When The 1985 Chicago Bears Shuffled Off To The Super Bowl
It was a time when watching music videos had become the very HEIGHT of popularity. But the NFL also had become America’s favorite pastime. So it made sense to meld the two wide-reaching activities together. Actually the Seattle Seahawks were ahead of their time being the first ones to create a music video. But later that year the Chicago Bears made their own song accompanied with some iconic visuals. When they did that is when the 1985 Chicago Bears shuffled off to the Super Bowl. The official name of the song was “The Super Bowl Shuffle” and it was released in December 1985.
Aw… 1985. The year of Back to the Future. Live Aid. The Goonies, Breakfast Club, WHAM, Madonna’s Like a Virgin; Beverly Hills Cop and Ghostbusters. And Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. is the best-selling album of the year. Totally Tubular.
The Bears: Shuffling Along
Nevertheless, it is with this backdrop that Chicago adds to the 80’s pop culture legacy. They made their Shuffle song before even getting through the playoffs to reach the Super Bowl. They were THAT confident, and for good reason because they were a force to be reckoned with in 1985. In fact, they made the video the day after losing their only game of the season to the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football December 2, 1985.
Interestingly, both quarterback Jim McMahon and Walter Payton were slightly originally opposed to doing the video shoot. They felt it would be better to release the song and video after the season ended. But they did shoot their segments separately a week later at the Bears’ practice facility after practice. The segments were added to the video before being released.
Although the song was a novelty it got limited airplay on the radio stations. But that didn’t stop it from reaching #41 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It instantly became a minor hit, selling over 500,000 copies. And it was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1987 for best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group but it lost out to “Kiss” by Prince. Nevertheless the song and video only further increased the popularity that was already being enjoyed by the team.
When The 1985 Chicago Bears Shuffled Off To The Super Bowl
Honestly, there was no other way to describe their defense than dominant with a capital D. Richard Dent led the team with 17 sacks and 7 forced fumbles. Mike Singletary was one of the greatest middle linebackers to ever take the field, terrorizing every quarterback in his path. Gary Fencik hit everything in sight leading the team with 118 tackles. On the offensive side of the ball they had wide receivers Willie Gault and Dennis McKinnon and the late great running back Walter Payton. And all of it was led by the brash and flamboyant, quarterback Jim McMahon famous for his headbands.
In the 1985 season the Bears went 15-1 and plowed their way through the playoffs with little effort. They went on to Super Bowl XX to face the New England Patriots. In that game, big man, William “Refrigerator” Perry became a household name when he plunged into the endzone. Getting in on all the scoring in the 46-10 blowout of the Patriots. The sad part is that the Patriots also did their own song, “New England, The Patriots, And We” but obviously that didn’t work out so well for them.
Chicago Bears Ruled The 1985 NFL Season
The best part about the song and video was that it was really done for charitable purposes. Over $300,000 in profits from the song and music video were donated to the Chicago Community Trust to help Chicago families in need with clothing, shelter and food. That’s why Walter Payton said in the song, “Now we’re not doing this because we’re greedy / The Bears are doing it to feed the needy.”
Many other NFL teams also tried their hand at songs such as the Cincinnati Bengals, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Green Bay Packers. But no other sports team in the world had the same pop success as the Bears’ Super Bowl Shuffle. They sang their song, made a video and backed it up with a decisive victory. Shuffling never looked and sounded so good. Da Bears!
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