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 Eritrea and from Tehran.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1960 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 1971 at the first Neu! practice in a loft in Düsseldorf.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Inner City to the rock kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Lou Reed. All the underground hits.
All The Human League tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Dave Clark Five record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 a linndrum and a spring reverb 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 spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Patti Smith,
F. McDonald,
Magazine,
Pantaleimon,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Mission of Burma,
Bad Manners,
Rosa Yemen,
Bill Near,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
The Happenings,
The Wake,
Joe Finger,
Khruangbin,
World's Most,
the Bar-Kays,
Black Moon,
Aaron Thompson,
The Doors,
The United States of America,
The Zeros,
The Star Department,
The Modern Lovers,
Ludus,
Barry Ungar,
Sixth Finger,
the Swans,
Erasure,
the Soft Cell,
Gregory Isaacs,
Boz Scaggs,
The Doobie Brothers,
Motorama,
Groovy Waters,
Q and Not U,
The Beau Brummels,
The Pop Group,
Anthony Braxton,
Kerri Chandler,
K-Klass,
Maleditus Sound,
Stereo Dub,
cv313,
Jawbox,
Donny Hathaway,
Tim Buckley,
Lucky Dragons,
The Stooges,
The Mummies,
Reuben Wilson,
The Fall,
Monolake,
Barbara Tucker,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Vainqueur,
Metal Thangz,
Gang Gang Dance,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Minnie Riperton,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Amon Düül II, Amon Düül II, Amon Düül II, Amon Düül II.
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.