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Losing My Touch
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

Guillaume Tell Studios Davout, Suresnes, Paris, France, May 13 - June 7, 2002

Keith Richards - vocals, acoustic guitar
Charlie Watts - drums
Ron Wood - pedal steel guitar
Darryl Jones - bass
Chuck Leavell - piano

Ain't it funny how things happen, just as we think we've got it all straight
Everything seems to be moving forward, but instead we just sit around and wait

Seems things are in a lockdown, nervous looks all around
Everyone is speaking in whispers, no one wants to make a sound

I'm losing my touch, yeah, losing my touch
Losing my touch, baby, way too much
Baby, get me out of here, it should be clear

Keep an eye on, on your front door, baby, I'll be slipping in ‘round the back
I just need a little, a little cab fare, and then I'll let you hit the sack

'Cause I'm losing my touch, losing my touch
Yes, I'm losing my touch, way too much
Baby, get me out of here, it should be clear, yes

I ain't going to keep it long, baby, but just long, long enough
I've got to pick up my passports, and I've got to get my stuff

'Cause I'm losing my touch, just losing my touch, baby, baby, baby
I'm losing my touch, way, way too much
Baby, get me out of here, well, it must be clear

Losing my touch, yes, I'm losing my touch, yeah
Yes, I'm losing my touch, way too much
Baby, get me out of here

Produced by The Glimmer Twins & Don Was

First released on:
The Rolling Stones - “Forty Licks” 2CD
(Abkco Records / Virgin Music CDVD 2964) UK, September 30, 2002

one of the greatest songs they ever did, love it..

One of those songs that make you wonder about the autobiographic nature.
Keith started a habit in the 80s of creating songtitles that prepare the fans that this could
really be "the last time". Sleep tonight, Slipping away, Losing my touch, How can I stop,
and now "One last shot".

Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away

Quote
marcovandereijk
One of those songs that make you wonder about the autobiographic nature.
Keith started a habit in the 80s of creating songtitles that prepare the fans that this could
really be "the last time". Sleep tonight, Slipping away, Losing my touch, How can I stop,
and now "One last shot".

+ Can't Be Seen (with you)

Quote
seitan
one of the greatest songs they ever did, love it..

LFW

Loved it when released, then it got a little on my nerves, now I love it again.

I love how he resolves the chorus (1.40 etc.): it has depth

C

Next!

Further proof that keith indeed lost his touch ...

It's not THAT bad. Keith could perhaps have worked a bit more with the melody, imo.

One of Keith's later day minimalist works. Not terrible, and quite touching.

I simply cannot listen to this track. I think it's the worst thing Keith ever did.

It's not a bad song but I just don't like these kind of Keith tunes.Too predictable and pathetic.

I never liked it, though I tried to for a few listens. To me it's not even really a song, just kind of a tuneless dirge. My least favorite Keith-sung tune, so I was relieved at how much I liked his 2 Bigger Bang tracks.

I beleive CousinC has nailed it.

I mean, do we really think a 70 year of arthritic guitar player is gonna come up with something that really cooks? When was the last time we got a real KR rocker?(Not Stones but KR). 1992?

I'm not bashing him, it's reality.

He's been talking about "growing this thing up" for some time......maybe that's what he meant....reggae and sleepy ballads.

NEXT! for sure



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-09-11 17:37 by Cafaro.

Dull as dishwater, I'm afraid.

Awful. Keith hasn't contributed anything of note since How Can I Stop and You Don't Have To Mean It.

Quote
DandelionPowderman

Quote
marcovandereijk
One of those songs that make you wonder about the autobiographic nature.
Keith started a habit in the 80s of creating songtitles that prepare the fans that this could
really be "the last time". Sleep tonight, Slipping away, Losing my touch, How can I stop,
and now "One last shot".

+ Can't Be Seen (with you)

....just cant make no connection...

One of the Stone's songs thats great to sit back and listen to after a tough day.

