Axel F
Axel F is a single by Crazy Frog, released May 17, 2005. The song samples the opening theme to the 1984 film, Beverly Hills Cop by Harold Faltermeyer.[1] The song is featured on the album, Crazy Hits.
Axel F is widely associated with Crazy Frog's character, as it is the most popular song by him. The song topped multiple charts around its release. Currently, the track has over 3.9 billion views on YouTube.[2]
On May 23, 2005, a music video was released for the track in the United Kingdom. On November 23, 2022, the music video was remastered in 4K on YouTube alongside the audio being slightly tweaked on streaming platforms.
Background
Creation
Crazy Frog's cover of Axel F was produced by Matthias Wagner and Andreas Dohmeyer, the two members of Off-cast Project, and and Henning Reith and Reinhard "DJ Voodoo" Raith, two members of the German dance production team Bass Bumpers. Wolfgang Boss and Jamster! arranged the remix, and later marketed it as a ringtone.
Samples
The song samples 2TAKTARE.MP3 heavily, the recording by Daniel Malmedahl from 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 samples (as well as the instruments) from another 2003 cover of Axel F, by Murphy Brown and Captain Hollywood (dubbed "Axel F 2003" and sometimes "Axel F 2004" also produced by Matthias Wagner and Andreas Dohmeyer).
Different Versions
The original version of the song can be found at most P2P networks. This song used the "What's going on?" samples twice throughout the song and the "weeee!" sound is heard before the motorbike section of the song.
A radio edit was made which had the frog saying "This is the Crazy Frog!" and removed some sounds. This version is on the music video and the Universal Records release of Crazy Hits.
A third edit was made where Crazy Frog says "I am the Crazy Frog!" instead of "This is the Crazy Frog!" This version is featured on the Jamster! release of Crazy Hits.
Around late November 2022, Axel F was slightly remastered on streaming platforms such as Spotify and YouTube, following a 4K remaster of the original music video on YouTube. The vocal sections, notably "This is the Crazy Frog!" and the breakdown in the middle of the song were slightly edited to avoid false copyright claims with the 4K remaster related to Sony.
Charts
Axel F topped the charts in the United Kingdom, with some of the best weekly sales of the year (out-selling rivals such as Coldplay by four copies to one), and remained at top of the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and becoming Britain's third best-selling single of 2005, outselling and outpeaking the original version.
In other European countries the popularity differed, with the song failing to make the top 20 in Switzerland at first, before gradually climbing to number 1, whilst only making number 18 in Russia. It also reached number 1 in the overall European chart, after initially being number 2 to Akon's "Lonely" for several weeks, and stayed there until September. It also reached number 1 in Australia, Republic of Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Norway, Ukraine, Spain, and Sweden.
Single
| 1 | Axel F (Radio Edit) | 2:52 | |
| 2 | Axel F (Bounce Mix) | 6:19 | |
| 3 | Axel F (Bounce Mix Instrumental) | 6:23 | |
| 4 | Axel F (Reservoir Frog Remix)
Remix – Reservoir Frog |
4:59 |
| 1 | Axel F (Radio Mix) | 2:50 | |
| 2 | Axel F (Club Mix) | 6:22 | |
| 3 | Axel F (Club Remix Massimo)
Remix – Massimo* |
5:22 | |
| 4 | Axel F (Accapella) | 0:40 | |
| 5 | In The 80's (B Side)
Written-By – Reith, Raith, Boss |
3:30 |
Music Videos
Creation
The Ministry of Sound commissioned Kaktus Film and Erik Wernquist, the original creator of the Crazy Frog, to produce a full-length animated music video to accompany the release of the music track.
Storyboards
The storyboards were made by Leopold Fabpics.[3] The Drone was designed by Leopold and looked different from the final design, The Boss had long, bony fingers with sharp, claw-like fingernails.
Gallery
The Axel F storyboards was featured on Crazy Video Hits as a bonus video and on Axel F single CD as pictures.
Synopsis
The video starts with establishing shots of a futuristic city. A black van parks on a street, inside, the mysterious figure, The Boss sits. A screen on one of the computers inside the van reads:
Wanted: The most annoying thing in the world. Reward: 50000$
The Boss angrily slams down on a glowing red button with a black skull logo on it. A Drone is then seen patrolling the streets on its black hovering motorcycle.
