Meaning of “Cruel Summer” by Bananarama
Cruel Summer is one of the hit singles released by the British female pop group Bananarama. According to Bananarama member Sara Dallin, the song deals with the “darker side” of the traditional summer songs which often have happy themes. It is about the sadness of being all by oneself in the midst of the scorching heat of the summer, thus the title “cruel summer”.
Facts about “Cruel Summer”
- Cruel Summer was written by all three members of Bananarama (Sara Dallin, Keren Woodward, and Siobhan Fahey) and songwriters Tony Swain and Steve Jolley, collectively known as the songwriting and music production duo Jolley & Swain.
- The production of the song was handled by Jolley & Swain.
- The song was released on 27th June 1983 as the first single from the band’s second studio album titled Bananarama.
- The band members used “coke” during the shooting of the music video of Cruel Summer.
- Upon the song’s released, it was initially not internationally famous until it appeared in the hit 1984 martial arts drama film The Karate Kid starring, among others, Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita.
- Famous American boxer Mike Tyson is a fan of the song. According to reports, he once met the band at a Los Angeles hotel, and to the group’s surprise, the boxer began singing the song to them.
- In addition to Cruel Summer being one of the most famous summer songs ever released, the song was included in the list of the 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980’s by VH1.
- Cruel Summer peaked at number 8 in the UK Singles Chart and number 9 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Frequently Asked Questions about “Cruel Summer”
Q: Did “Cruel Summer” win a Grammy?
A: It was a massive international hit, however, just like numerous other international hits, it didn’t win a Grammy Award.
Q: Which films did the “Cruel Summer” appear in?
A: Since its release in 1983, the song has appeared in many famous films, most notably The Karate Kid. Other notable films to have featured this song include the following: the 1985 comedy film Fraternity Vacation directed by James Frawley, 1997’s comedy film Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion directed by David Mirkin and 2015’s comedy film The Final Girls directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson. The song also appeared in the episode titled K.I.T.T vs K.A.R.R from the famous American TV series Knight Rider.
Q: Which artists have covered/sampled “Cruel Summer”?
A: Since the song came out in 1983, many an artist and band has covered the song, most notably the Swedish group Ace of Base in 1998. Ace of Base later covered the song again that same year with the French band Alliage.
