Throughout the 885 Greatest Songs Of The 2st Century countdown, we’ll take you on deeper dives into select songs that pop up each day.
LCD Soundsystem released their debut single “Losing My Edge,” in July of 2002, a near-eight minute deconstruction of generational music tastemaking and gatekeeping. It’s frenetic, it’s fun, and it introduced the world to the witty and satirical mind of frontman James Murphy. Released via Murphy’s own DFA Records, “Losing My Edge” encapsulated the frothing reformation within New York City’s music scene at the time, bending electronic rhythms and post-punk noise into an anthem of the old-guard attempting to prove their hard-earned credibility while grappling with fears of obsolescence.
“Losing My Edge” arrived at a critical fork-in-the-road moment for music lovers. With the encroaching democratization of music (i.e. the internet) making once-obscure bands accessible to anyone with a modem and an appetite for discovery, record collectors quickly lost their niche. For Murphy, who was already in his early 30s when the song was released, this shift posed one simple question: What happens when the gatekeepers of cool lose their monopoly on knowledge?
Murphy — along with band members Pat Mahoney (drums), Nancy Whang (vocals), Tyler Pope (bass), Gavin Russom (synthesizer), and Al Doyle (guitar) formed LCD Soundsystem to provide a voice to the hipsters, shoegazers, and house-heads feeling passed by, releasing their self-titled debut album in January of 2005. The record became the soundtrack for that generation, much in the way Velvet Underground and the Talking Heads were in their respective eras, only louder and somehow even more on the nose.
What’s most striking about “Losing My Edge,” however, is the tone of Murphy’s half-spoken, half-sung delivery. Even as he laments his diminishing status as a tastemaker being increasingly eclipsed by younger, hungrier fans with access to all his knowledge and more, the song remains equally humorous, poignant, and irresistibly danceable. His acceptance is bittersweet. He recognizes the talent and kindness of the younger generation and wants to share with them everything he has learned over the years, but he just can’t help but boast about his record collection one last time.
More than two decades later, “Losing My Edge” remains as resonant as ever. The song acts as a stalwart commentary on aging, authenticity, and the inevitable march of time, like a death march you can’t help but dance along to.