"Pumped Up Kicks" succeeds because of simplicity. The lyrics are spellbinding, around the issue of gun violence and absent parents. It can be very effective to almost belie the profundity of a lyric by setting it to a cheerful, bouncy chorus. "Pumped Up Kicks" tells the story of a troubled kid named Robert, who's "got a quick hand" and sits around plotting his revenge in the form of a school shooting. He sings about the gun that he found in his father's closet, and warns the other kids that they better "run, better run, faster than my bullet" . Follow us on Twitter, Instagram & Tik Tok: @moremiddle8🚪 Unlock a new world of music as a Middle 8 member!🎥 Exclusive access to VIP Video Previews and Disc "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. Background According to Foster himself, the track as a whole indeed describes the problem of mass school shootings in the United States. When writing the song in 2009, he felt that the country's handling of these shootings would continue to become a growing problem rather than seeing any improvement. 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. "Pumped Up Kicks" is a song by American indie pop band Foster the People. It was released as the band's debut single in September 2010, and the following year was included on their EP Foster the People and their debut album, Torches . Mark Foster explained the song's meaning to Spinner UK: "'Pumped Up Kicks' is about a kid that basically is losing his mind and is plotting revenge. He's an outcast. I feel like the youth in our culture are becoming more and more isolated. It's kind of an epidemic. "Pumped Up Kicks" is a song that manages to be both catchy and thought-provoking, addressing a difficult issue in a way that is accessible to a wide audience. Its themes of mental health, social isolation, and gun violence are more relevant than ever in today's society, and its legacy continues to inspire change and promote important While Pumped Up Kicks references a shooter named Robert, the track is actually hinting heavily to the Columbine Massacre. Although it's never directly confirmed, there are lyrics in the song that directly point to the notorious 1999 high school shooting. Read on to learn more about Foster the People's track, and the deadly shooting it 9Jg3zZ.