The issue of youth violence is a matter close to the group . Foster was bullied in high school , while bassist Cubbie Fink has a cousin who survived the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 , where two senior students , Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold , killed 12 students and one teacher , before committing suicide . Fink said of his cousin 's experience , " She was actually in the library when everything went down , so I actually flew out to be with her the day after it happened and experienced the trauma surrounding it and saw how affected she was by it . She is as close as a sister , so obviously , it affected me deeply . So to be able to have a song to create a platform to talk about this stuff has been good for us . " Contrasting with the dark lyrics of the song , the music , which was written first , is upbeat . Foster said , " It 's a ' fuck you ' song to the hipsters in a way — but it 's a song the hipsters are going to want to dance to . " Jeffery Berg of '' Frontier Psychiatrist '' said , " I was so engrossed with the cheery melody of its chorus that it took me a few listens to discover that the lyrics suggest dark , Columbine revenge . " Due to the opening lyrics , " Robert 's got a quick hand , " many have speculated that the song is a reference to Robert Hawkins , perpetrator of Omaha 's Westroads Mall shooting . The band 's publicist denied any connection : " This is completely false . The character name in the song is just a coincidence . " For play on the television channels MTV and CheddarU ( then MTVu ) , the words " gun " and " bullet " were removed from the song 's chorus . Many have written letters to Foster 's record label and called radio stations to complain that the song was glorifying school shootings . He explained , " The song is not about condoning violence at all . It 's the complete opposite . The song is an amazing platform to have a conversation with your kids about something that should n't be ignored , to talk about it in a loving way . " " Pumped Up Kicks " drew considerable attention online after Foster posted the song on his website as a free download in early 2010 ; '' Nylon '' magazine used the track in an online advertising campaign , and through various blogs , it went viral . Foster the People first performed the song live at the Stand Up Charity Benefit in Venice in February . The group , yet to be signed , garnered buzz with performances at the South by Southwest music festival in March . Foster was emailed by many people about the song , and needing professional guidance , he contacted artist manager Brent Kredel at Monotone , Inc. , saying , " Everyone is calling me and emailing me — what do I do ? Who are the good guys , who are the bad guys ? " Kredel recalled that " He went from the guy who could n't get a hold of anyone to being the guy who had hundreds of emails in his inbox . " Kredel and Brett Williams were subsequently hired to co-manage Foster the People , and they helped the group get a multi-album record deal with Columbia Records imprint Startime International in May 2010 . Wishing to release a record that would back up the song 's success , the group wrote new material between July – September 2010
Columbine High School massacre
Columbine High School massacre
Pumped Up Kicks