| "Axel F" | |||||
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| Single by Crazy Frog from the album Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits |
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| Released | May 17 2005 | ||||
| Format | CD single CD maxi Digital download |
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| Recorded | 1997 (vocals), 2004 (song) | ||||
| Genre | Dance | ||||
| Length | 2:54 (Radio Edit) | ||||
| Label | Ministry of Sound | ||||
| Writer | Faltermeyer | ||||
| Certification | Diamond France, 2005 Double Platinium Belgium, 2005 |
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| Crazy Frog singles chronology | |||||
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"Axel F", also known as the Crazy Frog song, is a novelty song that was the debut and most internationally successful single by Crazy Frog, released in 2005. 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. "Axel F" was originally a 1984 hit for Harold Faltermeyer, and was the theme from a film of the same year, Beverly Hills Cop. Axel Foley, after whom the song is named, was the main character Eddie Murphy played in the movie. 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.
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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 left 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 very huge in France[1]. 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[2], with 1,236,100 sales[3] (1,265,579 sales, according to another source[4]). 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. It's highest US 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 medias
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.
Controversy
Some music video channels, to unintentionally humorous effect, censored the Crazy Frog's genitalia in the music video. Some had also already done this on the ringtone advertisement.
Single track listing
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Chart, certifications and sales
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External links
References
- ^ Weekly sales in France Chartsinfrance.net (Retrieved December 16, 2007)
- ^ Best selling singles of all time in France Infodisc.fr (Retrieved December 16, 2007)
- ^ Best selling singles of all time in France Infodisc.fr (Retrieved December 16, 2007)
- ^ a b 2005 French Sinles Chart Fanofmusic.free.fr (Retrieved December 16, 2007)
- ^ "Axel F" Singles Chart in various countries Lescharts.com (Retrieved December 16, 2007)
- ^ 2005 Singles Chart, in Belgium (Wallonia) Skynet.be (Retrieved December 16, 2007)
- ^ French digital download Ifop.com (Retrieved December 16, 2007)
- ^ 2005 French Singles Chart Ifop.com (Retrieved December 16, 2007)
- ^ a b 2005 French Digital Downloads Single Chart Fanofmusic.free.fr (Retrieved December 16, 2007)
- ^ 2005 certifications Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved December 16, 2007)
- ^ Belgian Singles Chart Skynet.be (Retrieved December 16, 2007)
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| Discography
Studio albums: Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits • Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits: Crazy Xmas Edition • Crazy Frog Presents More Crazy Hits Singles: "Axel F" • "Popcorn" • "Jingle Bells/U Can't Touch This" • "We Are the Champions (Ding a Dang Dong)" • "Last Christmas" • "Crazy Frog in the House" DVDs: Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Video Hits |
