"
Axel F" is the
electronic instrumental theme from the 1984 film
Beverly Hills Cop performed by
Harold Faltermeyer. The title comes from the main character's name,
Axel Foley (played by
Eddie Murphy), in the film. It topped musical charts in 1985 and remains a popular
remix track. Mixes of "Axel F" topped European pop charts in 2003, and again in 2005 as the
Crazy Frog song. In addition to the
Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, the song also appears on Faltermeyer's 1988 album
Harold F. as a bonus track. Reportedly, Faltermeyer was against including it, but MCA insisted, as it was his most recognizable track.
Harold Faltermeyer version
Faltermeyer recorded the song using three synthesizers: a
Roland Jupiter-8, a
Roland JX-3P, and a
Yamaha DX-7. The drum part was created with a
LinnDrum drum machine. This version of the song reached #2 on the
UK Singles Chart and #3 on the
Billboard Hot 100 in the US. It also spent two weeks atop the American
adult contemporary chart.
Track listings
12" maxi
- "Axel F (M & M Mix) — 7:00
- "Axel F (Extended Version) — 7:09
12" maxi
- "Axel F (Extended Version) — 7:09
7" single
Charts
Crazy Frog version
In
2005,
Crazy Frog remixed the song, also releasing it under name "Axel F," but also known as the "Crazy Frog song." The
novelty song is Crazy Frog's first and most internationally successful single. It is a
remix of
Harold Faltermeyer's 1984 composition "Axel F", produced by Henning Reith and Reinhard "DJ Voodoo" Raith, two members of the
German dance production team
Bass Bumpers.
Jamster! arranged the remix, and later marketed it as a
ringtone.
The remix consists of vocals taken from the Crazy Frog recording by
Daniel Malmedahl in 1997. It uses mainly the same part of the two-minute original that was used in Jamster's ringtone release. The song also uses the "What's going on ?" vocal shotguns from another 2003 remix of Axel F, by
Murphy Brown and
Captain Hollywood (dubbed "Axel F 2003" and sometimes "Axel F 2004").
The Ministry of Sound hired Kaktus Film and
Erik Wernquist of TurboForce3D, the original creator of the 3D Crazy Frog, to produce a full-length animated music video to accompany the release of the song. The video features the Crazy Frog character, is set in the future, and centers on his pursuit by a bounty hunter. The bounty hunter receives notification of a $50,000 reward for capturing the frog, who is only identified as "The most annoying thing in the world", a reference to Wernquist's original name for the character.
Chart performances
Released across Europe in May 2005, "Axel F" went straight to number one in the
UK, with some of the best weekly sales of the year so far (out-selling rivals such as
Coldplay by four copies to one), and remained on top of the UK charts for four weeks. In other European countries the popularity has differed, with the remix failing to make the top twenty in
Switzerland at first, before gradually climbing to #1, whilst only making #18 in
Russia. It also reached #1 in the overall European chart, after initially being number two to
Akon's "Lonely" for several weeks, and stayed there until September. It also reached #1 in
Australia,
Ireland,
Belgium,
Denmark,
France,
New Zealand,
Norway,
Ukraine,
Spain, and
Sweden.
In
France, the song made an amazing jump, entering the French singles chart at number 77 on June 11, 2005, and moving all the way to number 2 in the next week. There it stayed for two weeks, and then topped the chart for 13 weeks. It fell off the first position being dethroned by its second single, "
Popcorn" (it was only the second time that an artist dethrone himself in that country). The song remained in the top ten for 21 weeks, 30 weeks in the top 50 and 36 weeks in the chart. Its best weekly sales were 103,564 on its sixth week, which is huge in France. On December 1, 2005, it was certified
Diamond disc seven months after its release by
SNEP, the French certificator. According to the Infodisc Website, it is the 34th best selling single of all time in France, with 1,236,100 sales (1,265,579 sales, according to another source
[2005 French Singles Chart (Retrieved December 16, 2007)]).
