Harold Faltermeyer, acclaimed German music composer & record producer. Best known for his 80s film soundtracks like Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop & more!
List of Harold Faltermeyer's featurings
Axel F, Toni Basil & Stevie Wonder
Harold Faltermeyer's age
Harold Faltermeyer is currently 73 years old.
Harold Faltermeyer's country of origin
Harold Faltermeyer is from Germany.
Harold Faltermeyer's real name
Harold Faltermeyer's real name is Harold Faltermeyer.
The Success Story of Harold Faltermeyer
Introducing The Acclaimed German Music Composer & Record Producer, Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer is a German composer and record producer who made a name for himself in the 1980s with his synthpop-oriented film soundtracks, such as Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, Fletch and many more. He also worked on albums for artists like Stevie Wonder and Toni Basil. Born in Munich, Germany in 1951, he was raised in a musical family; both his parents were musicians. After initially studying classical music, he began to explore other genres and developed a strong interest in jazz, rock and funk.
Early Career
Faltermeyer started his musical career by playing the keyboards for various bands in Munich, eventually becoming a member of the group Adventurers Unlimited. He began to work as a composer and arranger for other bands and artists and was soon noticed by Giorgio Moroder who brought him to Los Angeles to work as a session musician. During this period he worked on the soundtrack of the film Midnight Express.
Breakthrough with Top Gun
In 1986, his career went into overdrive when he wrote the soundtrack of the movie Top Gun. The song Take My Breath Away became an international hit and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Impressed by his talent, director Tony Scott then hired him to write the soundtrack of Beverley Hills Cop II, which featured the hit single Axel F. Thanks to this success, Faltermeyer began working on soundtracks for other movies such as Fletch and Running Scared.
Collaborations with Other Artists
Aside from working on movie soundtracks, Faltermeyer also collaborated with other well-known artists from different genres. In 1983 he produced Stevie Wonder’s album Hotter Than July and worked extensively with Toni Basil on her 1983 album Word of Mouth. He also worked with Jennifer Rush on her 1985 album Heart Over Mind and with Donna Summer on her 1991 album Mistaken Identity.
Recent Years
In recent years Faltermeyer has mainly been involved in production and remixing work. He co-produced the 2017 album Moogulator 2 by Moogulator and did additional production on the 2018 album Dreamland by Jimmy Eat World. He also collaborated with many other artists over the years including OMD, Tina Turner, Billy Idol and Elton John.
