Song · Matchbox 20
“Push” by Matchbox 20
From the album Yourself or Someone Like You (1996)
“Push” by Matchbox 20 appears on 22 radio countdowns from 16 stations between 1997 and 2023. It was first released in 1996 on the album Yourself or Someone Like You. Its best result is #5 on the 105.7 The Point Top 105.7 of 1997. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #11 alternative song of 1997, #2,755 alternative song of all time and #105 of the '90s.
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"Push" was the second single Matchbox 20 pulled from their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, following "Long Day" onto rock radio. Rob Thomas wrote the words with producer Matt Serletic, and they're about the grind of falling in and out of love, with Thomas casting the man in the song as the one taking the damage from a woman he can't quit.
Kyle Cook and Adam Gaynor lay down guitars that crunch and then back off, Brian Yale and Paul Doucette keep the groove heavy-lidded, and Thomas sings it like he's bargaining with himself. It climbed all the way to the top of the US Modern Rock Tracks chart and has stuck as a calling card for the group ever since, helped along by a Nigel Dick video shot in Los Angeles that opens and closes with Thomas toying with a puppet.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
Hard Rock & Metal
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 23 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1997 | 107 |
| 1997 | 41 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1997 | 105 |
| 1997 | 11 | Q101 Chicago, IL | Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1997 | 101 |
| 1997 | 12 | WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD | WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1997 | 100 |
| 1997 | 11 | 107.7 The End Seattle, WA | The End Top 107 Songs of 1997 | 107 |
| 1997 | 6 | 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) | WEQX Top 102.7 of 1997 | 103 |
| 1997 | 11 | X103.9 Riverside-San Bernardino, CA | X103.9 Top 103.9 Songs of 1997 | 104 |
| 1997 | 9 | KNRK Portland, OR | KNRK Top 94 Songs of 1997 | 94 |
| 1997 | 5 | 105.7 The Point St. Louis, MO | 105.7 The Point Top 105.7 of 1997 | 106 |
| 1997 | 6 | Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) | Radio & Records Top 97 Songs of 1997 | 97 |
| 1997 | 66 | WRCX Rock 103.5 Chicago, IL | WRCX Top 103 Songs of 1997 | 103 |
| 1998 | 67 | WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD | WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1998 | 100 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 203 | KROQ | KROQ Top 300 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 1999) | 300 |
| 1999 | 153 | WHFS | WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) | 500 |
| 1999 | 288 | Q101 | Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1017 |
| 1999 | 266 | 107.7 The End | The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1077 |
| 2000 | 61 | DC101 | DC101 Top 101 Rock Songs of the 90s | 101 |
| 2001 | 125 | WBRU | WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) | 500 |
| 2004 | 398 | 107.7 The End | The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) | 500 |
| 2005 | 733 | 99X | 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) | 1000 |
| 2014 | 492 | 94.3 WCYY | WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2014) | 500 |
| 2023 | 558 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s | 893 |
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