"You're the Best" is a song performed by

Joe Esposito Joe Esposito may refer to: *Joe Esposito (author) (1938–2016), American author and publisher *Joe Esposito (singer) (born 1948), member of the Brooklyn Dreams *Joe Esposito (politician) (1872–1928), American corrupt politician *Joe Esposito (ba ...

and written by

Bill Conti William Conti (born April 13, 1942) is an American composer and conductor, best known for his film scores, including ''Rocky'' (and four of its sequels), ''The Karate Kid'' (and all of its sequels), '' For Your Eyes Only'', ''Dynasty'' (and its ...

(music) and

Allee Willis Alta Sherral "Allee" Willis (November 10, 1947 – December 24, 2019) was an American songwriter, multi-media artist, collector, and art director. Willis co-wrote hit songs including "September" and "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire. She ...

(lyrics), which came to prominence as the music to the All-Valley Karate Championships montage in the 1984 movie ''

The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and W ...

'' in which the protagonist,

Daniel LaRusso Daniel LaRusso is a fictional character in the '' Karate Kid'' franchise. He is the main protagonist of the Karate Kid film trilogy and one of the main characters in its spin-off series ''Cobra Kai''. He is portrayed by Ralph Macchio. Overview ...

(

Ralph Macchio Ralph George Macchio Jr. ( ; born November 4, 1961) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Daniel LaRusso in three ''Karate Kid'' films and in ''Cobra Kai'', a sequel television series. He also played Johnny Cade in '' The Outsiders' ...

), proves a surprisingly formidable contender.

Appearances

"You're the Best" came to prominence after being used in the 1984 film ''

''. In 2005, the song was featured prominently in the animated series ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...

'', Season 9, Episode 5 ("

The Losing Edge "The Losing Edge" is the fifth episode in the ninth season of the American animated television series '' South Park'', and the 130th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 6, 2005. In ...

"). It is played when one of the characters (Randy Marsh) gets into a series of fights, and again over the end credits. Also, the song is dedicated to J.B.T. as it was written by the singer on the back of the CD. The song was played in a montage of the

season 1 Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) * Season 4 (disambiguat ...

episode of

Regular Show ''Regular Show'' (known as ''Regular Show in Space'' during its eighth season) is an American animated sitcom created by J. G. Quintel for Cartoon Network. It ran from September 6, 2010, to January 16, 2017, over the course of eight seasons a ...

, titled "Death Punchies", were Rigby unleashed his death punch superpower. The song was played in a montage of the season 2 episode of ''

Back at the Barnyard ''Back at the Barnyard'' (also known as ''Barnyard: The Series'') is an American CGI animated television series based on the 2006 film ''Barnyard''. The second and final installment in the ''Barnyard'' franchise, the series aired from Septemb ...

'', titled "Mission: Save Bigfoot", where the animals climb a mountain to reach Bigfoot's home.

Criticism

Responding to years of criticism of "You're the Best" on the radio, singer Joe Esposito called into '' The Adam Carolla Show'' on April 9, 2008. The criticism was that the lyric "History repeats itself" was inappropriate because it was played during Daniel LaRusso's (

) first All-Valley Tournament in ''The Karate Kid''. Esposito revealed that the

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

was originally intended for the ''

Rocky III ''Rocky III'' is a 1982 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to ''Rocky II'' (1979) and is the third installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise. Along with Stallone reprising the title rol ...

'' soundtrack, but was replaced by "

Eye of the Tiger "Eye of the Tiger" is a song by American rock band Survivor. It was released as a single from their third album of the same name and was also the theme song for the 1982 film ''Rocky III'', which was released a day before the single. The song ...

". It was subsequently also turned down for the ''

Flashdance ''Flashdance'' is a 1983 American romantic drama dance film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer who aspires to become a professional ballerina (Alex), alongside Michael Nouri playing her boyfriend an ...

'' soundtrack in favor of "

Maniac Maniac (from Greek μανιακός, ''maniakos'') is a pejorative for an individual who experiences the mood known as mania. In common usage, it is also an insult for someone involved in reckless behavior. Maniac may also refer to: Film * ' ...

" by

Michael Sembello Michael Andrew Sembello (born April 17, 1954) is an American singer, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sembello was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his 1983 song " ...

. ''The Karate Kids director,

John G. Avildsen John Guilbert Avildsen (December 21, 1935 – June 16, 2017) was an American film director. He is perhaps best known for directing ''Rocky'' (1976), which earned him the Academy Award for Best Director, and the first three ''The Karate Kid'' fil ...

, liked the song so much that he used it in the movie.'' The Adam Carolla Show'', 2008-04-09 interview.

References

{{Authority control 1984 songs The Karate Kid (franchise) Songs written by Allee Willis Songs written by Bill Conti American synth-pop songs Hard rock ballads Joe Esposito (singer) songs