Axel F
Encyclopedia
"Axel F" is the electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...

 instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....

 theme from the 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop
Beverly Hills Cop
Beverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American comedy-action film directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy, Lisa Eilbacher, John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, and Ronny Cox...

performed by Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer is a German musician, keyboardist, composer and record producer.He is recognized as one of the composers/producers who best captured the zeitgeist of 1980s synth-pop in film scores...

. The title comes from the main character's name, Axel Foley
Axel Foley
Axel Foley is a fictional character, portrayed by Eddie Murphy, and is the main protagonist of the Beverly Hills Cop film franchise. He is ranked number 78 on Empire Magazine's list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time...

 (played by Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....

), in the film. It topped musical charts in 1985 and remains a popular remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....

 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
Roland Jupiter-8
The Jupiter-8 is an eight-voice polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizer introduced by Roland Corporation in 1981.The Jupiter-8, or JP-8, was Roland's flagship synthesizer for the first half of the 1980's...

 provided the distinctive "supersaw" lead sound, a Moog modular synthesizer
Moog modular synthesizer
Moog modular synthesizer refers to any of a number of monophonic analog modular synthesizers designed by the late electronic instrument pioneer Dr. Robert Moog and manufactured by R.A Moog Co...

 15 provided the bass, a Roland JX-3P
Roland JX-3P
The Roland JX-3P is a synthesizer produced by Roland Corporation of Japan in 1983. It is notable as the one of the company's first products to incorporate a MIDI interface, limited to note-on/note-off data only.-Features:...

 provided chord stabs, a Yamaha DX7
Yamaha DX7
The Yamaha DX7 is an FM Digital Synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer. Its distinctive sound can be heard on many recordings, especially Pop music from the 1980s...

 was used for bell and marimba sounds and a LinnDrum
LinnDrum
The LinnDrum is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics. It was released in 1982 as a successor to the Linn LM-1. The LinnDrum has 15 drum sounds sampled from real drums, a sequencer for programming rhythm patterns and five trigger inputs....

 was used for drum programming. This version of the song reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 in the US. It also spent two weeks atop the American adult contemporary chart
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...

.

Track listings

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

Peak positions

Chart (1985) Peak
position
Austrian Singles Chart 4
Dutch Singles Chart 1
German Singles Chart 2
Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...

1
New Zealand Singles Chart
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...

1
Swedish Singles Chart 18
Swiss Singles Chart 2
UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

2
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 3
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Chart 1
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 13


End of year charts

End of year chart (1985) Position
Dutch Top 40 15
Swiss Singles Chart 15


Chart successions

Crazy Frog version

In 2005
2005 in music
-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...

, Crazy Frog
Crazy Frog
Crazy Frog, originally known as Adam King, is a computer-animated character created in 2003 by Erik Wernquist. Marketed by the ringtone provider Jamba!, the animation was originally created to accompany a sound effect produced by Daniel Malmedahl in 1997 while attempting to imitate the sound of a...

 remixed the song, also releasing it under name "Axel F," but also known as the "Crazy Frog song." The novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...

 is Crazy Frog's first and most internationally successful single. It is a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....

 of Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer is a German musician, keyboardist, composer and record producer.He is recognized as one of the composers/producers who best captured the zeitgeist of 1980s synth-pop in film scores...

's 1984 composition "Axel F", produced by Henning Reith and Reinhard "DJ Voodoo" Raith, two members of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 dance
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...

 production team Bass Bumpers
Bass Bumpers
Bass Bumpers is a DJ and record production team, known for their dance/techno music. They are originally from Germany; with members: Henning Reith, Caba Kroll, CJ Stone, George Dee, Akira Yamamoto, and Reinhard "DJ Voodoo" Raith...

. Jamster!
Jamba!
Jamba! is a premium-rate monthly SMS mobile phone content provider, based in Berlin, Germany. In China and the company's English-speaking markets—currently Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States—the company operates under the name...

 arranged the remix, and later marketed it as a ringtone.

The remix consists of vocals taken from the Crazy Frog recording by Daniel Malmedahl
Daniel Malmedahl
Daniel Malmedahl is a computer components salesman from Gothenburg, Sweden who is best known for developing the "ring ding ding" voice of the Crazy Frog. The sound was created while trying to create an imitation of a two-stroke moped engine...

 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
Erik Wernquist
Erik Wernquist is a Swedish actor, playwright and director. He is probably best known to the general public for his 3-D animation "The Annoying Thing", now known as the Crazy Frog....

 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

Released across Europe in May 2005, "Axel F" went straight to number one in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, with some of the best weekly sales of the year so far (out-selling rivals such as Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...

