Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks” (Foster, 2011) demonstrates the power of music that can be found by coupling an upbeat, even playful melody with unsettling lyrics about a school shooter’s plan of action. Using Sellnow’s Illusion of Life theory (Sellnow, 2010), we can analyze how the song’s musical and lyrical components interact to create a powerful rhetorical message. By presenting a disturbing topic through the lens of an indie-pop aesthetic, this song forces listeners to confront the normalization of gun violence in American youth culture.
I remember the first time I was paying enough attention to the radio to understand the story behind the song. I was completely shocked to realize this was what I’d been listening to on the school bus for weeks. I imagine many listeners had this same revelation, forcing them to grapple with a difficult topic in a way that’s unexpected.
The rhetorical value of “Pumped Up Kicks” lies in its ability to make an unsettling message widely heard. The song reached the number 3 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 list (Zellner, 2019), starting a conversation about a prevalent topic today. However, that conversation was, as expected, not positive. A piece on the song stated, “On December 14, 2012, a few weeks after the song had peaked on the Hot 100, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting happened, and radio stations began to pull the song…and Columbia Records began receiving complaints claiming the song was glorifying school shootings” (Zellner, 2019). The artist has even discussed retiring the song due to its negative connotations.
Whether the song risks trivializing its subject matter or is a critique of society’s desensitization to violence, its effectiveness as a rhetorical artifact is undeniable. It raises a crucial question: does the song’s composition soften the horror of its message, or does it make listeners more aware of the issues it represents?
References:
Foster, M. (Writer, Composer, & Producer). (2011). Pumped up kicks [Song]. On Torches. Columbia Records.
Sellnow, D. (2010). The rhetorical power of popular culture: Considering mediated texts. (pp. 169-197). Sage.
STANDS4 LLC. (2025). Pumped up kicks [Lyrics]. Lyrics.com. https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/23400040/Foster+the+People/Pumped+Up+Kicks
Zellner, X. (2019, November 21). Songs that defined the decade: Foster the People’s "Pumped up Kicks." Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/foster-the-people-pumped-up-kicks-songs-that-defined-the-decade-8543896/
I had a similar experience when I first really listened to the lyrics of "Pumped Up Kicks." It was crazy to hear something like that being basically the number one song at the time for high school and middle school students, even though we all know what the song is about. I also didn't realize how close the song release was to the Sandy Hook shooting...
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting essay. I have never liked the song "Pumped Up Kicks," as I found the melody chirpy and grating. But I didn't realize what it was about.
ReplyDeleteI had heard the "....better run better run, faster than my bullets," lyrics, and I always thought that was an odd pairing for the the upbeat melody. I never put together that the song was about school shootings, although I should have, since school shootings happen so often in the United States.
My inclination is to think that the song is not glorifying school shootings, but rather highlighting their normalcy and prevalence. It is kind of a messed up revelation to know that this super poppy, bubble gum-sounding song is chirping about school shootings. But that seems to be our overall reaction to school shootings - indifference - as if the guts of children splattered on school walls is so normal, we can write a fun little ditty about it.