Cruel Summer is a 1998 album by Swedish pop group Ace of Base, released as the band's third album in North America on July 14, 1998 and in Japan on August 25, 1998 by Arista Records. Though Flowers sold four million copies in Europe, Asia, and Africa following its release in June 1998, Arista Records decided to release a different version of the album in the North America and Japan, retitled Cruel Summer. This version of the album featured the new track "Everytime It Rains" and many new versions of songs that were first featured on Flowers. As executive producer, Clive Davis enlisted collaborators including production team Cutfather & Joe and songwriter Billy Steinberg. While primarily a pop album, Cruel Summer explores the genres of euro disco, motown, and dance.
Cruel Summer received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who complimented its production and viewed it as a superior version of Flowers. Despite this, the album was not a success and failed to crack the top 100 of the Billboard 200, peaking at number 101. The project was promoted with a series of live television performances which received minimal participation from band member Linn Berggren. Two singles were released from the album, one which became an international success. Its titular lead single "Cruel Summer" peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold. The second and final single, "Whenever You're Near Me" received little promotion and peaked at number 76.Cruel Summer is a 1998 album by Swedish pop group Ace of Base, released as the band's third album in North America on July 14, 1998 and in Japan on August 25, 1998 by Arista Records. Though Flowers sold four million copies in Europe, Asia, and Africa following its release in June 1998, Arista Records decided to release a different version of the album in the North America and Japan, retitled Cruel Summer. This version of the album featured the new track "Everytime It Rains" and many new versions of songs that were first featured on Flowers. As executive producer, Clive Davis enlisted collaborators including production team Cutfather & Joe and songwriter Billy Steinberg. While primarily a pop album, Cruel Summer explores the genres of euro disco, motown, and dance.
Cruel Summer received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who complimented its production and viewed it as a superior version of Flowers. Despite this, the album was not a success and failed to crack the top 100 of the Billboard 200, peaking at number 101. The project was promoted with a series of live television performances which received minimal participation from band member Linn Berggren. Two singles were released from the album, one which became an international success. Its titular lead single "Cruel Summer" peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold. The second and final single, "Whenever You're Near Me" received little promotion and peaked at number 76.false2025-11-08 00:15:10Cruel Summer19980001-01-010001-01-0180ElectronicEurodancePop1113762111521e613bef6-006a-4953-ba58-a4af539e08f7d4a1404d-e00c-4bac-b3ba-e3557f6468d629eb32a6-7dfc-3468-8567-c5693619b1c1/media/data/media5/Music/Ace of Base/Cruel Summer/folder.jpgAce of BaseAce of BaseAce of Base is a Swedish pop group, formed in 1990, originally consisting of siblings Jonas, Linn and Jenny Berggren, with Ulf Ekberg.
They achieved worldwide success following the release of their debut album Happy Nation in 1992. Later re-issued as The Sign, it was certified nine times platinum in the United States and was the best-selling album of 1994. One of the most successful debut albums of all time, it was the first to produce three No. 1 singles on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart: "All That She Wants", "The Sign" and "Don't Turn Around".They continued to score hit singles throughout the 1990s, with songs such as "Beautiful Life", "Lucky Love", "Cruel Summer" and "Life Is a Flower". By 2002, they had sold a total of 30 million copies of their first four studio albums, making them the third most successful Swedish group of all time, behind ABBA and Roxette.Despite being largely inactive since 2012, the group has never officially disbanded. In the last decade, they have released a number of demo tracks, first via their Facebook page, then in 2015 on the compilation album Hidden Gems. An expanded two-disc edition was included in the 2020 boxset All That She Wants: The Classic Collection. Jenny Berggren continues to perform the group's hits in solo concerts around the world.