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 Cyprus and from Seoul.
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 1961 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Copenhagen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx to the funk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Grandmaster Flash. All the underground hits.
All Faust tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bill Wells 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The United States of America record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Roxette,
Mission of Burma,
Pere Ubu,
Technova,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
New Order,
Rufus Thomas,
Eve St. Jones,
Iggy Pop,
The United States of America,
Ash Ra Tempel,
the Sonics,
Soul Sonic Force,
Alphaville,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Angels of Light,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Alton Ellis,
John Foxx,
Cluster,
Monks,
Amazonics,
The Selecter,
Scratch Acid,
Nico,
Thee Headcoats,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Fela Kuti,
The Beau Brummels,
Average White Band,
Cecil Taylor,
Blossom Toes,
The Fugs,
Scott Walker,
Procol Harum,
Section 25,
Camberwell Now,
Gang of Four,
Suburban Knight,
Cybotron,
Lalo Schifrin,
Radio Birdman,
Kaleidoscope,
Wolf Eyes,
Lee Hazlewood,
Skarface,
Black Flag,
Boredoms,
Soul II Soul,
The Modern Lovers,
Minny Pops,
Swell Maps,
Sixth Finger,
Wally Richardson,
The Vogues,
Kayak,
Bob Dylan,
the Slits, the Slits, the Slits, the Slits.
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.