovers keeping them together as they slip away together again to a place that could be better. |
| 7 | | Yo La Tengo
Electr-O-Pura
Tom Courtney- Perhaps the happiest song I have ever heard about an actor with a heroin addiction. Yo La Tengo here creates the perfect guitar pop song that reaches heights that have very rarely ever been matched. From the entrancing 'ba-ba-ba-ba-bababababa' to the almost danceable the song can put anyone in a good mood despite its dark subject matter. Also the music video is pretty awesome although Sugarcube's is better. |
| 6 | | Yo La Tengo
And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside...
Tears Are in Your Eyes- Within an album full of quiet and laconic songs, Tears Are in Your Eyes is able to prevail as one of the highlights of And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out. This is for Georgia gives one of her most moving vocal performances as she sings of an individual experiencing the entire weight of depression. But she tries to give this individual hope that the clouds soon will no longer obscure their sky as she sings this lullaby to them. Sending them off to sleep with a message of hope that the tears will dry soon as they always do. |
| 5 | | Yo La Tengo
I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
Deeper Into Movies- Beginning with a suppressed guitar line. It slowly glides along the rails until it hits you like a train. The distorted fuzz of the guitar line, the urgent rhythm section and the almost unbearable vocals create tension as one picks out words that Ira says but never know what he is truly trying to communicate to you. All you know is that what he is trying to rely to you from outer space is that something is going to happen now and you have to do some. The desperation felt in this song drives one to listen intently as the band pounds away but by the end of its run time one knows not only less about the message, but less about themselves. |
| 4 | | Yo La Tengo
Painful
I Heard You Looking- Although Painful begins with a whisper on Big Day Coming, the album ends with a bang as Ira's guitar slowly comes in. The fact that this song is instrumental does not make it any less poignant as the drums and bass join in as the guitar lines drive you home like the end of a long car ride home at night. One feels their heart pumping and a resurgence of joy in this song as Ira begins to solo before returning to one of the best riffs he has ever come up with. The song is one of the best closers that Yo La Tengo has ever come up with and ends Painful perfectly. |
| 3 | | Yo La Tengo
I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
We're An American Band- Coming right after the distorted space leviathan Spec Bebop. We're An American Band comes through the speakers with a simple drum line leading into another fuzzed out guitar riff. But this time this song includes the deadpan voices of Georgia and Ira as they sound like ghosts lost here on earth searching for rock N' roll heaven. Then the song begins to climax as James comes to forefront with his distorted bass line bringing the song to a whole other level as now the vocals transform from lost ghosts to wailing banshees. The end of the song is one of the most transcendent moments the band has ever had, making it one of their best songs. |
| 2 | | Yo La Tengo
Painful
Big Day Coming (Slow Version)- From the moment the sound of Ira's organ crawls into your ears you know that the distorted black and blue street of the cover is what this record will be like. The songs story of being an angsty youth in a rock band is met with the paradox of the soft and slow music that creates a mournful cry for nostalgia or an ignition of inspiration from the listener. Although on paper having a seven minute organ led funeral like song for the opener may sound like a disaster. There has never been though another opener by Yo La Tengo that fills one with so much joy and hope then this one. |
| 1 | | Yo La Tengo
Electr-O-Pura
Blue Line Swinger- In my opinion this song is the Starless of Yo La Tengo's output; except the build comes at the beginning of the song. It is an engrossing and emotional ten minute ride that ends Electr-O-Pura in the best way possible. The song never dulls as it slowly builds a cathartic experience around it like a ball rolling down hill till the songs climax with Georgia singing 'ba-ba-baba-ba-ba-baba' ends the song perfectly. I personally do not feel Yo La Tengo will ever come up with a song as enduring as this one ever again, but that is fine with me. |
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