Foster the People: "Pumped Up Kicks"

There is such thing as too much of a good thing. Decent pop songs often die in this manner. The radio overplays Kelly or Rhianna or whoever else is topping the chart this week, and we love it until the moment we don't anymore.

But maybe all you need to fall in love with an overplayed song is to hear it anew. Such is the case with today's video, an acoustic version of a contender for summer/fall 2011's most overplayed song. "Pumped Up Kicks" was actually released in September 2010, but top 40 stations didn't notice it until a few months ago, at which point it shot to number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It stayed there for eight weeks, and radio stations obligingly played it approximately 83 times a day for the duration.

It fits the mold of an alternative pop song. It's uptempo,with a playful melody. The lyrics don't really match the mood, describing a school shooting scene. If Marilyn Manson released this song, there would be outrage. But isn't this a lovely, pleasant thing to listen to?

No? You're still sick of it? Fair enough. But give the acoustic version a chance; if you like Mark Foster's voice in this version, you'll like the rest of the album too.