 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
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 at first, before gradually climbing to #1, whilst only making #18 in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. It also reached #1 in the overall European chart, after initially being number two to Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...

's "Lonely" for several weeks, and stayed there until September. It also reached #1 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

.

In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan 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
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...

 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).

Despite the Crazy Frog not being hugely well-known in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, 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
AOL Radio
AOL Radio powered by Slacker, , is an online radio service available only in the United States.- Roots :...

'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."

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

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
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

. As the bounty hunter closes in on his prey, the Crazy Frog becomes aware of his pursuer and an unlikely chase begins over skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...

s and through the city's sewer system, before the killbot launches a guided missile
Guided Missile
Guided Missile is a London based independent record label set up by Paul Kearney in 1994.Guided Missile has always focused on 'the underground', preferring to put out a steady flow of releases and developing the numerous GM events around London and beyond....

 at the Frog.

However, the Crazy Frog is able to mount the missile as it approaches him, evidently confusing its guidance system
Guidance system
A guidance system is a device or group of devices used to navigate a ship, aircraft, missile, rocket, satellite, or other craft. Typically, this refers to a system that navigates without direct or continuous human control...

, 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
Mushroom cloud
A mushroom cloud is a distinctive pyrocumulus mushroom-shaped cloud of condensed water vapor or debris resulting from a very large explosion. They are most commonly associated with nuclear explosions, but any sufficiently large blast will produce the same sort of effect. They can be caused by...

. The Crazy Frog manages to escape the blast, covered in dust from the debris and appearing to deliver the closing 'lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...

'.

Single track listing

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)

Peak positions
Chart (2005) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 1
Austrian Singles Chart 2
Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart 1
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart 1
Danish Singles Chart 1
Dutch Singles Chart 7
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1
Finnish Singles Chart 2
French SNEP Singles & Digital Charts 1
German Singles Chart 3
Irish IRMA Singles Chart 1
Italian FIMI Singles Chart 4
Japanese Singles Chart 46
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart 1
Norwegian Singles Chart 1
Spanish Singles Chart 1
Swedish Singles Chart 1
Swiss Singles Chart 1
UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

1
U.S Billboard Hot 100 50
U.S Billboard Hot Dance Club/Play 7
U.S Billboard Latin Tropical Airplay 37
U.S Billboard Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...

34
U.S Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 28
U.S Billboard Top 40 Mainstream 40


End of year charts
End of year chart (2005) Position
Australian Singles Chart 4
Australian Dance Singles Chart 1
Austrian Singles Chart 17
Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart 2
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart 1
Dutch Top 40 33
French Singles Chart 2
French Digital Chart 7
French Club 50 Chart 23
Irish Singles Chart 4
New Zealand Singles Chart 1
Swiss Singles Chart 2
UK Singles Chart 3


Certifications and sales
Country Certification Date Sales certified Physical sales Digital downloads
Belgium 2 x Platinum September 10, 2005 100,000
Denmark Gold November 22, 2005 4,000
France Diamond December 1, 2005 750,000 1,265,579+ 28,800+
Swiss Platinum 2005 40,000
U.S. Gold December 12, 2005 500,000

Chart successions


Other covers

  • 1991 "Axel F" by Erich Kunzel
    Erich Kunzel
    Erich Kunzel, Jr. was an American orchestra conductor. Called the "Prince of Pops" by the Chicago Tribune, he performed with a number of leading pops and symphony orchestras, especially the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra , which he led for over 44 years.-Early life and career:Kunzel was born to...

     and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
    Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
    The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra is a pops orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, founded in 1977 out of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Its members are also the members of the Cincinnati Symphony, and the Pops is managed by the same administration...

     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
    Trance Atlantic Air Waves
    Trance Atlantic Air Waves , is a side project from Enigma's Michael Cretu. He had previously worked with Jens Gad on Enigma's 1996 release Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi! and they once again teamed up for this side project. Only one studio album was released, The Energy of Sound under Virgin Records...

    )
  • 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" (Author Unknown, sampled from Black Strobe
    Black Strobe
    Black Strobe were formed in Paris in 1997 by producer Arnaud Rebotini and DJ Ivan Smagghe, and were instrumental in the rise of the electroclash movement in the UK with their breakthrough single Me And Madonna...

     and Harold Faltermeyer
    Harold Faltermeyer
    Harold Faltermeyer is a German musician, keyboardist, composer and record producer.He is recognized as one of the composers/producers who best captured the zeitgeist of 1980s synth-pop in film scores...

    )
  • 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 Raney Shockne) Scream IV soundtrack.

External links

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