Cruel Summer is part of the self-titled album Bananarama (1984), the second album of the British trio. The song was written by Sara Dallin, Keren Woodward and Siobhan Fahey along with producers Jolley & Swain during an unbearable heatwave in London in 1983. The three were trapped working while their friends took a vacation.
The video, shot in New York (Brooklyn) during another brutal heatwave, shows the three of them sweating and suffering for real on the streets of the city. This visual greatly helped the song to become a hit in the US after being included in the film Karate Kid (1984).
Released as a single, it reached #8 in the UK and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of the biggest hits of Bananarama career and an absolute classic of dance pop of the 80s.