Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty and Ryan Gosling, aka Ken, in the Barbie movie.Photo:Slaven Vlasic/Getty; Warner Bros. Pictures
Slaven Vlasic/Getty; Warner Bros. Pictures
Rob Thomasis no stranger to his bandMatchbox Twentybeing the butt of jokes — after all, it’s been happening for three decades now.
Jaap Buitendijk
Perhaps Thomas, 51, was initially hesitant about his song being featured in a movie because he is well aware of Matchbox Twenty’s notoriety as a band that is cool to ridicule.
Hitting the Billboard Top 10 in 1997,“Push"was taken from Matchbox Twenty’s 1996 debut albumYourself or Someone Like You. The autobiographical lyrics are about a man who is experiencing emotional abuse from his partner.
At the time of the song’s release inthe ’90s, some feminist groups expressed outrage at what they perceived to be misogynistic lyrical content from the Orlando band, with people attempting to get the song banned from radio for encouraging violence against women.
“I wrote that song about someone I had been with who I felt was manipulating me and taking advantage of me. The ’90s was a time of manufactured angst, and nobody wanted to be a victim in a song,” Thomas said. “But at the time I was in my early 20s. I didn’t even know what I was writing about. It takes being in my 50s now, and being married for 24 years, to look back and go, ‘Oh, man, I was going through some [stuff].’ “
Thomas admitted it was a no-brainer allowing his band’s song to be featured in theBarbiemovie, given his infatuation with the movie’s director and co-writer.
“Growing up, I loved that song,” Gerwig said toUSA Today, referring to ‘Push.’ “I was like, ‘This is my rock ’n’ roll, Dad. Enjoy The Who, but these are my guys.’ And it wasn’t until college that I actually thought, ‘What is that song about?’ Just thinking about 13-year-old me singing along and really meaning it, I was like, ‘That is so interesting.’ I looked it up and, in a way, [Thomas] was playing a character. It’s almost like a story song.”
As for whether Thomas has any plans to seeBarbiein theaters, he said, “I’m probably going to stream it on my bus when it’s available. … I’m excited to see two of the most beautiful people on the planet while I listen to my own song. That’s pretty amazing, in and of itself.”
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source: people.com
