THE TOP 3: Axel Foley debuted today in 1984 at the box office, and gave us some HUGE songs!

Today in 1984, we first met Eddie Murphy in one of his breakout roles as Detective Axel Foley in “Beverly Hills Cop.”  The movie tells the story of Foley’s non-traditional police work, traveling from Detroit to Los Angeles, in the sort of high-stakes capers that could have only debuted in the ’80s.  Eddie Murphy’s star status was already on the rise from his work in “Saturday Night Live,” but this took him to an entirely new level – and his star has shone brightly ever since.

And tonight, we decided we’d bust out “THE TOP 3” of the movie’s soundtrack.

3) The Neutron Dance / The Pointer Sisters

The Pointer Sisters were HAWT in the mid-’80s with a string of hits like “I’m So Excited,” “Jump,” and others, when they recorded “Neutron Dance” for the movie.  It was featured in the trailer and helped solidify their stardom as one of the biggest R&B groups of the decade.

2) The Heat Is On / Glenn Frey

Is there a song that screams “1980s police chase” more than this one?   I think not!

1) Axel F / Harold Faltermeyer

HAROLD WHO?  FALTER-WHAAAA?  The truth is, you couldn’t pick him out if you saw him in line at McDonalds, but Harold Faltermeyer is one of the most accomplished composers of the 1970s and 80s.  He wrote a string of hits for Donna Summer, among others, before he was tasked as the composer of the “Beverly Hills Cop” soundtrack.  And when he wrote this song as Axel’s theme, he hit pay dirt: it became one of the biggest instrumental songs of all time, and hit #1 on the billboard charts too.

And just for fun, since it’s been a while, enjoy the original trailer of BHC while we’re at it!