"Cruel Summer" (Extended Version) 4:55 "Cruel Summer" (Summer Dub) 5:15 "Cairo" 3:15 "Cruel Summer '89" UK CD single "Cruel Summer '89" (Swing Beat Version) 3:22 Remixed by Blacksmith Also available from CD the albums The Works, Now That's What I Call Music 15 and Really Saying Something: The Platinum Collection. "Venus" (The Greatest Remix Edit) 3:42 Remixed by Phil Harding & Ian Curnow "I Heard a Rumour" (Corporation of Bananarama Remix) 5:44 Remixed by Freddy Bastone Japanese 3-inch CD single "Cruel Summer '89" (Swing Beat Dub) 5:20 Remixed by Blacksmith Also available from the CD albums The Greatest Remixes Collection and The Very Best of Bananarama. "I Heard a Rumour" (Corporation of Bananarama Remix) 5:44 Remixed by Freddy Bastone "Venus" (The Greatest Remix) 7:57 Remixed by Phil Harding and Ian Curnow Personnel Sara Dallin – vocals Keren Woodward – vocals Siobhan Fahey – vocals Charts Weekly charts Original version "Cruel Summer '89" Year-end charts Original version Certifications Ace of Base version In 1998, Swedish pop group Ace of Base recorded the song at the request of their German and American record labels PolyGram and Arista Records. It was released as the second single from their third album, Flowers (1998), and as the lead single from the American version of the album titled Cruel Summer. A different "dancier" version of the song (known as the Big Bonus mix on the album), produced by Stephen Hague, Jonas "Joker" Berggren, Ulf "Buddha" Ekberg, and Johnny Jam & Delgado, was released on mainland Europe. The original album version, produced by Cutfather & Joe, was released in North America and UK. "Cruel Summer" reached number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold. In the United Kingdom, the song reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart, matching the peak of the original Bananarama version. It also became Ace of Base's final Top 10 single in the US and UK. Critical reception Quentin Harrison of Albumism described the song as an "engaging cover" in his retrospective review of Flowers, and added that "one variant is closer to the originating take, albeit with a spike of hip-hop flavor for a bit of modish spunk", while "the second rendition is a surprisingly danceable, Spanish flecked trip." AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine said it is "the melodic high point" of the Cruel Summer album. Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that "the act that gave the