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 Peru and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Neu! show in Düsseldorf.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Edmonton.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lyon 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 marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 The Dave Clark Five to the jazz 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 Dennis Brown. All the underground hits.
All Henry Cow tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Peanut Butter Conspiracy record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Donald Byrd record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Goldenarms,
Liliput,
Swell Maps,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
The Zeros,
The Knickerbockers,
Judy Mowatt,
Sound Behaviour,
ABBA,
The Velvet Underground,
The Stooges,
This Heat,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Ralphi Rosario,
Eric Copeland,
Anthony Braxton,
Groovy Waters,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Ossler,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Zapp,
The Mojo Men,
Bronski Beat,
Jandek,
Johnny Clarke,
Kayak,
Lou Reed,
Make Up,
Saccharine Trust,
the Human League,
Yellowson,
Royal Trux,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Fluxion,
Dawn Penn,
Ten City,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
John Cale,
Electric Light Orchestra,
the Fania All-Stars,
Public Image Ltd.,
Kool Moe Dee,
Harpers Bizarre,
Peter & Gordon,
Hot Snakes,
Urselle,
Grandmaster Flash,
The Selecter,
Morten Harket,
Moss Icon,
Lightning Bolt,
Whodini,
James White and The Blacks,
Jeru the Damaja,
Masters at Work,
Erasure,
Michelle Simonal,
Electric Prunes,
Bobby Sherman,
Pagans,
Sun Ra, Sun Ra, Sun Ra, Sun Ra.
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.