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 Trinidad & Tobago and from Edmonton.
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 1967 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school New York 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 Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the marimba 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 The Chocolate Watch Band to the techno kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 David Axelrod. All the underground hits.
All Fear tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Detroit Cobras record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rod Modell record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Velvet Underground,
Dead Boys,
Harpers Bizarre,
MC5,
Procol Harum,
Mantronix,
Public Image Ltd.,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
The Searchers,
Carl Craig,
The Count Five,
Mr. Review,
Spoonie Gee,
Cybotron,
Panda Bear,
Scion,
UT,
The Dead C,
Judy Mowatt,
The Human League,
Funky Four + One,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Sun Ra,
Dual Sessions,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Depeche Mode,
Hardrive,
Blake Baxter,
Ohio Players,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Nik Kershaw,
the Association,
Sam Rivers,
Marine Girls,
Tommy Roe,
Cymande,
Urselle,
Junior Murvin,
The Invisible,
Hot Snakes,
L. Decosne,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Kurtis Blow,
F. McDonald,
Young Marble Giants,
Spandau Ballet,
Lou Christie,
the Soft Cell,
Freddie Wadling,
Quando Quango,
Talk Talk,
Jawbox,
The Dave Clark Five,
Amazonics,
Skarface,
Gichy Dan,
Mary Jane Girls,
Nick Fraelich,
The Fire Engines,
Brand Nubian,
Joe Smooth, Joe Smooth, Joe Smooth, Joe Smooth.
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.