Barbie‘s one-hour, 54-minute runtime is practically wall-to-wall iconic scenes. That said, everything specifically to do with Ryan Gosling’s hilarious Ken has proved incredibly popular. One particular scene sees the Kens of Barbieland, led by stereotypical Ken, dedicating a beachside acoustic guitar performance to their designated Barbie, in the form of a cover of Matchbox Twenty’s 1997 song, ‘Push’.
Barbie’s use of Matchbox Twenty’s ‘Push’
The scene plays out as a familiar nightmare date to women: a man strumming his guitar, singing at (not to) his date, finding some sort of emotional connection or meaning in his own performance.
In this case, the Kens have found meaning in the lyrics of “Push” as a result of their newfound discovery of patriarchy. The Barbies, on the other hand, take this as an opportunity to turn the Kens against each other and take back Barbieland from the clutches of the patriarchal Kendom.
As the Kens sing lyrics like “I don’t know if I’ve ever been good enough,” the Barbies feign interest in other Kens to stir up drama between them and ultimately turn all of the Kens against each other, so that the Barbies can take back Barbieland while the Kens fight.
Why is the song significant in ‘Barbie’?
At this point in the film, the Kens are having a crisis about what their value is in Barbieland, and are questioning their worth in the hierarchy of their society. However, also in line with the song, they have overcorrected and begun pushing and putting down the Barbies to make room for themselves and their horses.
Greta Gerwig assigned 90s hits to both Barbie and Ken, giving Barbie the Indigo Girls’ “Closer to Fine,” which plays on the journey between Barbieland and reality. The song is reminiscent of Barbie’s physical and emotional journey of self-discovery with lyrics like:
“There’s more than one answer to these questions / Pointing me in a crooked line / And the less I seek my source for some definitive / Closer I am to fine, yeah.”
The anthems for each Barbie and Ken represent larger reflections of their character development throughout the film. These artists were also vital in the coming-of-age journey for much of the film’s target audience.
Greta Gerwig explains the song choice behind ‘Push’
Greta Gerwig explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly why she chose ‘Push’ as the song to represent the Kens’ existential crisis, amid their attempt to overthrow Barbieland for the patriarchy.
“I was like, well, if Barbies loved Indigo Girls’ ‘Closer to Fine,’ which is one of my favorite songs of all time, the Kens might really attach to Matchbox Twenty.
‘Push’] was playing all the time on Quad 106.5 when I was in seventh grade, and if it wasn’t playing there, it was playing at 107.9. I really loved that song. I listened to it all the time and I was like, ‘I feel it. Something’s in this.'”
At the time of its release in 1997, ‘Push’ was criticized for lyrics that many interpreted to be misogynistic or violent against women, especially the lyrics “I wanna push you around,” or “I wanna take you for granted”. Matchbox Twenty has always denied this association, asserting that the lyrics are not meant to be a literal translation of the feelings of the song’s protagonist.
It seems that Gerwig herself holds the same positive view about the song. “I never put anything in a movie I don’t love, and that’s true,” Gerwig told Indiewire about the choice to use ‘Push’. “I don’t really have use for things that I don’t have affection for, within a movie.”
Greta’s genuine affection for the ’90s hit may be the most simple explanation for its use in her film. As for its divisive reception over its meaning, the director may have chosen to use it to represent the polarization between the Barbies and Kens, and their contrasting outlooks on what a just Barbieland or ‘Kendom’ would look like.