WELL NOW, HERE'S yet another title that we'd neglected to even consider as being a candidate for review. The main difference is that with this 1985 music video, no one else did either. Quite by accident, while playing a DVD of it for young Jack and Patrick, young grandsons both, we were suddenly awakened to that fact.
TO BEGIN WITH, we must go back to the origin of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. At the organizational meeting of the soon to called National Football League (NFL), were representatives of the (then) Chicago Cardinals* and Decatur (IL.) Staleys. After a season, the ownership of the Cardinals approved the league's authorization for the Staley team to move its base of operations north and the Chicago Bears were born.**
BEING THAT THIS is a most storied franchise, which had won many NFL titles over the years, had been suffering a 2 decade + dry-; better known as The spell and had never advanced to the ultimate prize, being the World Championship of Professional Football; now better known as The Super Bowl.***
WITH THE COMING of defensive genius Buddy Ryan (1978-85) and former Bears' All Pro Tight End Mike Ditka's installation as head coach (1982-92), the Chicago Bears future looked brighter. By the 1985 season's coming, it looked as if they'd have a great chance to go all the way.
WHILE THIS NEAR perfect season of 15-1 was still in progress, someone came up with the idea of doing a special music video using team members in order to raise money for local Chicago charitable organizations. Using the facilities at the Park West Theatre in Chicago, on their own time, 24 members of the 1985 Chicago Bears became singers, dancers, musicians and chorus ensemble members in producing THE SUPER BOWL SHUFFLE.
ADMITTEDLY THIS PRODUCTION certainly was no candidate for any Oscars, Emmys or Tony awards, it proved to be most enjoyable to the general public and did manage to climb to number 41 on the Billboard Top 100 records, while being released 3 months prior to the playing of Super Bowl XX in Jan 1986.
ITS BEING DONE was not unanimously endorsed by the all those on the roster; with many prominent players being among the neigh voters. Dissenters included starters: defensive linemen Steve McMichael & Dan Hampton and Fullback Matt Suhey. They thought that such a bold title as The Super Bowl Shuffle would certainly be inappropriate, even a jinx to the team.
THE MUSIC WAS done in the style of Rap and was released as both a single in a 45 RPM record and in Beta and VHS as a video. The tune and the words are highly infectious and soon become more and more palatable to even the oldest and most far removed listeners to the attributes of Rap.
ALTHOUIGH THE RECORDING and video were most successful, both artistically and in the area of 'Box Office' ($$$), it has become a most fondly regarded sidebar to the 1985 NFL Season. There have been several reissues and it remains in sale to this day, over 30 years after its original release.
NOTE: * The approval was necessary from the Cardinals' ownership for 'Papa Bear' George Halas to move the team. Ironically, later the Cards would be forced to relocate their franchise to St. Louis following the 1959 season and in 1988 to Tempe, Arizona (metropolitan Phoenix).
NOTE: ** Playing in the Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field led to the name change to the Bears. (You can look it up, Schultz! After all isn't a young bear called a cub?)
NOTE *** The name Super Bowl came into vogue after the merger of the NFL with the AFL was announced on June 8, 1966. Prior to that the league championships were the ultimate; although many often referred to the NFL Crown's victor as "the World's Champion."
TO BEGIN WITH, we must go back to the origin of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. At the organizational meeting of the soon to called National Football League (NFL), were representatives of the (then) Chicago Cardinals* and Decatur (IL.) Staleys. After a season, the ownership of the Cardinals approved the league's authorization for the Staley team to move its base of operations north and the Chicago Bears were born.**
BEING THAT THIS is a most storied franchise, which had won many NFL titles over the years, had been suffering a 2 decade + dry-; better known as The spell and had never advanced to the ultimate prize, being the World Championship of Professional Football; now better known as The Super Bowl.***
WITH THE COMING of defensive genius Buddy Ryan (1978-85) and former Bears' All Pro Tight End Mike Ditka's installation as head coach (1982-92), the Chicago Bears future looked brighter. By the 1985 season's coming, it looked as if they'd have a great chance to go all the way.
WHILE THIS NEAR perfect season of 15-1 was still in progress, someone came up with the idea of doing a special music video using team members in order to raise money for local Chicago charitable organizations. Using the facilities at the Park West Theatre in Chicago, on their own time, 24 members of the 1985 Chicago Bears became singers, dancers, musicians and chorus ensemble members in producing THE SUPER BOWL SHUFFLE.
ADMITTEDLY THIS PRODUCTION certainly was no candidate for any Oscars, Emmys or Tony awards, it proved to be most enjoyable to the general public and did manage to climb to number 41 on the Billboard Top 100 records, while being released 3 months prior to the playing of Super Bowl XX in Jan 1986.
ITS BEING DONE was not unanimously endorsed by the all those on the roster; with many prominent players being among the neigh voters. Dissenters included starters: defensive linemen Steve McMichael & Dan Hampton and Fullback Matt Suhey. They thought that such a bold title as The Super Bowl Shuffle would certainly be inappropriate, even a jinx to the team.
THE MUSIC WAS done in the style of Rap and was released as both a single in a 45 RPM record and in Beta and VHS as a video. The tune and the words are highly infectious and soon become more and more palatable to even the oldest and most far removed listeners to the attributes of Rap.
ALTHOUIGH THE RECORDING and video were most successful, both artistically and in the area of 'Box Office' ($$$), it has become a most fondly regarded sidebar to the 1985 NFL Season. There have been several reissues and it remains in sale to this day, over 30 years after its original release.
NOTE: * The approval was necessary from the Cardinals' ownership for 'Papa Bear' George Halas to move the team. Ironically, later the Cards would be forced to relocate their franchise to St. Louis following the 1959 season and in 1988 to Tempe, Arizona (metropolitan Phoenix).
NOTE: ** Playing in the Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field led to the name change to the Bears. (You can look it up, Schultz! After all isn't a young bear called a cub?)
NOTE *** The name Super Bowl came into vogue after the merger of the NFL with the AFL was announced on June 8, 1966. Prior to that the league championships were the ultimate; although many often referred to the NFL Crown's victor as "the World's Champion."
