Mark Foster reflects on "Pumped Up Kicks" following the Vegas massacre The song is about a boy who fantasizes about shooting up his school Washington CNN —
"Pumped Up Kicks" holds a darker meaning behind its alt-pop dance sound. Foster wrote the track from the point of view of a deeply troubled youth named Robert, who's named only once at the
"Pumped Up Kicks" is a bubbly, mellow song that launched Foster the People to fame. The song was a radio hit, dubbed the second-best song of 2011 by Entertainment Weekly and 11th-best by the writers at Rolling Stone, and it might've been played at your high school dance.
A Societal Mirror "Pumped Up Kicks" mirrors a society where the youth, particularly those facing emotional and psychological turmoil, may feel marginalized or overlooked. The imagery of a young individual harboring violent fantasies underscores the urgency of addressing the mental health crisis.
The songwriter and band's frontman Mark Foster say that the song is about Robert's psyche and the teenage mental illness epidemic. Robert feels isolated and the outcast seeks revenge for the children who bully him. Foster noticed a growing trend in mental illness in teens over the last decade and wanted to explore the psychology behind it.
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