"Cruel Summer" is a song by English girl group Bananarama. It was written by Bananarama and Steve Jolley, Tony Swain, and produced by Jolley and Swain. Released on June 27, 1983, it was initially a stand-alone single but was subsequently included on their self-titled second album a year later.

"Cruel Summer" was an immediate success when it was released in the UK, reaching #8 on the UK Singles Chart, and the group performed the song live on the BBC's Top of the Pops in July 1983. After its inclusion in the 1984 film The Karate Kid, it reached #9 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Bananarama singer Sara Dallin said the song "played on the darker side (of summer songs): it looked at the oppressive heat, the misery of wanting to be with someone as the summer ticked by. We've all been there!" It was ranked number 44 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s. Billboard named the song number 13 on their list of the "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time".

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