June Mix - 12. Bananarama - Cruel Summer

This song is perfect for the mix for a slew of reasons. First off, it provides a nice contrast to the happy-go-lucky summer tunes like The Barracudas' "Summer Fun" and Blink's "Rock Show." Secondly, (and more importantly) this song is featured in one of my favorite films, The Karate Kid. It's played during the scene that Daniel is riding his bike to the first day of school. This 1983 release was a breakout song for Bananarama in native Britain, but didn't become a U.S. hit until the Karate Kid inclusion. It's a good track to set us off on the homestretch for the June mix. Here's the crappy Dukes of Hazard influenced music video for "Cruel Summer":