Can you imagine a song like Pumped Up Kicks coming out now?

Thats pretty much why this song is a meme now.

Social media was pretty ubiquitous back in 2011, however the far-left SJW movement had yet to really take off. I feel as though "Pumped Up Kicks" would be absolutely scrutinized if it were to be released today. I mean, if people can find fault with a traditional Christmas carol from 70 years ago, imagine how people would have responded to a new Top-40 hit that features the lyrics, "better run, faster than my bullet". It's sad really, but unfortunately, that's just the world we're living in now.

I remember the lyrics did spark a few discussions at the time though. It was nothing particularly bad and the discussions didn't receive extensive coverage in the media, however it did get some people talking.

But if more and more people are aware of mental illness in comparison to how many were aware of it back in 2011, wouldn't the song be more culturally relevant than it ever had been previously? I personally couldn't imagine it being released in 2020 either, but only for the fact that the song is rooted in the early '10s indie-pop subculture and it would sound out of place on the current Top-40 charts.

Welcome to the forum btw.

It came out one year before the Aurora shooting, which was basically the beginning of the ceaseless trend of mass shootings in the present day.