Bear In The Super Bowl

" The Super Bowl Shuffle " is a rap song recorded by players of the Chicago Bears football team during 1985, slightly prior to their performance in Super Bowl XX.

History

The idea for "The Super Bowl Shuffle" came from record producer Randy Weigand, who was a friend of Willie Gault's. They had met through Randy's girlfriend, Courtney Larson, who was a cheerleader for the team. Weigand had noticed a dance routine on the Amos & Andy television show called "The Kingfish Shuffle" and thought that a similar performance by the Bears players would be good for marketing.

Song and video

The song and video were produced the Tuesday after the Bears first (and only) loss of the season. During their "unlucky" 13th game, the Bears were defeated by the Miami Dolphins, 38-24, on Monday Night Football. This win was significant for the Dolphins franchise, as the 1972 Dolphins were the only previous team to be undefeated since the NFL-AFL merger during 1970. They remain the only team to win the Super Bowl without suffering a loss during the entire season.

The music video for the song was filmed at the Park West, a venue in Lincoln Park, in Chicago. Walter Payton and Jim McMahon were unable to attend the original filming of the song's music video, so they were spliced in later with help of a chroma key, presumably due to their celebrity status.

A female referee, played by Julia Kallish, Richard E. Meyer's wife, was also used for the radio and television version of the song. On two occasions, she whistled and threw a penalty flag to censor the word "ass" of the lyrics, which was then considered a prohibited word for television and radio.

During backup quarterback Steve Fuller's stanza, he says "So bring on Atlanta, bring on Dallas, this is for Mike and Papa Bear Halas". The "Mike" he referred to was the Bears current chief coach Mike Ditka and "Papa Bear Halas" refers to legendary Chicago coach George Halas, who coached the Bears for 40 seasons and had died two years earlier. Fuller's verbal challenge to the Atlanta Falcons and the Dallas Cowboys reminisces the two games he started for the injured McMahon, with the Bears winning with scores of 36-0 and 44-0 against those opponents, respectively.

Performers

Known as Chicago Bears Shufflin' Crew , the performers included "Sweetness" Walter Payton, "Punky QB" Jim McMahon, and "Samurai" Mike Singletary. The music was composed by Bobby Daniels and Lloyd Barry, and the lyrics were written by Richard E. Meyer and Melvin Owens. Other participants included:

  • Willie Gault
  • Steve Fuller
  • Mike Richardson
  • Richard Dent
  • Gary Fencik
  • Otis Wilson
  • William "Refrigerator" Perry

There was also a "Shufflin' Crew" Band and Chorus in the music video. The "Shufflin' Crew" Band consisted of the following members:

  • Maury Buford - Cowbell
  • Mike Tomczak - Guitar
  • Calvin Thomas - Saxophone
  • Stefan Humphries - Drums
  • Tyrone Keys - Keyboards

The "Shufflin' Crew" Chorus consisted of the following members:

  • Thomas Sanders
  • Leslie Frazier
  • Shaun Gayle
  • Dennis Gentry - Bass (not included as part of the "band" in the credits)
  • Ken Taylor
  • Reggie Phillips
  • Jim Morrissey
  • Dan Rains
  • Keith Ortego

Bears defensive end Dan Hampton declined involvement with the shuffle because he felt it was too arrogant.

Success

The "Super Bowl Shuffle" scored number #41 on the Billboard charts, causing speculation that its score just shy of the Top 40 was deliberate to avoid having Casey Kasem play the song "nationally" on his Top 40 program; #75 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles; & Tracks, and earned a Grammy nomination for best Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance—Duo or Group, the first nomination for a sports team. Although some thought the lyrics boastful, profits from the song and its accompanying video were given to a charity.

A follow-up single, the "Stay in School Shuffle," was unsuccessful.

Imitators and influence

  • The idea of the 'team song' is generations old. The Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first professional baseball team (1869-1870), sang a song to the spectators prior to some of their games: "We are a band of baseball players / From Cincinnati city..."
  • One of the first modern team song trends began during the 1970s when several English soccer teams celebrated qualifying for the FA Cup Final each year by recording a song for the occasion. The 'cup final record' as it was known, became as tradition with many of the songs being top ten successes in the UK popular music charts. The songs were occasionally original recordings but more often reworkings of recent chart successes with lyrics edited for the occasion. They often included the original artist singing along, especially when they are a fan of the team involved. The Liverpool Football Club's "Anfield Rap", for the 1988 final, was broadcasted on the Rick Dees US weekly top forty program, which at the time always played the top three successes in the UK during the show. During the days that followed many US radio stations were bemused by requests for the soccer song from England, as it was most commonly known. By the mid 1990s the tradition had begun to end, though it remains common for some qualifying nations for the FIFA World Cup to still release songs to mark the occasion.

