Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Libya and from Bremen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1966 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing Grandmaster Flash to the techno kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by Aswad. All the underground hits.
All Second Layer tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every L. Decosne record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Colin Newman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Johnny Osbourne,
China Crisis,
Minnie Riperton,
The Doobie Brothers,
Sarah Menescal,
Rufus Thomas,
Hardrive,
Ossler,
The American Breed,
Laurel Aitken,
Susan Cadogan,
The Walker Brothers,
Tommy Roe,
Godley & Creme,
Amon Düül II,
Stiv Bators,
Outsiders,
Simply Red,
Glenn Branca,
Carl Craig,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
the Sonics,
Dennis Brown,
8 Eyed Spy,
Public Enemy,
Jeru the Damaja,
Joe Finger,
Soft Cell,
Rites of Spring,
Erasure,
The Martian,
The Beau Brummels,
Lakeside,
Youth Brigade,
The Zeros,
The J.B.'s,
KRS-One,
Flipper,
Section 25,
Tropical Tobacco,
Judy Mowatt,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Fatback Band,
The Cramps,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
The Selecter,
Eden Ahbez,
Reagan Youth,
The Mojo Men,
Jimmy McGriff,
The Doors,
These Immortal Souls,
a-ha,
Mars,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Kerri Chandler,
Connie Case,
Rekid, Rekid, Rekid, Rekid.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.