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 Malawi and from Salvador.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1968 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and New York.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 1976 at the first Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Hasil Adkins to the punk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 LL Cool J. All the underground hits.
All La Düsseldorf tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Chocolate Watch Band record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gil Scott Heron record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Electric Light Orchestra,
T. Rex,
Kaleidoscope,
Erasure,
Black Flag,
Howard Jones,
The Walker Brothers,
The Martian,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Gories,
The Evens,
The Stooges,
Thompson Twins,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Sunsets and Hearts,
The Raincoats,
the Association,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Bauhaus,
the Germs,
Funky Four + One,
New Age Steppers,
Sister Nancy,
FM Einheit,
Lou Christie,
Organ,
Reuben Wilson,
Television,
Tropical Tobacco,
Kool Moe Dee,
David Axelrod,
PIL,
Interpol,
Colin Newman,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
The Golliwogs,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Malaria!,
The Red Krayola,
Michelle Simonal,
Idris Muhammad,
Ultravox,
Kerrie Biddell,
Rakim,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
New Order,
Anthony Braxton,
Wings,
Absolute Body Control,
Y Pants,
The Cure,
Clear Light,
Joy Division,
The Remains,
Young Marble Giants,
Sandy B,
Pere Ubu,
Agent Orange,
Isaac Hayes,
Joe Finger, Joe Finger, Joe Finger, Joe Finger.
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.