The success of the Chicago Bears with "The Super Bowl Shuffle" initiated the following imitations and parodies:

  • During 1985, the Kansas Wesleyan football team won a conference title in the NAIA. They made the "KCAC shuffle" and showed it on the local access channel for Salina, KS, Channel 6.
  • During early 1986, as a response to the rival Bears, the New England Patriots recorded their own team song, "New England, The Patriots and We", whose lyrics recounted their success in the playoff brackets and predicted victory against the Bears in Super Bowl XX. Its music video featured appearances by several Patriots, Boston-area celebrities (including Robert Urich) and local media personalities, while the song itself received much airplay on Boston radio stations, as did the video on MTV and local music video station V-66. However, despite the song's optimistic predictions, the Patriots were defeated by the Bears that year, losing with a final score of 46-10.
  • After winning Super Bowl XXI the New York Giants released "Walk Like A Giant", based on "Walk Like an Egyptian" by The Bangles.
  • On February 27, 1986, the Memphis Tigers Pom Squad performed the "Pom-Pom Shuffle" in their last home game of the season, against New Orleans.
  • During 1986, two teams tried to repeat the pattern. The Los Angeles Raiders released "The Silver and Black Attack", based on "The Yellow and Black Attack" by Stryper. The Los Angeles Rams recorded "Let's Ram It". However, the Rams lost the NFC Wild Card game to the Washington Redskins, while the Raiders finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs.
  • Soon after the 1986-87 NHL season, the Calgary Flames recorded a music video for the original song "Red Hot" for charity, which featured Flames players pretending to play instruments and lip-syncing to the song.
  • During 1988, Cincinnati Bengals rookie Ickey Woods became famous for the "Ickey Shuffle". His team lost in Super Bowl XXIII, though.
  • During the 1994 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly were planning to create a similar song. Reportedly, coach Bill Cowher vetoed the idea. The Steelers lost 17-13 to San Diego during the 1994 AFC Championship game.
  • During November 1999, the confident Jacksonville Jaguars recorded their own version, "Uh Oh, The Jaguars Super Bowl Song". However, the Jaguars lost 33-14 to the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship game.
  • Cincinnati funk music pioneer Bootsy Collins teamed with the 2005 Cincinnati Bengals for a playoff song known as "Fear Da Tiger", but they, too, failed to qualify for the Super Bowl.
  • Verne Gagne and his American Wrestling Association promoted a major event with a himorously bad song known as the "The WrestleRock Rumble" that actually featured the geriatric Gagne rapping. Also for professional wrestling, the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling had a Super Bowl Shuffle-like song as part of its weekly program. Each wrestler's recorded part preceded the match that she was involved in. Even the referees were part of the tune.
  • Da Superfans, a Chicago Bears fangroup, performed a parody version during 2007 to celebrate the Bears' return to the Super Bowl.

2010 reprise

A 30-second version of the song and video was re-created by Boost Mobile for Super Bowl XLIV, for the company's first Super Bowl commercial.

See also

  • 1985 Chicago Bears season

References

  1. ^ "40 Minutes That Defined the Super Bowl. Part of Super Bowl at XL on ESPN, debuted in January 2006, retrieved on Feb. 3, 2007
  2. ^ Chicago Bears History , by Roy Taylor (Arcadia, 2004, p.79)
  3. ^ ESPN.com: Page 3 - Remembering the Super Bowl Shuffle
  4. ^ http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=120963

Super Bull or Bear - Does the Super Bowl Infuence the U.S. Economy?

With all of its fanfare, the Super Bowl has become almost a national holiday anymore, with a huge amount of importance associated with the game and the activities leading up to it.

...

Super Bowl on football brought to you by 670 The Score | 670 The Score

Mully & Hanley welcome former Chicago Bear Willie Gault. Gault talks to the guys about the Bears and the upcoming Super Bowl. Audio | Fri, 29 Jan 2010 | More from Mully and Hanley ...

...

Super Bear Shuffle Revisits Chicago Bears' Super Bowl Shuffle ...

OK, so this isn't exactly a Super Bowl ad but it's kinda fun. Adrants reader Benjamin George tells us it's a

...

The Super Bowl Shuffle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The idea for "The Super Bowl Shuffle" came from record ... Bear Down, Chicago Bears " • " The Super Bowl Shuffle " • Da Super Fans • Chuck Swirsky • Staley Da Bear • Logos and ...

...

Who will win the Super Bowl? - Topic The Star Banner - Ocala.com

Bear Man Winner: Eagles (42) Loser: Dolphins (10) Chelleobie Winner: Dolphins Chewbarka Winner: Patriots (38) Loser: Giants (34) Cheyenne34 Winner: Packers

...

Super Bowl XLIV - Party, NFL Playoffs and More Super Bowl XLIV Fun

Will they be this psyched after your Super Bowl party or a few weeks later wonder where they ... Super Bull or Bear?

...

Snow, Rain Prompt Bear Stearns to Revise Super Bowl Dollar Impact ...

Free Online Library: Snow, Rain Prompt Bear Stearns to Revise Super Bowl Dollar Impact. by "Business Wire"; Business, international Securities dealers Securities industry

...

Raiders Super Bowl XVIII Bear

Celebrate the Raiders Super Bowl wins with the Raiders Super Bowl 18 Bear! Every child will love this soft, cuddly stuffed animal that has the super bowl logo.

...

Fox Sports Community - Fox Sports > JoshQPublic > Blog > Bear Down ...

About Me: josh q. public. For the public, by The Public. Irreverent sports opinion from a Bostonian in New York. The one blog to read, when you're reading more than one.

...

Bear Stearns Analyst Gauges Impact of Super Bowl XXXIV: Jason Ader ...

Free Online Library: Bear Stearns Analyst Gauges Impact of Super Bowl XXXIV: Jason Ader Says Atlanta Will Reap $410 Million. by "Business Wire"; Business, international Securities ...

...