The “Cruel Summer” I knew was a good song that did all right when first released. However, it would explode once it was included in a movie that became a box office success and later a classic.
Seeing that song title reminded me of the song, the band, and that iconic movie.
What’s in a name?
At first, when I heard the name, I really didn’t believe it, but they were actually called Bananarama.
At first, when I heard the name, I really didn’t believe it, but they were actually called Bananarama.
They were an all-female trio, who broke on the scene in 1980, and became one of the most successful all-female groups of all time.
Their hits included “Venus”; “I Heard a Rumour”; “Love in the First Degree”; and so many more.
They would also be the lone female act included in Band Aid, a 1984 fundraising effort for African famine relief who performed the song, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
Soundtrack sensation
“Cruel Summer” was released in 1983 in the United Kingdom and peaked at number eight on the charts. It reached international stardom when it was part of the movie “Karate Kid” in 1984. That propelled the song to number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, the band’s first top-10 single in the United States.
“Cruel Summer” was released in 1983 in the United Kingdom and peaked at number eight on the charts. It reached international stardom when it was part of the movie “Karate Kid” in 1984. That propelled the song to number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, the band’s first top-10 single in the United States.
The movie had an effect on me that made me want to watch it again. It was such a good movie. Back then, video recorders and movies on tape were a new thing, and not as easily accessible as they later became. So I found other ways to relive the movie. I bought the novelization in paperback and I bought the soundtrack on record.
Interestingly, when I listened to the soundtrack, it seemed to be missing something. I just couldn’t figure out just what it was.
Then I heard “Cruel Summer” on radio, and thought it had been on “The Karate Kid”. But why wasn’t “Cruel Summer” on the record, I thought.
The next time I saw the movie, I paid attention and “Cruel Summer” played in the movie. The clip I recall is lead character Daniel Larusso riding his pedal bike.
It turns out, Bananarama did not consent to the song being included on the soundtrack. I didn’t realize a band could do that, but they obviously can. Part of it, I suspect, is the song pre-dated the movie, and wasn’t actually written for the movie.
In any event, appearing in the movie made “Cruel Summer” an international hit.
Parting thoughts
“Cruel Summer” continued on with another version “Cruel Summer ‘89” released by Bananarama, and cover versions in subsequent years recorded by the likes of Ace of Base and Rico Bernasconi.
“Cruel Summer” continued on with another version “Cruel Summer ‘89” released by Bananarama, and cover versions in subsequent years recorded by the likes of Ace of Base and Rico Bernasconi.
What warmed my heart was hearing another version of the song in “Cobra Kai”, a contemporary continuation of “The Karate Kid”.
Whenever I hear “Cruel Summer”, I am reminded of the movie that had such a big influence on my life.
It may have been part of “The Karate Kid” in the summer of 1984, but it was anything but cruel to me.
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