Skip to main content

21. No More Kings - "Sweep The Leg"

I'll start by stating unequivocally that The Karate Kid is my favorite movie ever. No one can convince me there's a better film. I'm also a big fan of the novels of Gregory Maguire, wherein the author typically reimagines an existing story from another point of view, usually that of the villain.

So this surprise piece of nostalgia pop by No More Kings is right up my alley. It concerns the inner thoughts of Johnny Lawrence, the blond black belt ex-boyfriend who made Daniel LaRusso's life so miserable.

We all know that Daniel defeated Johnny at the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament, and in the process earned Johnny's respect. "You're all right, man" Johnny says as he hands Daniel the trophy. It's one of the many intriguing moments in the film. Johnny, who through the whole film shows no hint of being anything but a conscious-free bully, suddenly has depth.

To be fair, it's not a complete turnaround. Earlier, when Johnny's coach, Martin Kreese, tells him to sweep Daniel's injured leg you see a look in Johnny's eyes, a look that shows he knows this has gone too far. Later (actually at the beginning of The Karate Kid Part II), Johnny stands up to the coach with disastrous results, but we are able to see that Johnny does indeed have some modicum of decency in his character.

The song continues this sort of unexpected redemption. Johnny obviously regrets his fall from grace and feels manipulated: "I was a superhero / King of 1985 / I showed no mercy / I was always Cobra Kai / But I caught a crane kick to the face / Uh-huh/ I guess he sealed my fate when he said / Sweep the leg Johnny."

It's true, to be reduced from an ace degenerate who was going to make everything work to a has-been with a broken second place trophy must have been hard. We all have lessons to learn.

Too often, funny songs are doomed by repeat listens, so big props go to songwriter Pete Mitchell for being able to evoke a smile while still treating his subject matter with reverence. As for the accompanying music, it sounds like Maroon 5's Adam Levine fronting Living Colour. Or Stevie Wonder doing vocals on the Chili Peppers version on Higher Ground.

To check out the video, starring and directed by William Zabka (the actor who played Johnny) and featuring a cameo from Ralph Macchio, click this link: http://www.freeindie.com/2007/01/no_more_kings_sweep_the_leg.html

Comments

Mantis said…
You have to check out the interview with william zabka that take place not so long ago, about that video. The entire cast is in the video, including the referee. Only Elisabeth Shue and Miyagi are missing.

Sayounara, from Argentina. Karate Kid is one of the best things in the whole world, man. It is a classic here too. Everyone knows it and has seen it.

(I ended up in your blog looking for the lyrics of this song, you are the only one that has at least a little piece of it)
11:05 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Honoring the Legacy of REO Speedwagon

I suppose I should have known the saga of REO Speedwagon couldn't end with a whimper. Before I get into the latest developments, here's a brief review of what's happened so far: In September 2024 came the announcement that the band was effectively breaking up at the end of the year. Apparently, frontman Kevin Cronin ruled that bassist Bruce Hall was no longer fit to continue touring following back surgery in summer 2024. Hall felt otherwise. Here we learned that REO had essentially become a three-way partnership between Cronin, Hall, and Doughty (who retired from touring in January 2023) following the departure of original members Alan Gratzer and Gary Richrath in 1988. Doughty sided with Hall, so Cronin was outvoted 2-1. No Bruce Hall, no REO Speedwagon. In December 2024 Cronin revealed he would continue performing REO Speedwagon songs with the two musicians who replaced Doughty and Hall, as well as Brian Hitt and Dave Amato (who replaced Gratzer and Richrath), with the on...
Post a Comment
Read more

Billy Joel: 1980 - 1977

When I decided to write about every single Billy Joel studio album I knew had a bit of a leg up in that I'd written reviews of a handful of his records already. What I didn't realize until just now was that those reviews were of albums that had been released consecutively between 1977 and 1980. As I reread those reviews - the most recent of which is 14 years old! - I found that I still stand by them. My writing style has mellowed a bit, and I no longer give grades to albums, but otherwise my opinions then are my opinions now. So here you go... Billy Joel: Glass Houses (1980) Billy Joel: 52nd Street (1978) Billy Joel: The Stranger   (1977)
Post a Comment
Read more

Billy Joel: Turnstiles (1976)

Turnstiles is, along with An Innocent Man and The Stranger , in my top three Billy Joel albums. It has pretty much everything you might want from the Piano Man. It has two beloved classics: "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" and "New York State of Mind." And while I like that they respectively open and close side one, I think these two are the key moments to the album's story, and thus wish they'd been sequenced a bit differently (more on that in a bit). It has virtuosity. The opening to "Angry Young Man," called "Prelude," with its lightning fast hammered piano, is the most obvious display of Billy's growing talents. But it wasn't just him. Turnstiles is the first recorded appearance of the Billy Joel band - Richie Cannata, Liberty DeVitto, Russell Javors, Howie Emerson, and Doug Stegmeyer - and their performances show they were able to handle pretty much anything with aplomb. It has introspection and wisdom. Billy was only 27 years old ...
Post a Comment
Read more