“Cruel Summer” was released in 1983 as a standalone single by Bananarama and was later included on the American edition of the group’s 1984 self-titled album. Inspired by a rare heatwave in London, the song captured the frustration and restlessness of a sweltering city summer, while its video was filmed in New York during another bout of intense heat.
The single reached #8 in the UK, but it was its inclusion in The Karate Kid (1984) that gave it major exposure in the United States, where it reached #9 on Billboard Hot 100 and became Bananarama’s first American Top 10 hit.