anyone else find 'pumped up kicks' song kind of disturbing?

groovygrl

I used to think it was sort of a cool song, good beat, different sound, but I couldnt really understand half the words & then I heard an acoustic version the other day & just find the whole thing a little disturbing...maybe it is based on some real story but just seems like it could fuel someone out there... am I being old & fuddy duddy here?

MrsSR

I have no idea what song that is....

Arcadia1114

That is one of my new iTunes songs. Liam dances to it almost daily. I'm off to google the lyrics...

Fiasco77

Yes! I had to google to see of I was hearing what I thought was hearing. The guy who wrote it says it's about a teen who is an outcast, losing his mind and plotting revenge. 

Arcadia1114

Definitely not the happy summer song I thought it was. Twenty years ago, we all sang "Jeremy". The lyrics are a little disturbing.

Fiasco77

Mrs. Day:

Definitely not the happy summer song I thought it was. Twenty years ago, we all sang "Jeremy". The lyrics are a little disturbing.

Grammy, is that you:) 

groovygrl

Jeremy spoke in classsssss today.... (I'm grammy's classmate I think).

I see your point however the Jeremy lyrics seemed to require more thinking, the pumped up kicks just seems so much more blatantly violent somehow.  

Arcadia1114

piddlepaddle:

Mrs. Day:

Definitely not the happy summer song I thought it was. Twenty years ago, we all sang "Jeremy". The lyrics are a little disturbing.

Grammy, is that you:) 

I'm one day closer to getting my senior discount coffee at mcdonalds my friend. I just heard that pearl jam is putting together a documentary about their twenty years together. I was in tenth grade.

wildfloweragain

Dude, you just heard that?  You must not still be a ten club member;)

krisim

I heard it on the radio again today and made a mental note to look up the lyrics, since I like the beat but can't figure out what they are saying! 

carlab44

Mrs. Day:

piddlepaddle:

Mrs. Day:

Definitely not the happy summer song I thought it was. Twenty years ago, we all sang "Jeremy". The lyrics are a little disturbing.

Grammy, is that you:) 

I just heard that pearl jam is putting together a documentary about their twenty years together.

It's actually airing on PBS on October 21 We'll be setting our DVR. The previews for it look great. 

jenkm

If you're interested in the meaning:

https://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2011/09/foster_the_peoples_mark_foster.php

I'm not upset by jarring/violent lyrics in songs that are "telling stories" versus those that intentionally glorify violence.  To me, personally, this song doesn't glorify violence.  It's a story of a f'ed up situation, I guess. 

Que*Syrah

Holy cow, I just read the lyrics. I am notorious for getting song lyrics incredibly wrong and I had no idea what this song was saying.

Arcadia1114

carlab44:

Mrs. Day:

piddlepaddle:

Mrs. Day:

Definitely not the happy summer song I thought it was. Twenty years ago, we all sang "Jeremy". The lyrics are a little disturbing.

Grammy, is that you:) 

I just heard that pearl jam is putting together a documentary about their twenty years together.

It's actually airing on PBS on October 21 We'll be setting our DVR. The previews for it look great. 

Ooohhhh. I just wrote it on my calendar. I've been a member of rem's fanclub for years. I am heartbroken that they broke up. They defined my adolescence.

groovygrl

Great link jenkm!

I hear you- a story is better than simply glorifying violence... I thought nothing of Jeremy as a teenager so maybe it is having kids & projecting this type of stuff or something that is making me act all buttoned up about it. I can just picture a kid getting all geared up to do something horrible while listening to it since it is so upbeat... 

MCC1010

It is disturbing but I still like the music. It has a nice beat

jkkg317

H loves it, the beat I am assuming. It gives me the creeps, I heard it the first time and I thought, No way is that what they are really saying. But I heard it on a different station and they edit like crazy and Bullet and Gun were edited out. 

Shayna0182

jkkg317:

H loves it, the beat I am assuming. It gives me the creeps, I heard it the first time and I thought, No way is that what they are really saying. But I heard it on a different station and they edit like crazy and Bullet and Gun were edited out. 

What station was that?  My dh is a GM of a radio station here in Indiana,  and he couldn't play that song.  It doesn't fit his format and target audience.  I tried to get him to play it, and just edit out bullet and gun, but he said it sounded really bad when he cut it out using the audicity software he has. 

I don't mind the song.  It has a funky, good beat. 

jamiemsmith

Mrs. Day:

Definitely not the happy summer song I thought it was. Twenty years ago, we all sang "Jeremy". The lyrics are a little disturbing.

This is exactly what my husband said.

Jessys_Girl

groovygrl:

Jeremy spoke in classsssss today.... (I'm grammy's classmate I think).

I see your point however the Jeremy lyrics seemed to require more thinking, the pumped up kicks just seems so much more blatantly violent somehow.  

Definitely blatantly violent:

(from the first verse and the chorus:)

"Yeah he found a six shooter gun.   /   In his dads closet hidden in a box of fun things, and 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."

I DO find it disturbing.  I won't let me kids listen to it.  I feel like it glorifies violence as the way to solve problems. 

Leap08

Mrs. Day:

Definitely not the happy summer song I thought it was. Twenty years ago, we all sang "Jeremy". The lyrics are a little disturbing.

I have always hated "Jeremy". I think it's the most depressing song. What's even more depressing is that it came out 20 years ago. I was in high school. Man, I'm old. 

I think you're right about "Pumped up Kicks". Great beat and sound, but sad, kind of disturbing lyrics.

emilydholmes1

EllaHella:

Ambsies:

Meh, I love Foster The People (have you ever watched the video for that song, those guys are HOT).  Ya, the song does sound sort of like the present day 'Jeremy' but it doesn't bother me at all.  I'm able to separate real life from song lyrics, so after listening to it I don't feel like grabbing my six shooter and blasting kids with fancy shoes.

But I listen to all sorts of music.  I was cruising in my yuppified mommy car the other day listening to Enter the Wu Tang.

Yup, I am with Ambsie on this. 

I have a crazy idea.  Instead of clutching your brooches and swooning, you can use the song as a lesson on anti-bullying and why violence isn't an appropriate response. 

 

Yup. It's so much deeper than "oh, I've got a gun and I'm going to shoot you people". It's about kids being bullied and how messed up that can make them. So they feel so desperate that they would think these awful things.

Bullying is huge right now. Maybe it can start positive conversations with kids about the negative effects of that and how it is important to treat all people nicely.

 If I was a high school English teacher, I would be all over this song in class. Great underlying message. And aside from bullet and gun, which are not bad words, there isn't a lick of profanity in the song.

Dobie_Mama

Mrs. Day:

Definitely not the happy summer song I thought it was. Twenty years ago, we all sang "Jeremy". The lyrics are a little disturbing.

Exactly. Jeremy bothers me more now than it did when I was rocking out to it 20 years ago. I'm sure I'd feel the same about Pumped Up Kicks if I wasn't so ... old. Yay.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

jknigh8

ya, i find it very disturbing, it's so morbid

ABColeslaw

Yeah I was thinking about this the other day. 

erin922

carlab44:

Mrs. Day:

piddlepaddle:

Mrs. Day:

Definitely not the happy summer song I thought it was. Twenty years ago, we all sang "Jeremy". The lyrics are a little disturbing.

Grammy, is that you:) 

I just heard that pearl jam is putting together a documentary about their twenty years together.

It's actually airing on PBS on October 21 We'll be setting our DVR. The previews for it look great. 

You just made my day