Lyrical Rhetoric.

                The song, “Pumped Up Kicks,” by Foster the People was a very mainstream song back in 2011. When I first heard it, I was dancing to it and trying to sing along but I did not quite understand what the words were. They sold many copies of the song on Itunes as well as the album in which the song was on. If you actually listen to the words being spoken, the words are not as the song beat shows it would be, it is actually about someone going out with a gun and shooting someone else. The main chorus of the song says about how you should run from the gun. The way I look at the lyrics, the first thing that comes from reading it is an image of a child with a gun in a school. Recently there have been a lot more public shootings in the United States now more than ever before, even after the song came out. I believe that they wrote this song to show awareness of the problems on violence and the issues behind that.

                With them trying to show awareness to the problem, in my opinion, they did it in a weird way. So, what I am trying to say is, I don’t know if the words tied well with the message. It could have been taken in a wrong way. The audience could be a group of teens, adults, and even preteens. Shooting happen everywhere, especially in schools today. The artist chose the words, “Run, Run, Run” to emphasize the fear in a person’s eyes when they are threatened for their lives.

                The music is very upbeat and catchy while the lyrics mean a completely different thing. The musical background gives the song that first impression of a happy, dance video; the words itself, if put behind a slower, sadder tone would mean something completely different. That’s why the genre is Indie pop; those types of songs are usually upbeat and fun.

                The point I am trying to make is just because you hear something is happy and upbeat in a song, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a happy upbeat song. Messages in songs, such as this song, show how the world is now and it brings a realization to people in a new and creative way people will enjoy and understand on a different musical level for everyone to take part in.

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