"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.

Faltermeyer recorded the song using five instruments: a Roland Jupiter-8 provided the distinctive "supersaw" lead sound, a Moog modular synthesizer 15 provided the bass, a Roland JX-3P provided chord stabs, a Yamaha DX7 was used for bell and marimba sounds and a LinnDrum was used for drum programming. 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 [link]

12" maxi

1. "Axel F (M & M Mix) — 7:00
2. "Axel F (Extended Version) — 7:09
3. "Shoot Out" — 2:44

12" maxi

1. "Axel F (Extended Version) — 7:09
2. "Shoot Out" — 2:44

7" single

1. "Axel F" — 3:00
2. "Shoot Out" — 2:44

Charts [link]

Chart successions [link]

Cover versions [link]

Crazy Frog version [link]

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 Matthias Wagner and Andreas Dohmeyer, the two members of Off-cast Project, and Henning Reith and Reinhard "DJ Voodoo" Raith, two members of the German dance production team Bass Bumpers. Wolfgang Boss^[15] and Jamster! arranged the remix,^[16][17] 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" produced by Matthias Wagner and Andreas Dohmeyer^[18]).

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, featuring the Crazy Frog character, is set in the future, and centres on his pursuit by a bounty hunter. The bounty hunter receives notification of a $50,000 reward for capturing the frog.

Chart performances [link]

Released across Europe in May 2005, "Axel F" went straight to number one in the United Kingdom, 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 dethroned 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.^[19] 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^[20] (1,265,579 sales, according to another source^[21]).

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. Most recently, in 2010, the Crazy Frog version was ranked at #29 on the list of AOL Radio's list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, with Matthew Wilkening exclaiming that the version is, "[w]ithout a doubt, the best remake of the 'Beverly Hills Cop' theme song by an animated frog, ever."^[22]

The song was the 65th best-selling single of the 2000 decade in UK.^[23]

Music video [link]

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 the blast, covered in dust from the debris and appearing to deliver the closing 'lyrics'.

Single track listing [link]

Australia

1. "Axel F" (Radio Edit) — 2:54
2. "Axel F" (Club Mix) — 6:23
3. "Axel F" (Club Mix Instrumental) — 6:23
4. "In the 80's" — 3:29

UK

1. "Axel F" (Radio Edit)
2. "Axel F" (Bounce Mix)
3. "Axel F" (Bounce Mix Instrumental)
4. "Axel F" (Reservoir Frog Remix)
5. "Axel F" (Video)

Charts and sales [link]

Certifications and sales [link]

Chart successions [link]

Other covers [link]

• 1991 "Axel F" by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra for the Telarc release Bond and Beyond
• 1995 "Axel F"/"Keep Pushin'" (by Clock), a UK #7 hit in 1995.
• 1998 "Axel F" (by Planet Bass)
• 1998 "Axel F" (by Trance Atlantic Air Waves)
• 1999 "Axel F" (by Cobat)
• 2001 "Axel F" (by Spacecorn) #74 UK
• 2003 "Axel F 2003"/"Axel F 2004" (by Murphy Brown & Captain Hollywood)
• 2005 "Italian Fireflies vs Axel Foley Theme" (Black Strobe, sampled from Black Strobe and Harold Faltermeyer)
• 2006 "Axel F" (by Ismail Miraux).
• 2007 "Original Techno remix by #1 80's Club Hits Remixed on their album Best of 80's Dance
• 2009 "Axel F" (by Ron Rockwell).
• 2011 "Axel F" (by Sardonica).
• 2011 "Axel F" (by Raney Shockne) Scream IV soundtrack.
• 2011 "Axel F" (by Death! Death! Die! feat. Mastodon, live on The Jason Ellis Show.)

See also [link]

• Axel Foley
• Beverly Hills Cop (film series)

References [link]

External links [link]

• The 8bitpeoples "Axel F" A freely downloadable compilation of various artists' interpretations of "Axel F." Released under Creative Commons license.
• The official Crazy Frog Axel F website
• Press release, including sound clips^{[dead link]}