Now, before you go feeling bad for Matchbox Twenty becoming a punchline in the “Barbie” movie, you should know that frontman Rob Thomas totally approved this hilarious use of the song “Push” in the movie. In fact, Thomas explained the inception of the song while discussing the “Barbie” reference with USA Today, and the origins make it the perfect song for Ken to sing:
“What’s funny is, I wrote that song about someone I had been with who I felt was manipulating me and taking advantage of me.”
Considering that Ryan Gosling’s Ken believes that he’s not being paid proper attention by Barbie, and he’s constantly vying for her attention and love, “Push” is the ideal song for this moment, especially since his perspective on his own place in the world is just as warped as the time in which the song was written. As Thomas reflected,”The ’90s was a time of manufactured angst, and nobody wanted to be a victim in a song.” Yeah, that sounds like Ken in the “Barbie” movie.
In case you need any more convincing of Thomas fully supporting the mockery of Matchbox Twenty’s tune, a fan who attended a recent concert with the rock band captured this moment where Rob Thomas dedicated the song to Ryan Gosling:
“i’d like to dedicate this next song to ryan gosling” – rob thomas pic.twitter.com/m0fOQAWzV1
— hannah c 🍅 (@hannahcroteau) July 24, 2023
Now if we could only get Rob Thomas to dress up like Ken and perform the song, then the circle would be complete.