Push (Matchbox Twenty song)


"Push" is a song by American rock band Matchbox Twenty. It was released in 1997 as the second single from their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You. After landing "Long Day" on several rock radio stations paving the way, "Push" topped the US Modern Rock Tracks chart and became one of the band's signature songs.

Composition

Vocalist Rob Thomas wrote the lyrics to "Push" with Matt Serletic. The song's lyrics are about the stress of falling in and out of love. Thomas stated that the man in the song was the one being abused, either emotionally or physically, by a woman. After its release, the song's lyrics drew criticism from some listeners who interpreted them as promoting violence against women, to which Thomas expressed surprise, stating that the song was not misogynistic. In an interview with The Morning Call, bass guitarist Brian Yale added, "We were kind of surprised when we heard all that stuff. was, 'Wow, really? No, it's not about that.'

Music video

The video for "Push" was directed by Nigel Dick, and shot March 27–28, 1997, in Los Angeles. The video starts and ends with Rob Thomas playing with a puppet. Throughout the song, the band is seen playing in an alley. A couple of scenes feature Thomas chained to a wall. Another scene is of Thomas holding onto a barbed wire fence while the band stands in the background. He gets stuck by the fence but keeps putting his hands back on it. Thomas is also seen in a room containing a clock and a bed, though no windows are shown.

Track listings and formats

12-inch vinyl, cassette, and CD single
  1. "Push" – 3:59
  2. "Tired" – 3:44Maxi-single
  3. "Push" – 3:59
  4. "Busted" – 4:24
  5. "Tired" – 3:44

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel are adapted from the Yourself or Someone Like You album liner notes.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position
US Digital Song Sales 49
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs 17

Year-end charts

Chart Position
US Hot 100 Airplay 36
US Adult Top 40 51
US Mainstream Top 40 52

In popular culture

An extract of the song was used in the "Weird Al" Yankovic polka medley, "Polka Power!", along with many other popular songs of the late 90s, off the album Running with Scissors.
In the 2023 fantasy comedy Barbie, Ken adopts it as his favorite song after visiting the real world, and it becomes "a tongue-in-cheek anthem of patriarchal dominance" in Barbieland. While many reviews of the film interpreted this as a critique of the song, director Greta Gerwig said that she was a fan of Matchbox Twenty and "I never put anything in a movie I don’t love." Gosling's cover of the song was included on Barbie the Album (Best Weekend Ever Edition).