‘Axel F’ has its share of fans, cynics

Pop music’s latest British invasion started out as a novelty tune aimed primarily at children. But it has been giving grown-ups across the Atlantic headaches all summer and now seems poised to do the same here.

“Axel F,” the debut single from Crazy Frog – an animated cartoon character representing a pair of mixmasters known as Bass Bumpers – combines the theme from the 1984 Eddie Murphy movie “Beverly Hills Cop” with a ringtone from German-based company Jamba.

It quickly leaped to No. 1 on the U.K. pop chart, handily usurping that spot from Coldplay, and has sold more than 1 million copies in Europe.

On the flip side, it has attracted its share of naysayers, among them disgruntled parents whose children have downloaded the ringtone from the service Jamster and incurred sometimes substantial charges as a result.

Last week, Universal Records and Next Plateau Entertainment unleashed the Frog on American radio, and the results so far have been par for the course. “Axel F” already is in Radio Disney’s top 5 and is the most requested track at Sirius Satellite Radio, but it has also provoked complaints.

Paul “Cubby” Bryant, music director at New York-based top 40 station WHTZ-FM, says the controversial confection has not only become the top-requested song, “but has also been in the top 5 in terms of ‘I hate it’ responses.

“It’s polarizing, which is something we often see with novelty songs,” Bryant says. “The 12- to 22-year-old demographic likes it, but the older the listeners get, the more likely we’ll hear, ‘What are you doing?’ “

On Monday, Gut Records will release a U.K. album of Crazy Frog mixes, “Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits,” featuring new mixes of old hits including Technotronic’s “Pump Up the Jam.”

Gut chief Guy Holmes says the CD will feature videos and interactive games.

“It’s purely about having a bit of fun,” he says. “We thought this thing was mainly for kids, but the reality seems to be that there are a lot of adults who haven’t grown up.”

The American version of “Crazy Hits,” due Aug. 30, will be more adult-friendly, with sports-stadium anthems such as “Whoomp! (There It Is)” and “Who Let the Frogs Out.”

However, Bryant warns, “There’s a fatigue level with this kind of sound. If the other songs (on ‘Crazy Hits’) aren’t different, they’ll burn out quick.”