A to Z Challenge: Music from Favorite Films “K” Karate Kid II “Glory of Love” & Cobra Kai “Don’t Look Back” #AtoZChallenge #CobraKai #KarateKid

On By MischenkoIn A-Z Challenge, Movies, Music, Series

I’ve joined in for the A to Z challenge this year which runs from April 1st to the 30th. My choice of theme is Music from Favorite Films. I’ll be sharing the songs in order of film title and will write a little about my thoughts on the movie as well.

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Anyone a Karate Kid fan? I grew up watching the movies and have been a fan since the very beginning. Believe it or not, there isn’t one Karate Kid film that I haven’t enjoyed, even the newer remakes with Hilary Swank and Jaden Smith. Nothing beats the originals though.

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In Karate Kid II, Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki “Pat” Morita) returns to Okinawa because his father is dying. He agrees to take Daniel (Ralph Macchio) with him not knowing that trouble awaits upon their arrival with Miyagi’s former best friend Sato and his cronies. Mr. Miyagi is reunited with a past love, Yukie, and Daniel falls in love all over again with Yukie’s niece, Kumiko. Everyone struggles to make peace with Sato while Daniel runs into trouble with Sato’s nephew.

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This second film is beautiful with interesting additional characters and an all new plot. It was nice to learn more about Mr. Miyagi’s past and why he left Okinawa in the first place. I’ll never stop loving Mr. Miyagi with all of his life lessons.

Daniel-san, never put passion before principle. Even if win, you lose.

Overall, this is an excellent follow up to the first film.

Fun fact: Although the Karate Kid II setting takes place in Okinawa, Japan, the movie was actually filmed in Oahu, Hawaii.

My music choice for Karate Kid II is “Glory of Love” by Peter Cetera.

Link: https://youtu.be/ySmqm2Iik48

Lyrics:

Tonight it’s very clear
‘Cause we’re both lying here
There’s so many things I wanna say
I will always love you
I would never leave you alone

Sometimes I just forget
Say things I might regret
It breaks my heart to see you crying
I don’t wanna lose you
I could never make it alone

I am a man who will fight for your honor
I’ll be the hero you’re dreaming of
We’ll live forever
Knowing together
That we did it all for the glory of love

You keep me standing tall
You help me through it all
I’m always strong when you’re beside me
I have always needed you
I could never make it alone

I am a man who will fight for your honor
I’ll be the hero
You’ve been dreaming of
We’ll live forever
Knowing together that we did it all
For the glory of love

It’s like a knight in shining armor
From a long time ago
Just in time I will save the day
Take you to my castle far away

I am a man who will fight for your honor
I’ll be the hero that you’re dreaming of
We’re gonna live forever
Knowing together
That we did it all for the glory of love

We’ll live forever
Knowing together
That we did it all for the glory of love

We did it all for love
We did it all for love
We did it all for love
We did it all for love

Cobra Kai

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Some of the original cast from Karate Kid is back in the new YouTubeRed original series: Cobra Kai. When this series came out last year I about flipped and couldn’t wait to watch it. My husband and I binged every episode in one day. Luckily, he liked it (or at least had fun watching it because of all my enthusiasm).

This series takes place 34 years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is now a successful car salesman and has a beautiful family, while Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) struggles with his job and has become quite a drinker. He’s still bitter toward Daniel and quite jealous of his success. He decides to open up his own Cobra Kai dojo to help out some bullied kids in the local school. Daniel doesn’t like the idea because Johnny’s teaching kids the wrong way to use karate, like his old sensei (John Kreese).

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Johnny has a teenage son (Robby) that he isn’t close with who surprisingly ends up working with Daniel. By the end of the first season, Daniel plans to do some karate teaching of his own and the rivalry with Johnny continues.

This is a comedy-drama that I find hilarious. I love how the characters have evolved into adults but they’re still so much like they were 30+ years ago in the original films. Daniel struggles without Mr. Miyagi but he still has that sweet-hearted personality, while Johnny really hasn’t changed much and seems to be stuck in the 80s.

Cobra Kai has an outstanding music line up consisting of mostly 70s and 80s music with some newer artists mixed in as well. My choice from season 1 is: “Don’t Look Back” by Boston. This song is used during a clip of Johnny as a young boy when he first discovers Cobra Kai.

