A common trend with high-profile movies is that many rely on nostalgia, with actors reprising their original roles decades later, with Matrix 4, the latest Star Wars trilogy and Top Gun: Maverick as the most prominent examples. The latest movie following this trend is the Netflix film Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, with Eddie Murphy returning as the Detroit cop Axel Foley. Axel F is the fourth movie in the franchise after Beverly Hills Cop I to III.
Growing up in the ‘80s, I listened to a lot of synthesizer music. Little did I know that most of my favorite tracks were written for movies and television, like the music from Miami Vice, Top Gun, Merry Christmas Mister Lawrence, Blade Runner and, of course, the track “Axel F” from Beverly Hills Cop, composed by Harold Faltermeyer. Listening to all these amazing tracks planted the seed for my interest in film music many years later.
In addition to writing the “Axel F” theme, Faltermeyer was also responsible for writing the original score for the first two movies. Nile Rodgers, an unfamiliar composer to me, wrote the music for the third. Unfortunately, I could not find the original scores on the known streaming platforms, so I cannot analyze the music thoroughly, but after seeing these three movies again, the focus on the “Axel F” theme is not hard to miss, and the rest of the music is more in the background for the theme to shine.
Using the iconic track “Axel F” as the subtitle of the fourth Beverly Hills Cop installment is quite a bold move and meant that Lorne Balfe, who was responsible for the music for this film, had to use the iconic theme, which he did in spades. In “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F – Curnow Harding Remix,” you can hear Balfe’s take on the iconic theme, and what I love about it is the balance between the sounds of the ’80s and contemporary film music. This new version is a perfect example of what to expect for the rest of the score: The use of the Faltermeyer sounds, the old analog synthesizers, and music from the present day by subtly blending those with the orchestra. The “Axel F” theme returns in several places during the score when Axel Foley is trying to use his old tricks, as can be heard in “Junior Bollinger,” “Bribe Chalino,” and “Team Talk,” but the most exciting version of the theme can be found in “90210.” Most of the score strongly focuses on artificial sounds, with an occasional saxophone solo by Tim Capello to recreate the ’80s vibe. In this last track, however, Balfe went all out with synthesizers, full orchestra and choir.
As the cover of the album states, multiple themes by Faltermeyer were used. Since I do not have access to the original scores, without watching the first two movies over and over again, it isn’t easy to analyze which melody is new and which is written for the original films. From what I could gather from the internet, the track “Axel’s Return” is new and one of the highlights of the album, with its fast-paced rhythm on the synths, providing a solid foundation for the orchestra and choir, but also works very well for exciting solos performed on electric guitar and saxophone.
After not seeing the originals for decades, watching all four movies was quite an experience. Especially the first two have that ‘80s vibe with the over-the-top action and shooting sequences, during which the bad guys have even worse aim than Star Wars Stormtroopers, and Faltermeyer’s scores were perfect for that time. Currently, those movies would not have worked anymore, and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F has adapted quite well, by nodding to the past, but acknowledging that things work differently now. Balfe did the same for the music. He acknowledged the past perfectly by using Faltermeyer’s themes and soundscapes, but he blended them brilliantly with his own style in this current day and age.
Listen or buy
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- Listen to this soundtrack on Spotify
Tracklist
The highlights are in bold.
- Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F – Curnow Harding Remix (2:55)
- Snowplough Chase (2:11)
- Junior Bollinger (1:31)
- Meet Jane (2:12)
- Trackers (4:01)
- Wilshire Boulevard (3:01)
- Bribe Chalino (2:40)
- Axel’s Return (4:10)
- Rooftop Escape (3:54)
- Bad Helicopter (3:42)
- Rescue Rosewood (2:10)
- Mansion Shootout (4:08)
- Team Talk (3:25)
- 90210 (1:16)
Total length: 41 minutes
Netflix Music (2024)
