"Cruel Summer" & Bananarama: How the New Wave Ronettes Dominated The 80s I New British Canon

The great thing about Trash Theory is that, even if you don't care about the band... as long as you appreciate the Genre, you're going to learn info about everything in that genre that lead up to the band that broke through... and probably what came after.

Mention was made of Bananarama being taken seriously. Actually, the reason I like them is because they DON'T seem to take themselves too seriously! They portray themselves as just regular girls having a bit of fun. I particularly like the way they know their own minds and stand up for what they want.

Jennifer Saunders described them as the hardest drinking girls she’d ever met and were something of an influence on Eddie and Patsy’s character, but we’re never quite able to match their ability😁

They always reminded me of the cool girls I was at school with at the time. Not the girls who thought they were cool and tried too hard, the girls who didn't give AF, but were also nice to hang around with and had a laugh but were always popular with just about everyone. I don't know why Karen thought she looked terrible in the Band Aid, I thought she looked fantastic.

I always loved Bananarama's covers of "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" & "Venus" and their song "Cruel Summer" ... Also Shakespear's Sister is soooooo underrated here in the states. I love "Stay" but also their song "Hello (Turn the Radio On)"

was so influenced by their fashion in the 1980's. them and sade. two entirely different looks. but both equally powerful.

"Cruel Summer" holds a special place in my mind and heart because of its hooks and its association with the Karate Kid flick which I saw in the cinema as a kid. The 80's had that special something.

Fair play - I just had them down as a bunch of pop chancers but you make a compelling case for them to be taken a little more seriously in the pantheon of british pop.

For three girls who had no musical background, training, etc...they sure made the most of what they had. What set them apart from other "girl groups" was their singing style. The vocals were a unison harmony(i cant think of any other group that had that unique unison vocal style). No lead singer. They surpassed Fun Boy Three and The Professionals in success who helped them start in the biz. They are still releasing albums today where other girl groups have long called it a day! The clip on Pete Waterman commenting that they "didn't want any of that Stock Aitken Waterman on their record" was the girls telling them we dont want you moulding us to sound like everyone else you have produced(the kylie's, the Jason's, the Rick Astley's). Strangest thing is that I loved the whole WOW album period of their career.

The BRITs performance of “Love In The First Degree” is still a very iconic one.

As a DJ in the early 90's i came across a 12" record of only your love which had an absolute killer piano mix on it which i used at the high point of my sets for the whole of summer 1990. What a belter and what a pioneering band they were too.

Loved Cruel Summer when I was a kid and I still do now. They really made some classics.

It's impressive how they're still performing and make new songs at the present.

Thank you for this video and for pointing out the influence Bananarama had on the Spice Girls, Madonna and Girls Aloud! The impact Bananarama had on pop music is so often overlooked and they are not acknowledged enough for what they achieved.

i smiled all the way through this video. Brought back such fond memories of them and their music growing up in Australia. Cruel Summer, Robert DeNiro and Shy Boy were my introduction to the Bananies and they have never left my music collection. I still play their tracks to this day and i'm 53

You think you know everything about a band and your man connects them to an Arch Enemy track from 12 years ago. Absolute legend of a channel. Cheers.

Cruel Summer just feels epic...at the end of it you feel like you watched a 3 hour movie, not listened to a 3 minute song.....

They're deffo still iconic in the UK, where I am. Love their ethos of knowing what they want before going to the studio. No one takes the Mickey.

I remember hearing the song Venus as a kid growing up in New York and it still brings back memories 😊

The greatest thing about banarama is that they are all very determined, highly intelligent, strong women who would stand toe to toe against any record exec or rep. They had their own direction, made their own choices, even if it didn't make sense to outsiders. Which is why they stood out to begin with and continue to do so now. In a way their attitudes towards life, work, and everything lead the foundations for gen z women today, and you can't do much better than that out of a music career