The Story
Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley, a married couple, founded Yo La Tengo in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984; James McNew joined on bass in 1992 to complete the trio's lineup. The name comes from a 1962 New York Mets mishap — outfielders kept colliding on fly balls until center fielder Richie Ashburn learned to shout '¡Yo la tengo!' ('I've got it!') at his Spanish-speaking teammate, only to still get flattened by a third outfielder who didn't know the phrase.
Painful (1993), I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One (1997) and And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (2000) built the band's catalog through the 1990s, and they've continued releasing records since, including 2023's This Stupid World.
For decades, Yo La Tengo has staged annual multi-night Hanukkah charity concerts — traditionally at Maxwell's in Hoboken, later moved to Bowery Ballroom in New York — with a different rotating opening act each night.
The band has also built a substantial film-scoring career, composing music for Junebug (2005), Game 6 (2005), Shortbus (2006) and Old Joy (2006), later compiled on their 2008 release They Shoot, We Score.
