Monday, November 21, 2011
Pumped up Kicks
I am sure most of you have heard the song "Pumped up Kicks" by Foster the People on the radio. I love this song becausw it is so different than any other song that is currently on the radio, especially because of the lyrics. At first, I did not know what this song was about, but after looking at the lyrics, I found out that this song is actually about death. Not only is the song about death, but it is about death from the killer's standpoint. This song gives us an upbeat outlook on death from a perspective that we wouldn't normally see it from.
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The song is from a kid's point of view. In an interview that Foster the People gave they said that the song is about a kid who was bullied by all the rich kids in school and in his community and one day he grew tired of it and when to shoot all the kids that made fun of him. The pumped-up kicks refer to the expensive shoes or "kicks" that these bullying rich kids would wear.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the song is very different because it is about death but from a psychpathic kid's point of view. However, becasue it is from the killer's point of view, it demostrates a very callous and emotionless attitude toward death. We have learned how death is commonly revered and sacred regardless of the differing cultural practices. This is complete opposite that and a very unique and twisted point of view about the finality and causes of death.
I love this song and have been listening to it on repeat since it first came out. I can't believe that I never realized that the lyrics were about death. I guess I just liked the beat and rhythm of the song and therefore never paid attention to the actual lyrics. After reading your post, I listened to the song again and agree that the song portrays a very emotionless attitude toward death. This makes me wonder how many other songs do I listen to do I not realize what the lyrics are communicating?
ReplyDeleteAlthough many of us may not want to admit this, I think this is becoming a huge problem, we're sending out this message and these words without knowing the meaning, then when the meaning arises people are shocked to hear about it. This is the case in so many songs, pictures, media, etc. Looking beyond the meaning is something I think we should take a little more time doing, understand this is a serious matter, more than just an upbeat song.
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ReplyDeleteMaybe, it was only me, but I think that the beat of the song fits in perfectly with the lyrics, because of the very same fact that you wouldn't initially associate the lyrics with death. I have this quite disturbing tendency to listen to and analyze the lyrics of most songs--maybe is my inner poet trying to decipher the workings of a foreign mind--when I first heard "Pumped up Kicks" I related it to a type of shooting of some sort, in which the killer is acting in a very impersonal manner, he is even whistling as he/she commits her/his crimes because death to the executor is nothing more than an detached plan of action. I like this song, and the fact that it makes you think of death in unconventional ways, which in reality is the best manner in which we can truly analyze anything, when we are in a state of somewhat amazement outside of our comfort zones.
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