Decoding Axel F, the theme song of the Beverly Hills Cop series by Harold Faltermeyer

The nostalgia that prevails Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Fthe latest installment in the action comedy series, is not limited to the big screen.

The newly assembled cast with Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold and John Ashton is joined by the characteristic title song Axel F by Harold Flatermeyer.

Designed for Beverly Hills Cop in 1984, Axel F drove away featured in all three subsequent films. Although each reissue reflected some of the sounds and production techniques of the era, its core appeal remained – the irresistible synth riff that catapulted not only the on-screen action, but the song itself to the top of the charts.

With Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F now streaming on Netflix, here’s everything you need to know about the title and composer.

1. A new interpretation of a classic

While Faltermeyer, 71, the original composer of Axel Fthe German decided against a new version of the new film.

Instead, it was made by Lorne Balfe. The Scottish composer has experience in reviving classical scores, such as those found in Top Shooter: Maverick (2022) and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 (2023).

Speak with NetflixBalfe explained that the latest version was created by a “synth orchestra” that used the same vintage synthesizers as the original score.

“We had a clear idea of ​​staying true to the past and reinventing it a little so that the audience would feel connected to it,” he says. “The Axel F It’s been reinvented so many times. It reaches all these different generations that people are kind of aware of. So it’s something that reminds you of your childhood.”

Balfe also noted that the classical feel of the new version was a reaction to the exaggerated composition in Beverly Hills Cop 3 (1994) by Nile Rodgers.

“I think we have learned our lesson with Beverly Hills Cop where the first two scores were thoroughly classical,” he said The Wrap“(This time) we used the orchestra more as a bed around it, just as an underbelly.”

2. It was done at the last moment

The continued popularity of Axel F remains a source of astonishment for Faltermeyer, considering that it was composed under pressure.

“When I Axel F I had my back against the wall and it was a collage of different things because they needed the song the next morning and I couldn’t do anything from scratch,” he told the website Dazed.

“So I took all the tracks I had made for the entire film and edited them together. I worked all night until 8 o’clock and delivered the song.”

This careful approach, which is also characteristic of the rest of the film’s music, resulted from director Martin Breast’s decision to make the synthesizer the central instrument of the film.

“Back then, the musical setting of a comedy was always done with an orchestra,” said Faltermeyer at a Red Bull Academy event in 2014.

“Now there’s the idea of ​​doing an electronic film score with one of the most successful comedians we had in America at the time, Eddie Murphy, so the studio was nervous.”

3. From K-Pop to Eurodance: There are many cover versions

Supported by the Beverly Hills CopSuccess – the film was the second most successful film of 1984 after Ghost Hunters – Axel F became a club hit and topped the charts in the USA.

This momentum prompted Faltermeyer to shoot a music video himself, in which excerpts from the film are interspersed with his performances on synthesizers.

Over the decades, the song has been given new life through cover versions that range from the familiar to the annoying.

The most famous of these was Crazy Frog, a CGI character with a soundtrack by German dance production team Bass Bumpers. It became a worldwide success in both the pop and mobile phone ringtone charts.

Gangnam style Rapper Psy sampled the track for the disco-heavy champion in 2002, while a Eurodance version of Murphy Brown vs. Captain Hollywood was released a year later.

Faltermeyer’s last film score was an action comedy in 2010 Cop out and reportedly attributed his absence from Hollywood to a backlash against the synthesizer.

On the other hand, similar to fashion, he always believed that his approach would come back into fashion in due time.

“There was a scandal against the synthesizer sound and I moved back to Germany to concentrate on other projects,” he said Dazed“One day you’re out of fashion and the next day you’re back in fashion. People are always taking elements of the past and fusing them with the future. That’s always going to happen.”

Axel F is also a reminder of how timeless a great song is in its many guises.

Updated: July 6, 2024, 03:12