The singer has gone back and forth a bit on the aspect of Pumped Up Kicks being about mass shootings in school specifically, though. He explained that school shootings weren't directly referenced in the song and that people have misconstrued it by adding in their own notions . "Pumped Up Kicks" has been very, very good to Foster the People, the L.A.-based trio who released it as their first single. From nowhere, they've gone to playing Lollapalooza this summer. Cultural Impact and Reception "Foster The People's hit song 'Pumped Up Kicks' has left a notable mark on both culture and the music industry, sparking conversations around sensitive themes such as mental health and gun violence while achieving significant commercial success." Commercial Success and Chart Performance When Foster the People' s anti-gun violence anthem, "Pumped Up Kicks," was released in 2010, it quickly went viral. But not everyone immediately noticed the cautionary tale about gun violence The "pumped up kicks" line in the title and chorus refers to trendy, expensive footwear—shorthand, in the song's ethos, for the accoutrements of the cool set. "All the other kids with the pumped up kicks," Mark Foster merrily chirps, "you better run, better run, outrun my gun.". Robert finishes with an act of patricide. Pumped Up Kicks is a song by the American indie pop band Foster the People. The song, which is arguably the band's most famous song till date, has lyrics that are written from the point of view of a very troubled young man filled with homicidal thoughts and intentions. .

what pumped up kicks is really about