Introduction:
When I first heard Sit Next to Me I thought it had no association to Foster the People, but after that I started hearing more of their songs on the radio it introduced me to a new style of pop. The catchy tune of the music and the somewhat mysterious singing style really intrigued me.
A while back I would always hear his song on the radio and I came to like the style of the song. Both my dad and I would listen to Pumped up Kicks on repeat and not really listening to the words. It wasn't until just recently when I really started to listen to the words of this song and really question a lot of things about it. I believe that while listening to this song, a lot of people just get caught up in the tune of the song and don't listen to the message it gives.
Background on Foster the People:
Foster the People was formed in 2009 by singer/songwriter Mark Foster. He added a longtime friend, Cubbie Fink on base and then drummer Mark Pontius. This group of three were friends first before bandmates. They then began performing at charity shows as they decided the band's direction. Their first song Pumped up Kicks quickly became a popular hit and gathered the attention of millions of people. Later the band released Torches and went on tours throughout North America and Europe to support its release. After that the band continued to release music. In 2015 Cubbie Fink left the band to pursue other opportunities. Later Foster admitted that Finks departure had a big impact on the band. They were like brothers to each other and it was hard seeing him go. The band continued to go through ups and downs until they released Sit Next to Me reaching over 150 million streams on spotify. Some say since the incredible Pumped up Kicks success in 2010 and 2011 things have gone downhill.
Background on Pumped up Kicks:
Pumped up Kicks was released as the band's debut single in 2010. Mark Foster wrote and recorded Pumped up Kicks in five hours while working on a commercial jingle. Foster states that the day he wrote the song he didn't really have anything to do so he wanted to go to the beach but he forced himself to write a song and by the next day the song was finished. The song manages to hide a dark message behind a cheery tune. Foster says the fact that he wrote the song while he was working on a commercial jungle had an effect on the beat of the song. On release date Foster posted it on his website as a free download in early 2010. Drawing a lot of attention, they hired Kredel and Brett Williams as co-managers who helped them get a multi-album record deal with Columbia records. In July of 2010 Pumped up Kicks was licensed for use in an episode of the tv series Entourage. In January 2011 it made its firsts release on radio and quickly gained popularity. Later it spent 8 consecutive weeks at the third position on Hot 100. The song ranked as the sixth best selling digital song of 2011 in the United States with 3.84 million copies sold.
Robert's got a quick hand He'll look around the room, he won't tell you his plan He's got a rolled cigarette Hanging out his mouth he's a cowboy kid Yeah found a six shooter gun In his dad's closet, oh in a box of fun things I don't even know what But he's coming for you, yeah he's coming for you
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet
Daddy works a long day He be coming home late, and he's coming home late And he's bringing me a surprise 'Cause dinner's in the kitchen and it's packed in ice I've waited for a long time Yeah the sleight of my hand is now a quick pull trigger I reason with my cigarette And say your hair's on fire, you must have lost your wits, yeah
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet
Analysis:
Pumped up Kicks is about a kid that is losing his mind and is plotting revenge. He's an outcast. More then ever right now our youth in our culture is becoming more and more isolated. Foster felt like writing from the killers mind was more his style than writing from the perspective of the victim. Foster states, "'Pumped Up Kicks' is one of those songs that blends something really familiar with something that's very modern," he said. "It's a song where you could lay on the couch and listen to it or you can get up and dance around the room to it."
This song was written from a place of wanting us to do something about gun violence, wanting legislation to be passed that can limit the easy access to a gun. Foster wrote this song 10 years ago, predicting that it was going to get worse before it got better. He would wake up every morning and read the news and would get a knot in his stomach because there would be a tragedy that happened, this is what led him to wring Pumped up Kicks. Because the meaning of this song is sometimes Misinterpreted after the tragical Vegas shooting the band decided to not play it at their recent events. Foster the People felt like it was important for us to write joyful songs. So many tragedies happen around us and joy is the best weapon against oppression. A big part of being an artist is to have a voice to speak to the public culture in a way a politician cant. We need to do a better job of loving people beyond their beliefs and differences, love is greater then politics.
Due to the opening lyrics, "Roberts got a quick hand," many people have thought that this song is a reference to Robert Hawkins, the one responsible for the Omaha West road Mall shooting. The character name in the song is just by coincidence. Mark Foster wrote the chorus of the song first, and considered it a song about confidence, with “gun" being a metaphor. That changed when he came up with the first verse and made it clearly about a kid who finds his dad's gun, and it changed the meaning of the song, giving “gun" its literal meaning. Many people have written leaders to Foster's record label and called radio stations to complain that the song is glorifying school shootings. Foster explained that this song is not about condoning violence at all and its the complete opposite. It forced the public to have a conversation, not just about guns and gun regulations but about where the line is and what should be edited. This song is an amazing platform to have a conversation with your kids about something that should not be ignored. In a way pushing the envelope in terms of culture and forcing people to have those conversations, was a positive thing for our country.
Conclusion:
This song is a perfect example of people not knowing all about it and jumping to conclusions about it. I am really glad I looked more into it because personally I did not know Foster's intention was to spread awareness for school shootings. Now I know before I jump to a negative perspective about a song to maybe dive in a bit deeper because most songs always have a backstory. To sum it up, this was really cool to take a bigger look at a song we all have probably heard but never realized the bigger message behind it.
Sources:
“Foster the People Biography and Life Story.” AceShowbiz, www.aceshowbiz.com/celebrity/foster_the_people/biography.html.
Kerr, Scott. “Foster the People: Biography & History.” AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/foster-the-people-mn0002527840/biography.
“Pumped up Kicks.” ShieldSquare Captcha, www.songfacts.com/facts/foster-the-people/pumped-up-kicks.
Zaru, Deena. “Foster Talks 'Pumped Up Kicks,' Gun Violence.” CNN, Cable News Network, 3 Nov. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/11/02/politics/foster-the-people-mark-foster-pumped-up-kicks-gun-violence/index.html.
“Pumped Up Kicks.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Sept. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumped_Up_Kicks.
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