The Story of the Chicago Bears’ “Super Bowl Shuffle”

En route to their victory in Super Bowl XX, the 1985 Chicago Bears did something that would turn them into a national phenomenon. They released a rap single and video, “The Super Bowl Shuffle.”

By Dave Lifton (@daveeatschicago)

The song was the brainchild of speedy wide receiver Willie Gault, who was starting a parallel career as an actor. Along the way, he met Jovan CEO Dick Meyer, who built a studio in the basement of his Winnetka mansion, founded Red Label Records, and signed a distribution deal with Capitol. Gault figured it would be a good way to showcase the players’ personalities while raising money for the Chicago Community Trust. 

Meyer used a track from a shelved song built around Bobby Daniels’ drum programming and keyboards by Derrick Lee and Lloyd Barry. He changed Mel Owens’ chorus to reflect the team and wrote new verses while Gault recruited his teammates. Defensive linemen Dan Hampton and Steve McMichael were the sole holdouts, fearing it would jinx the season. 

A few days after defeating the Detroit Lions 24-3 to bring their record to 10-0, the team recorded their vocals in Meyer’s basement, with 10 players taking 16-bar verses and the rest singing on the choruses.  After local musician Steve Eisen overdubbed a saxophone part, it was rushed into production. But first it needed the approval of team and league officials due to the use of copyrights and trademarks. 

Credited to the Chicago Bears Shufflin’ Crew, “Super Bowl Shuffle” immediately became a hit on local radio. Then it came time for the video shoot, which was scheduled for Dec. 3 at Park West, a club in Lincoln Park. That was the day after the Bears had their only loss of the season, a 38-24 defeat to the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. The game was played in Florida, with the team’s plane landing in Chicago around 3 a.m., which gave them little time to sleep before the 11 a.m. call. 

Almost nothing about the video was planned in advance. Players were given the option of being backup singers/dancers or in the band. Of the eight “musicians,” only defensive lineman Tyrone Keys had any musical experience, having briefly taken piano lessons in fifth grade. Running back Calvin Thomas was even holding the saxophone incorrectly. 

As for the choreography, well, it was virtually non-existent. Players were just told to move with the music. Backup quarterback Steve Fuller had a unique snag. He’d injured his ankle in the Miami game and was in a walking cast. But he had the sixth verse, so he had to be in the front line. 

Despite the result from the night before, the mood was more or less upbeat. Any time the energy level dropped, linebacker and defensive captain Mike Singletary, who only needed one take to nail his bars, was there to get everything back up to speed. Leadership, thy name is Samurai Mike. 

But two of the team’s biggest stars, legendary running back Walter Payton and charismatic quarterback Jim McMahon, were upset with the loss and didn’t show up. Their verses were filmed in front of a green screen a few days later at the racquetball court at Halas Hall. 

Julia Kallish, who was Meyer’s girlfriend and would soon be his wife, played the referee, blowing a whistle on two instances to cover up a couple of slightly obscene words.  

The video was edited over the weekend in time to get it into stores for the holidays. Although it was destined to be a local smash, it caught on nationally as the Bears stormed through the end of the regular season and the playoffs. Thanks to McMahon’s rebellious persona and the breakthrough of rookie defensive lineman William “Refrigerator” Perry, the team had already captured the public’s imagination, and the song couldn’t have come at a better time. 

“Super Bowl Shuffle” went gold for sales of more than 500,000, and hit No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video was shown regularly on MTV and sales reached platinum status. The song even received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, but it lost to Prince & the Revolution’s “Kiss.” 

More importantly, it raised more than $300,000 for the Chicago Community Trust. Unfortunately, it took more than a year and involvement from the Illinois Attorney General for Meyer to release the funds. Singletary, upset at the delay, threw his gold record in the trash. Red Label, which never had anything else resembling a hit, went out of business shortly thereafter. 

In 2010, seven members of the ’85 Bears reprised the song for a Boost Mobile ad that premiered, fittingly enough, during the Super Bowl. 

The author rewrote “Super Bowl Shuffle” for his Trivia Bowl team in Mr. Sullivan’s AP History class. Like the Bears, his team won it all.