Were An American Band

artist : yo la tengo song : we’re an american band album : i can hear the heart beating as one ( 1997 ) standard tuning ( eadgbe ) Intro ( 0 : 00 - 0 : 23 ) : D ( you can jam on it ) ( 0 : 23 - 0 : 55 ) : Em F#m Em D | Em F#m F Em D D Verse ( 0 : 55 - 3 : 03 ) : Em F#m Em D driving in the south , the motor’s on fire D Em F#m F Em D let’s put it out before the flames go higher Em F#m Em D monday matinee , "big bully" or "white squall" D Em F#m F Em D so hard to choose , wish we could see them all D Em F#m Em D some college in the spring , the sound is all wrong D G F#m F Em D we set the mains to our favorite hootie song Em F#m Em D driving ( not again ) , they’re late , car crash D G F#m F Em D D we’ll turn to look unless we’re going too fast first part of Solo ( 3 : 03 - 3 : 44 ) : D Bm F#m F#m second part of Solo and Outro ( 3 : 44 - 6 : 25 ) : D Bm F#m G , but feel free to replace the G with F#m occasionally . end in D . if you want to give it a jazzy edge , play seventh major chords instead of normal majors and seventh minors instead of regular minors . for example , replace F#m with F#m7 and F with Fm7 . listen to the song to get a feel for the rhythm and phrasing . don’t forget about distortion! this is definitely one of the best , most underrated tracks from "i can feel the heart beating as one"; the trippy , shoegaze - like atmosphere is very soothing , thanks to the vocal and instrumental textures , which blend beautifully .