First Keith lead vocal that actually disappointed me. Incidentally, do we really know that Keith sings "One Last Shot?" It wouldn't surprise me if both tracks were Mick vocals. Has anyone heard his track from Lou Pallo's record yet? Curious about that as well. Sorry for asking OT questions in Rene's excellent Track Talks. These really should be collected when they are finished. They are quite a resource, right up there with Nico's bible.

Keith sounds like he was making the lyrics up as he went along with not much prior preparation, mumbling whatever popped into his head in the heat of the moment. I admire him, of course, for not taking the more artificially adopted late Jagger vocal route, in his attempt to inject a little more sincerity into his approach, but that's a very small compensation for this extremely poor effort. Not much to recommend melodically, either, it just sort of meanders onwards, fairly aimlessly, with a minimum of thought. It is just a mood piece - a sort of gesture, that really fails to ignite. Sleep inducing stuff, in my opinion, for sure.

'Losing My Touch?? it's only too apparent when placing this song alongside those Stones classics which feature earlier in FORTY LICKS. I suppose the fact that is the last track on the album, may be a slight blessing - it's perhaps easier to be overlooked. I feel that these type of Stones tracks test my patience even more than usual at the present time - especially when listening to this straight off the back of Bob's excellent TEMPEST album. How dare the Stones feel arrogant enough to place it alongside their very best efforts!!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2012-09-11 20:34 by Edward Twining.

well i like it

it's heartfelt. honest. emotional.

can't really sing for shit, but that don't matter

neither can dylan

Losing my touch?? zzzzzzzzz.....

Bill Wyman said it best about Keith's "singing" voice: "He isn't exactly Pavarotti, is he?"

I heard this track for the first time a few days ago, and I actually had to click on the Youtube clip posted above to hear it again, because it's always the same with any latter-day Keith Richards song with him on lead vocal--my mind retains no recollection of melody or lyrics. He sounds like an old drunk in a pisshole redneck bar at 2 a.m. rambling to himself in the corner.

One does not listen to Rolling Stones for Keith Richards on lead vocal any more than one would listen to Rolling Stones to hear Mick Jagger play guitar--in either case, the word "nondescript" comes to mind...

A disappointment. I really dig the smoky, intimate mood that Keith so successfully pulled off with Thief in the Night, and that he is obviously going after here as well, albeit within a more stripped-down instrumental structure. And Keith's vocals on the first few bars of this one draw the listener in, along with Charlie's beautifully-hushed jazz drumming.

But then, unlike Thief, there's just no melody here to speak of, or just the most primitive stab at one. The lyrics become tiresome; ok Keith, you're losing your touch, I get it ... but at least can you try writing a decent melody?

Drew

P.S. Can anyone explain to me why "How Can I Stop?" garners such high praise and this one does not? To me, they are basically the same song!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-09-12 03:19 by drewmaster.

Quote
liddas
Loved it when released, then it got a little on my nerves, now I love it again.

I love how he resolves the chorus (1.40 etc.): it has depth

C

That's my favourite part of the song as well - the "get me outta here, should be clear" bit.

Good ballad this, in fact I quite like all of Keith's Tom Waits-like ballads (unlike everyone else it seems!). I don't think it's unmemorable, and it has a great atmosphere. A perfect final song for an album, though maybe not 40 Licks. His vocals are absolutely fine, too. And Chuck Leavell's piano I feel is really excellent on this, for once he gets space to truly contribute, and comes up with something very cool indeed, in tandem with Ronald's steel guitar. Beautiful!

I don't get the criticism...maybe from someone in their 20's or 30's...if you're in your 50's, 60's or perhaps 70's then the song resonates...on many levels. Love the piano licks. Pretty and raw-ish at the same time.

B L A N D

Has anyone heard his track from Lou Pallo's record yet?

YEAH rocky there was a link to it around here about 2 maybe 3 days ago



ROCKMAN

Here: [www.iorr.org]

As for Losing My Touch: you either love or hate Keith's smoky late-night songs, and I love them - but this one isn't my favourite. "Minimalist" describes it well: a great basic idea and atmosphere, that makes a nice song - but it could have been better.

Thanks, guys.