Photo: Ed Araquel/Netflix

In Always Be My Maybe, Randall Park, who was in a band in the ’90s called Ill Again, goes back to his hip-hop roots as Marcus, who moonlights with his own musical group, Hello Peril. (Yes, that’s a pun.) Park wrote and performed the songs that appear in the movie, including “Hello” and “Tennis Ball,” and finally, the one that plays over the ending credits, “I Punched Keanu Reeves.” He wrote it as a last-minute addition after Netflix executive Tendo Nagendo suggested paying homage to the John Wick actor’s cameo. “We called up Dan the Automator” — best known for producing Gorillaz’ debut album — “asked for one more beat, and he made an incredible one. I got to writing, and a few days later, we recorded it at his studio in San Francisco,” Park wrote in an email. “He’s a Renaissance man,” says his longtime friend and co-star Ali Wong.

Here’s the song and Park’s personal annotations to the lyrics:

The scene in Always Be My Maybe when Randall Park’s character punches Keanu Reeves. Photo: Netflix

[Chorus]

Best believe I punched Keanu Reeves

And it was better than any scene

You could see in Speed

I hit John Wick

And now I’m feeling so appealing

Basically, I’m a god

You could call me Hercules

Best believe I punched Keanu Reeves

And it was better than any scene

You could see in Speed

I’m tellin’ you, for real

I punched Neo

He could duck bullets

But he couldn’t duck me

[Verse 1]

I’m feelin’ so refreshed

The new sheriff’s in town

Check the button on my vest

It’s Keanu with a bruise

Around the oculus

Now I’m just cruisin’ the metropolis

In my prime, like Optimus

Everything is half-full

I’m an optimist, haven’t done ish

Yet I feel accomplished

Best pugilist

Blessed with an iron fist

Strong enough to

Survive an apocalypse

Any summit I could be on

Any point break

I could surf with my Gi on

Take any fighter, any class

I’mma put you on your ass

Then, I’ll pee on you peons

For eons and eons and eons

And eons, etcetera

Not a tall fellow

But nobody can measure up

And if you wanna feel similar to this

All I had to do was coldclock

An icon of cinema

[Verse 2]

What an excellent adventure

I wouldn’t be surprised if Keanu’s wearing dentures

I got a high five

That can make a man die

I should be with the Justice League

And the Avengers

Taking out contenders with glee

Carefree, and as happy as can be, low-key

Cause the only thing better than punching Keanu Reeves

Is the fact that his girl chose me

I bet you didn’t think this was a love song

But the reason I’m at my pinnacle right now

Is I hit him in the eye

Then I became her guy

And her love has me feeling invincible

No doubt (Oh)

Get it? So I don’t think I’ll ever dead it

Plus, he was a jerk

So I really don’t regret it

I’ll celebrate that day from now till forever

Or at least till the end of the credits, credits

Photo: Netflix

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