Crazy Frog is then seen, hovering around on a different street, singing to himself along with the music. The Drone catches up to him, shocking him, starting a chase. The two start speeding along the windy streets of the city, while Crazy Frog looks to the camera on occasion to let out a "bem bem."
Crazy Frog begins flying up the side of a skyscraper, with the camera panning to a billboard playing original The Annoying Thing animation, along with the text, "REWARD 50,000" ticking along the bottom. Crazy Frog reaches the top of the skyscraper, launching him across the city, eventually landing into a manhole.
The chase continues in the sewers, with The Boss watching the chase on one of his screens in the van. The Drone launches a rocket which chases Crazy Frog out the sewer through another manhole. He jumps onto a building, and in slow motion, jumps onto the rocket, sending him flying in the air. The rocket heads directly toward the van, and the camera cuts back to outside the city, with a mushroom cloud in the distance. Crazy Frog pops back up one last time, covered in smoke, giving one last "bem bem."
Censors
There are two versions of the music video, one that is censored and uncensored. The censored version (published to YouTube) removed Crazy Frog's penis and the explosion at the end. When the official YouTube uploads of both versions were remastered in 2022, the explosion was added back into the censored version.
YouTube Short
A YouTube Short was uploaded on January 8, 2022, titled "After more than 3 100 000 000 views, Crazy Frog - Axel F it is still a smash … Isn‘t it ?😂 #shorts." It is just a clip of Axel F where Crazy Frog is riding the rocket at the end.
Trivia
- The YouTube video description lists several other popular tags and other notable novelty song characters.
- "novelty songs blue frog mumbai robot gangnam style dame tu cosita psy memes animation meme the king crane tiles hop faded foekoe reel 2 real"
- The "What's going on?!" sample used in the song was sampled from Season 3, Episode 5 of the 1985 TV series, The Max Headroom Show.
- The "Break down!" vocal was sampled from the 1985 T La Rock song, Breakdown.
Gallery
Enhanced Edition
Front Cover
Back Cover
Disc
Music video
Thumbnail
Old Thumbnail
New Thumbnail
Lyrics
Lyrics provided by Genius.[4]
[Intro]
Ring ding ding daa baa
Baa aramba baa bom baa barooumba
Wh-wha-what's going on-on?
Ding, ding
This is the Crazy Frog
[Chorus 1]
Ding, ding
Bem bem!
[Pre-Chorus]
Ring ding ding ding ding ding
Ring ding ding ding bem bem bem
Ring ding ding ding ding ding
Ring ding ding ding baa baa
Ring ding ding ding ding ding
Ring ding ding ding bem bem bem
Ring ding ding ding ding ding
This is the Crazy Frog
Breakdown!
[Chorus 2]
Ding ding
Br-br-break it, br-break it
Dum dum dumda dum dum dum
Dum dum dumda dum dum dum
Dum dum dumda dum dum dum
Bem, bem!
Dum dum dumda dum dum dum
Dum dum dumda dum dum dum
Dum dum dumda dum dum dum
This is the Crazy Frog
[Bridge]
A ram me am brem da
Am da rem ram am da baabeeeaaaaaaa!
Ding, ding
This is the Crazy Frog
[Chorus 3]
Ding, ding
Da, da
[Pre-Chorus]
Ring ding ding ding ding ding
Ring ding ding ding bem bem bem
Ring ding ding ding ding ding
Ring ding ding ding baa baa
Ring ding ding ding ding ding
Ring ding ding ding bem bem bem
Ring ding ding ding ding ding
This is the Crazy Frog
[Chorus 2]
Ding, ding
Br-br-break it, br-break it
Dum dum dumda dum dum dum
Dum dum dumda dum dum dum
Dum dum dumda dum dum dum
Bem, bem!
Dum dum dumda dum dum dum
Dum dum dumda dum dum dum
Dum dum dumda dum dum dum
This is the Crazy Frog
[Outro]
Bem, bem!
Credits
Song
- Written by: Wolfgang Boss and Harold Faltermeyer
- Covers: Axel F by Harold Faltermeyer
- Label: Ministry of Sound, Universal
- Producers: Off-cast Project, Bass Bumpers
Music Video
- Storyboards: Leopold Fabpics
- Animated by: Kaktus Film