25 Years and Still Shuffling: A Look Back at The Greatest Rap In ’85
Published by Dave Walker on May 26, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
25 years ago the Chicago Bears had one of the greatest seasons in NFL history.
Defensively, their 46 scheme was unstoppable. Guys like Singletary, Dent, and Marshall were a quarterback’s worst nightmares. They also weren’t to shabby on offense, with hall of famer Walter Payton at tailback and Jim McMahon at QB.
However, even though this team is remembered as being perhaps the greatest in NFL history, they are remembered just as much for their team rap, The Super Bowl Shuffle.
The rap was a mainstream hit, making it all the way up to Number 41 on the charts. The tune was the brain child of Dick Meyer, a die hard Bears fan that wanted to set the city ablaze with a tune.
The tune he imagined was from the new style of rap, which he felt would be perfect for this group of Bears. A friend of Meyer introduced him to wide receiver Willie Gault, and the rest you might say was history.
Meyer hand picked the players he wanted for the song and video. He choreographed all the movements and wrote lyrics specific for each player. Here are some of the best from this song:
In case you forgot, here is the chorus,
We are the Bears Shufflin’ Crew
Shufflin’ on down, doin’ it for you.
We’re so bad we know we’re good.
Blowin’ your mind like we knew we would.
You know we’re just struttin’ for fun
Struttin’ our stuff for everyone.
We’re not here to start no trouble.
We’re just here to do the Super Bowl Shuffle.
As great as that was, it got even better.
Walter Payton
Well, they call me Sweetness,
And I like to dance.
Runnin’ the ball is like makin’ romance.
We’ve had the goal since training camp
To give Chicago a Super Bowl chance.
I still cannot believe they got Payton to do this. The lyrics are so cheesy, but then again, I guess that’s what made this rap so great.
Here is one last blip.
Jim McMahon
I’m the punky QB, known as McMahon.
When I hit the turf, I’ve got no plan.
I just throw my body all over the field.
I can’t dance, but I can throw the pill.
I motivate the cats, I like to tease.
I play so cool, I aim to please.
That’s why you all got here on the double
To catch me doin’ the Super Bowl Shuffle.
The song would go on with guys like Singletary saying he was a samurai, Steve Fuller saying he was a good backup, and Otis Wilson saying he was a mamma’s boy. This was simply so bad it was great.
The ’85 Bears recorded this hot rap before they won the title at Super Bowl XX. They were so confident that they would win it all, and really didn’t care what people thought. And, in case you forgot what the video looked like, please refer to the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev6AAgZGaPs
All great things are imitated, and the Shuffle was no exception. The Patriots produced a song of their own, predicting a victory over the Bears that year in the Super Bowl.
Little did they know they were about to be blown out. I have a link to this stellar effort to copycat their opponents, but just like the game, they sucked in the effort.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INBayZpjeSY
I guess when you talk about the Shuffle you can point to it as being ahead of its time. So many teams have produced their own songs, including the Bengals “Who Dey” rap, and the Jaguars ’99 Super Bowl song. Too bad the Jags couldn’t beat the Titans that year.
The Bears were the first professional sports team to have their own song. They were also the first team to back up what they had to say.
The Bears and the shuffle will go down as one of the best pro sports has ever seen. This year, the 25th anniversary of that dominating ’85 team, you can look for the franchise to honor them at some point during the season.
Aside from the funny Super Bowl ad this past January, I look for them to recreate the rap for the 25th anniversary.
I am sure I am not alone in saying this, but I would love to see the punky QB and Samurai Mike reunite for a remix. What do you think?
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