Bananarama — who has a song called “Cruel Summer” — says they haven’t heard Taylor Swift‘s hit of the same name.
The British-Irish group, which currently consists of members Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward, recently spoke to Billboard about their decadeslong music career.
While reflecting on the impact that female artists have on the music scene these days, the duo shared that they haven’t listened to Swift’s chart-topping hit “Cruel Summer,” even though it shares the same name as one of their own songs.
“I haven’t heard it, I’m afraid,” Dallin told Billboard.
Swift’s “Cruel Summer” hit the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in October 2023, four years after it was released. The track — which was a fan favorite — became even more popular after the singer performed it on her Eras Tour and released new mixes of the song during a promotional push.
Likewise, Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer,” was also a big hit for the group. The song was released in 1983 and was their first Top 10 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was featured in the movie “The Karate Kid” in 1984.
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And Dallin’s not the only one who hasn’t heard Swift’s song.
In a recent interview with People, her Bananarama bandmate Woodward also said the same thing.
“I have to confess I haven’t listened to it,” Woodward told People. “I’ve listened to quite a lot of her songs, but that one seems, I kept thinking, ‘I must listen and hear it.’ But I haven’t. I must be one of the few people.”
During the Billboard interview, Woodward added that she wished Swift covered their song too.
“I would have preferred her recording mine, because then I could have made some of her money,” Woodward told Billboard.
It’s actually Swift who has made a tidy sum off of her “Cruel Summer” through another artist — Olivia Rodrigo. “Deja Vu,” a song off Rodrigo’s debut album “Sour” was embroiled in a copyright controversy after fans noted the similarities between the song and Swift’s “Cruel Summer.”
Months later, Rodrigo gave Swift — and her “Cruel Summer” co-writers Jack Antonoff and Anne Clark, better known as St. Vincent — songwriting credit on “Deja Vu.”
Swift, Antonoff, and Clark have a 50% stake in the song, while Rodrigo and producer Nigro share the other half, Billboard reported, per Page Six. This resulted in $325,678 in publishing royalties for Swift, $260,542 for Antonoff, and $65,135 for Clark, per Page Six.
Representatives for Bananarama, Swift, and Rodrigo did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.
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