Despite the Crazy Frog not being hugely well-known in
Japan, the single release also charted there, peaking at #46. It has apparently failed to catch on in the U.S., peaking at #50. Although "Axel F" managed to find more success in Mainstream Markets, it proved to be a moderate success on U.S Rhythmic Top 40 where it peaked at #28 just scraping the top 30. It also peaked at #3 on the U.S Digital Sales beating the likes of Lindsay Lohan and the Black Eyed Peas. Its highest U.S. success was just missing the top spot at #2 on the U.S Adult Contemporary Top 20.
Music video
The bounty hunter activates a killbot mounted on armoured hover cycle in the video, then it proceeds to track the Crazy Frog as he commutes around the City on his imaginary
motorcycle. As the bounty hunter closes in on his prey, the Crazy Frog becomes aware of his pursuer and an unlikely chase begins over
skyscrapers and through the city's sewer system, before the killbot launches a
guided missile at the Frog.
However, the Crazy Frog is able to mount the missile as it approaches him, evidently confusing its
guidance system, as it then begins to loop and glide uncontrollably. The missile eventually locks onto the bounty hunter's van, destroying it and creating a large
mushroom cloud. The Crazy Frog manages to escape (or survive, it is unknown which) the blast, covered in dust from the debris and appearing to deliver the closing '
lyrics'.
In the media
In February and March 2006, the
Canadian animation television channel
Teletoon aired the music video during times between programming, with the genitalia and the explosion edited out.
Cartoon Network aired the music video between programs (roughly 2:58 P.M EST) in February, March, and June 2006, with the
genitalia and the explosion edited out.
Some music video channels censored the Crazy Frog's genitalia in the music video. Some had also already done this on the ringtone advertisement.
Single track listing
Australia CD
- "Axel F" (radio edit) — 2:54
- "Axel F" (club mix) — 6:23
- "Axel F" (club mix instrumental) — 6:23
UK CD 1
- "Axel F" (bounce mix instrumental)
- "Axel F" (reservoir frogs mix)
UK CD2
Certifications and sales
Charts
Other published recordings with chart positions
- 1995 "Axel F"/"Keep Pushin'" (by Clock), a UK #7 hit in 1995.
- 2007 "Original Techno remix by #1 80's Club Hits Remixed on their album Best of 80's Dance
Cultural references
In TV series
- In an episode of King of the Hill, "Maid in Arlen", Kahn is able to play Axel F on a keyboard while singing the words "" to the music.
- In another episode of Family Guy, "Meet the Quagmires", Peter goes back in time to 1984. Instead of trying to save his relationship with Lois, he goes to the St. Elmo's Clam club with Cleveland and dances to this song on two separate occasions, while "singing" using his trademark giggle in time to the music.
- In an episode of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Donna sarcastically tells her boyfriend Gaz that Axel F is her favourite romantic song. The song is played later in the episode when Gaz tries to marry her, and is played when the couple of walking down the "aisle".
- In an episode of Clerks: The Animated Series, Axel F is played in a dream sequence in which a Judge Reinhold character dreams about teaming up with "Axel" again.
Samples in music
- Alt-Metal band Rising Conviction uses the tune as the main riff in the song, "Axel FU". Many references are also made in the song to the original Beverly Hills Cop.
- Korean singer "PSY" made another remix of Axel F in his song 챔피언 "Champion".
- Korean band "BellaMafia" made a rock remix of Axel F in their song "BellaMafia (Band ver.)"
- Kidz Bop Kids remixed the 2005 version by Crazy Frog.
- There is a Telugu song sampling Axel F .
- Italian Hip Hop group Sottotono sampled Axel F in the song "Stando Alle Regole" from their third album "Sotto Lo Stesso Effetto" (1999).
- Hyper Crush sampled Axel F in the song "The Delorean" from their first mixtape.
- 303 Project made a drum 'n bass remix of the song, called "Axel F".
In 1989, Electronic Hip-hop group,
Freestyle came out with "Don't Stop the Rock", which had a modified sample of "Axel F"
In video games
- Used on Atari ST cover disks by the 'Medway Boys' and 'Pompey Pirates'.
- In the Internet game, Prawn to be Wild, Chapter 7 involves leading squids into a cave by playing their favorite song- Axel F.
In movies
- The beginning of "Axel F" was featured in the 2008 movie Space Chimps being played on a telephone keypad.
See also
