Push

Rob Thomas wrote the lyrics to "Push" together with Matt Serletic, and the pair gave the Matchbox Twenty single one of its more debated subjects. Released in 1997 as the second single from the band's debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, the song topped the US Modern Rock Tracks chart after "Long Day" had already landed on several rock radio stations. The lyrics concern the stress of falling in and out of love, and Thomas said the man in the song, whether himself or a fictional figure, was the one being abused, either emotionally or physically, by a woman.

Some listeners interpreted the words as promoting violence against women, and the criticism surprised Thomas, who stated the song was not misogynistic. Bass guitarist Brian Yale told The Morning Call that the band's reaction was, "Wow, really? No, it's not about that." Despite the controversy, the track became one of the band's signature songs.

Nigel Dick directed the music video, shot in Los Angeles on March 27 and 28, 1997. It opens and closes with Thomas playing with a puppet, while the band plays in an alley throughout. Thomas appears chained to a wall in a couple of scenes, and in another he holds onto a barbed wire fence, getting stuck but repeatedly putting his hands back on it. He is also seen in a windowless room containing a clock and a bed. The single was issued on 12-inch vinyl, cassette, and CD, backed with "Tired".