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 Malaysia and from Columbus.
But I was there.
I was there in 1987.
I was there at the first Nirvana show in Seattle.
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 1961 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Alison Limerick to the rock kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Tears for Fears. All the underground hits.
All JFA tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Barrington Levy 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 harpsichord and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Howard Jones record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Searchers,
the Soft Cell,
L. Decosne,
the Human League,
Jeru the Damaja,
Babytalk,
X-Ray Spex,
The Names,
Cecil Taylor,
Kenny Larkin,
New Age Steppers,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Delta 5,
Newcleus,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Judy Mowatt,
Marine Girls,
Crispy Ambulance,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Robert Görl,
Electric Prunes,
Moby Grape,
Josef K,
Motorama,
Rakim,
Thee Headcoats,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Idris Muhammad,
Cybotron,
JFA,
Tom Boy,
Gang Starr,
Black Pus,
The Seeds,
Matthew Halsall,
Soulsonic Force,
The Smoke,
Godley & Creme,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Arab on Radar,
Chris Corsano,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Marshall Jefferson,
Reagan Youth,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Television,
Fluxion,
H. Thieme,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Simply Red,
Freddie Wadling,
Scott Walker,
Minny Pops,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Fugazi,
Loose Ends,
Flash Fearless,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Deadbeat,
Terry Callier,
Rites of Spring,
Shuggie Otis, Shuggie Otis, Shuggie Otis, Shuggie Otis.
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.