Matchbox Twenty Rob Thomas Allowed 'Barbie' Movie Use 'Push' Because of His Crush on Greta Gerwig?

One hilarious and monumental scene in the recently released "Barbie" movie includes Matchbox Twenty's "Push."

Matchbox Twenty's hit song was played by Ken with a guitar to Barbie, against a bonfire backdrop. The camera eventually pans out, showing that all the other Kens are doing the exact same thing with their corresponding Barbie counterparts.

It is one of the most memorable scenes for some of the audience, especially those who have experienced people being played the song at them.

This is why Matchbox Twenty was initially hesitant to have "Push" on the "Barbie" movie, in fear of ridicule, however, frontman Rob Thomas changed his mind because of one person.

"Greta Gerwig has been one of my crushes forever," Thomas revealed in his interview with USA Today. "To the point where I was on a plane one time and I called my wife, like, 'Baby, Greta Gerwig just came on the plane, oh my God.' So just the fact that it didn't diminish my crush on Greta, that's even better."

Matchbox Twenty Rob Thomas Ended Up Liking 'Barbie'

Elsewhere in his interview, the singer dished out his thoughts when "Barbie" producers first came to them for permission to use "Push," as well as his current thoughts on it now.

"I want to preface this by saying that I thought it was hilarious," he began. He then explained how other movies have used Matchbox Twenty as a dig towards insensitive male movie characters, like in "Bring It On."

"And there's a scene where he was in his dorm room with a Matchbox Twenty poster in the background. There was a whole period during the '90s where the more successful we got, the bigger target we were. We were an easy takedown," he continued, referring to the mean ex-boyfriend in the cheer-themed movie.

"When I got the call for Barbie, they told me, 'Ken's by the fireside, he's playing the song and it's his favorite band.'

"So I did this thinking I'd be the butt of the joke, and I was fine with that. I'm pretty thick-skinned," he said.

"But Julie Greenwald (from Atlantic Records) came to the Hollywood Bowl a month or two ago. She had just seen the movie and was like, 'You come out of it loving Ken and loving 'Push.'' And I was like, 'Aww. Alright, really good!'"

Why Matchbox Twenty's 'Push'?

According to reports, Matchbox Twenty's 1997 song is about a toxic relationship. Thomas, who wrote the song, revealed that his partner was manipulative, but the song ended up juxtaposing the points of view.

Ken sings the song because he thinks that it is about dominance over one's partner, and reclaiming his power over Barbie, which is ironic given the original intention of the song. This seems to be a clever move on the part of the movie's producers and writers.

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Barbie