Song of the Week: Losing Streak ft Prose
Four bloody aces!
Similarly to Jamey's first post of the series, this week I have the honour of picking which song to write about. From next Monday, the song will be picked by members of the SB Family on Facebook (if you're not a member, get in there!) via a poll.
Forewarning: this turned into a much longer piece than I'd planned, but what can I say? When the words flow, they flow. I completely understand if you want to skip my writing and cut to the song. Sometimes I bore me too!
So, without further ado, I present to you the amazing track that is Losing Streak!
Why did I pick this one? For several reasons: the theme of the song, the sheer energy of it, the easter egg at the end and because it's one of my favourites.
I also happen to conveniently have a lovely piece of relevant artwork to show off by the hugely talented Steph Habelitz. I asked Steph to do me something based on Losing Streak (with a nod to Bones), and this is what she came up with. The suggestion of Zac and The Buzzard playing cards was mine, but the rest of the concept is all down to Steph!
If your flabber isn't gasted by it, then I'm sorry but you're beyond help and I will pray for your soul.
Anyway, back to the song.
The theme of the song is one I hugely resonate with. I think it's a safe bet to say I'm not the only one. Being broke, without a penny to your name and feeling without hope to boot. Stuck on a merry-go-round of seemingly eternal poverty with nothing but the good will of friends and family to get you through.
"So could you sub me a fiver and I'll give you back double next week?"
I'm from a very working class background and have spent the majority of my life living on council estates with not a lot of money, so I know exactly what this feels like. During the worst times it's dark, isolating and lonely. It's easy to get stuck in a cycle brought on by forces outside of your control (the job market, the economy etc.), where it feels like you're constantly being hit with catastrophe after catastrophe - "This ain't bad luck it's a losing streak".
"Come from the stress, come from the debts, come from the Sunday fucking best"
The subject is dark for a song that's so relentlessly energetic, which aligns with the contrast of living a hard life yet still managing to smile. It's the traditional working class way, in the UK at least. You may think I say this through rose tinted glasses but I've witnessed it plenty of times in my own life. I've known people who've lived extremely hard lives and while I know they feel it and struggle, they also don't let it beat them. At least not for long (we're all human!).
Losing Streak encompasses all of this perfectly and in a beautifully emphatic package. The pace of the music alongside the vocals gives a sense of that grit and determination that belongs firmly to the working class poor (I sound like a Guardian writer now, but I can't think how else to phrase it!).
As with so much of The Skinner Brothers catalogue, there's such an eloquent sense of rawness in the lyrics and vocals that you know Zac is speaking truth, in this case that of a world that doesn't play fair and seems determined to keep you down.
Prose’s contribution to Losing Streak adds an important extra layer of introspection along the same theme. Mike's rhythmic vocal delivery builds on the energy of the music, reinforcing that contrast between those dark places and the determination to get through them.
There's a thread of tongue-in-cheek humour woven inbetween too, highlighted by the "Four bloody aces!" right at the end of the song. I'm guessing those of us not from the UK may have missed the meaning of that, so I'll explain.
It's from one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, "Only Fools and Horses". If you're in the UK, I'm sure you recognised the voice of Rodney Trotter instantly. That quote is from the episode called "A Losing Streak", and just for you I found the relevant clip on Youtube.
It makes me smile every time I hear Rodney's voice at the end of the song. Yet another reminder that even though life might be completely shit at times, you can still find things to smile about if you're open to it. Laughter is good for the soul, just like good music. And this my friends, is good music.
Four bloody aces!
Losing Streak is part of the album Soul Boy IV, which you can buy from Bandcamp by clicking the button below.
We don't have a comments system enabled, mostly because we respect your privacy and we also don't want to potentially have to act as moderators on this site. But we'd still love you to talk to us! If you have any feedback on this post that you'd like to send us, or you simply want to say hello, click the button below!