Link: Boston – https://youtu.be/2HuiH-0R6a0

Lyrics:

Don’t look back
A new day is breakin’
It’s been too long since I felt this way
I don’t mind where I get taken
The road is callin’
Today is the day

I can see
It took so long just to realize
I’m much too strong
Not to compromise
Now I see what I am is holding me down
I’ll turn it around (Oh, yes I will)

I finally see the dawn arrivin’
I see beyond the road I’m drivin’

It’s a bright horizon and I’m awake now
Oh I see myself in a brand new way
The sun is shinin’
The clouds are breakin’
‘Cause I can’t lose now, there’s no game to play

I can tell
There’s no more time left to criticize
I’ve seen what I could not recognize
Everything in my life was leading me on
But I can be strong (Oh, yes I can)

I finally see the dawn arrivin’
I see beyond the road I’m drivin’
Far away and left behind (left behind)

Oh, the sun is shinin’
And I’m on that road

Don’t look back
A new day is breakin’
It’s been too long since I felt this way
I don’t mind where I get taken
The road is callin’
Today is the day

I can see
It took so long just to realize
I’m much too strong
Not to compromise
Now I see what I am is holding me down
I’ll turn it around (Oh, yes I will)

I finally see the dawn arrivin’
I see beyond the road I’m drivin’
Far away and left behind

Don’t look back
Don’t look back
Don’t look back
Don’t look back

Image sources:

Thanks for checking out the A to Z Challenge. Do you like Karate Kid or Cobra Kai? Are you doing this challenge? Feel free to leave your thoughts below.

❤ Mischenko

26 thoughts on “A to Z Challenge: Music from Favorite Films “K” Karate Kid II “Glory of Love” & Cobra Kai “Don’t Look Back” #AtoZChallenge #CobraKai #KarateKid”

  2. I did not even know that there was a 3rd film based on Karate Kid. I am very excited to watch it! I loved it the 1st film and thought the 2nd was a little cheesy but I’ve always liked Ralph Macchio as an actor. Definitely gonna have to check this out.

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    1. Yes! Karate Kid III actually has all the original actors, and then they went on to make one with Hilary Swank, and another with Jaden Smith. Cobra Kai is actually the new series on YouTubeRed. That’s worth a try too. John Kreese will actually be part of season 2! 😉

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  3. I only saw the first Karate Kid when it came out but always thought it was a great movie. Glad to see that the story is still alive! By the way, WordPress says I’m not following you, even though your post was in my Reader. So I just followed you again. I didn’t want you to think I had un-followed you and then re-followed. Hope you’re having a nice weekend!

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    1. It’s definitely still alive. 😉 This keeps happening to me with WP too and I don’t understand it. I started following myself and noticed that every few months I’m knocked off. I’ve had to refollow multiple blogs because of it. Thanks for letting me know, Barbara. I appreciate it. ❤

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        3. Me too! Theres no way I could keep up with emails because of the number of blogs I’m following. I’ve contacted WP about it numerous times and they’ve never helped me. They just say there’s a ‘lag’ but I know that’s not correct. If I don’t repost the post that’s missing, it never shows up in the reader. I’d say it happens to me every 5th post or so.

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        4. Yeah, it’s annoying. I noticed another one yesterday. I don’t want to get a ton of emails because it stresses me out seeing my inbox so full! Well, the good part is we continue to find each other! 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

  7. I loved the Karate Kid movies, but haven’t seen the newer ones. I thought they were doing a movie to reunite the original cast, had no idea it was a YouTube series. Need to look into this – thanks for the tip, Jenn!

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  9. I loved the first two Karate Kid movies, I don’t think I watched the third one. This new series sounds good. I love the angle with the son. I love your choices of music here. I can sing along with both these tunes, they bring back great memories. Great choice for “K”

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  10. Very good blog. I think the whole reason Karate Kid was a hit in 1984 was due to the combination of a good story complemented with likeable characters. Usually the focus is on Daniel learning karate from Mr. Miyagi against Kobra Kai bullies. But also the fact that Ali (a rich girl) breaks social barriers dating Daniel. The combination of everything makes Daniel the underdog per excellence. Fun fact: when director John Avildsen was researching for his movie, he met Darryl Vidal, a true martial artist (in the movie he fights Johny for the finals) Darryl was the one behind the “crane kick”, was him not Pat Morita we see practicing the crane kick at the beach scene.

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