Post Random Music Facts

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Some facts about Bananarama's signature song Cruel Summer

1. Released on 27 June 1983 as a stand‑alone single before later being added to Bananarama's second album.

2. Written by all three Bananarama members (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward) along with producers Steve Jolley and Tony Swain.

3. Reached #8 on the UK Singles Chart in 1983.

4. Reached #9 on the US Billboard Hot 100 after being featured in The Karate Kid (1984).

5. The group refused to include the song on The Karate Kid soundtrack album, despite its success from the film.

6. The song's theme reflects the "darker side" of summer, focusing on oppressive heat and loneliness.

7. Inspired by the band's inability to take their usual summer holiday due to heavy promotional commitments.

8. The music video was filmed in New York City, chosen simply because the group had never been there.

9. Shot in two days, Bananarama filmed the Cruel Summer video in July 1983 in the middle of a brutal heatwave. Temperatures hit 98°F.

10. The video features the band escaping in a truck and throwing banana peels at police, a playful nod to their name.

11. During the video shoot, the band encountered dockworkers who introduced them to cocaine, according to Siobhan Fahey.

12. The song peaked at #1 in Luxembourg, its highest chart position anywhere.

13. VH1 ranked it #44 on their "100 Greatest Songs of the '80s."

14. Billboard ranked it #13 on their "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time."

15. Mike Tyson is a fan of the song and once surprised the band by singing it to them in a hotel.