Cameron

The Chicago Bears didn’t want to seem cocky.

They didn’t want to jinx themselves.

They certainly didn’t want to provide opponents with bulletin board fodder during their attempt to bring a Super Bowl championship to their home city after the 1985 season.

As a large group of players from that team — billed as the Chicago Bears Shufflin’ Crew — said in the lyrics to one of the most unlikely hit songs and music videos of the 1980s: “We’re not here to start no trouble. We’re just here to do ‘The Super Bowl Shuffle.’”

All of those thoughts weighed on the minds of the 30 or so players who recorded “The Super Bowl Shuffle” four decades ago this month, several weeks before the NFL regular season even ended.

“If we don’t go to the Super Bowl, we’re gonna be the biggest idiots ever,” former Bears linebacker and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Singletary says in “The Shuffle,” an NFL Films production presented by HBO Documentary Films. “We gotta win this thing, man.’”

Singletary is one of several of people who share their thoughts and memories about their participation in what has become a beloved relic during the 40-minute documentary that premieres Tuesday at 9 p.m. PST on HBO and streaming on HBO Max. Director Jeff Cameron told The Times that it’s no coincidence that “The Shuffle” is dropping during the 40th anniversary season of the Bears’ only Super Bowl title.

“Outside of some print media or some articles, no one had really chronicled the entire genesis, development and production of ‘The Super Bowl Shuffle,’ which is so intertwined with that team,“ Cameron said.

The song was the brainchild of Chicago businessman Dick Meyer, who had formed Red Label Records the previous year. With the Bears off to a strong start to the 1985 season, Meyer thought a hip-hop record featuring many of the already beloved personalities from that team might have some success in Chicago.

Many players agreed to participate after learning that part of the proceeds were going toward the Chicago Community Trust. “We’re not doin’ this because we’re greedy,” running back Walter Payton rapped during his verse, “the Bears are doin’ it to feed the needy.”

Other featured Bears players included Singletary, Gary Fencik, Willie Gault, Otis Wilson, Steve Fuller, Mike Richardson, Richard Dent, William “Refrigerator” Perry and Jim McMahon.

The vocal tracks were recorded on Nov. 21, 1985. The Bears were 11-0 at the time, coming off a 44-0 rout of the Dallas Cowboys. They continued to roll the following weekend with a 36-0 victory against the Atlanta Falcons.

But their run of perfection came to an end Dec. 2, 1985, with an ugly 38-24 loss to the Dolphins in Miami on “Monday Night Football.” It just so happened that the music video shoot for “The Super Bowl Shuffle” was scheduled for the next morning in Chicago.

Suddenly, Gault said in the documentary, “Guys don’t want to do the video.”

Two of the team’s biggest stars, Payton and McMahon, didn’t show up. They were added into the video after shooting their parts one day after practice.

“It was pretty audacious of us to talk about going to the Super Bowl, winning it, you know?” McMahon said in the documentary. “We still got games to play, and we just lost.”

Chicago Bears players Mike Singletary (left) and Gary Fencik take part in the filming of ‘The Super Bowl Shuffle’ music video Dec. 3, 1985, at the Park West in Chicago.

(Paul Natkin / HBO / Getty Images)

But the video shoot may have had unexpected benefits for the players who participated.

“If not for ‘The Shuffle,’ they probably don’t even get together” that day, Cameron told The Times. “They probably don’t see each other until Wednesday because they have Tuesdays off after Monday night, and they’re right back in the film room or the practice field. They don’t properly get to just forget about the loss for a second, get together as a group of guys who like playing with each other and just who love each other.”

In behind-the-scenes footage provided to Cameron’s team by Meyer’s widow, Julia Meyer, the players are seen laughing and joking around as they attempt to learn a few dance moves and lip-sync their parts, all with varying degrees of success.

“We bonded in a way that we could never have bonded in any other way,” Singletary said in the documentary. “That was the fun part of working together in a totally different realm. There were guys that were backups teaching guys that were starters. We mixed in a way that we had never had a chance to do before. And it became a rallying point that brought us together, got us refocused. ‘This is what we said we were gonna do, let’s go get it done.’”

The Bears didn’t lose another game on their way to defeating the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. And “The Super Bowl Shuffle” was a success in its own right, with popularity that extended well beyond Chicago.

The single spent nine weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 41, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Assn. of America (500,000 units moved). The music video, released commercially on VHS and Betamax, was certified platinum (one million units moved).

The song was even nominated for a Grammy in the category of “Best R&B Performance by a Duo or a Group with Vocals,” eventually losing to Prince and the Revolution for the song “Kiss.”

“I think it was the perfect marriage of that cast of characters from the top down … and the fact that, outside of the Miami game, of course, they just kept winning,” Cameron said. “And it wasn’t close. I think that certainly helps propel this video, along with the rise of MTV. It was a perfect storm of a pop cultural phenomenon.”

Soundgarden, the seminal Seattle grunge rock group, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a star-studded ceremony at the Peacock Theater on Saturday night. Before they accepted their awards from comedian Jim Carrey and ripped into “Black Hole Sun,” and “Rusty Cage,” the band reflected together backstage on their topsy turvy journey into the ranks of rock’s immortals and the lasting impact of their departed frontman Chris Cornell.

“I like the honor of it and I’m really happy for our fans,” bassist Ben Shepherd said. “I can’t wait to play.”

For guitarist Kim Thayil, there’s a measure of validation in their induction which he recalled from conversations with Cornell. “Chris would say, ‘Remember how you and I, and [bassist] Hiro [Yamamato] would sit around in a room and talk about the bands we really liked…and that influenced us to play together?” It’s like, ‘Well, that’s the kind of band we should be. The band that makes us want to get together and play music.’”

Soundgarden members (from left) Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, Chris Cornell and Ben Shepherd in 2014.

(Jack Plunkett / Jack Plunkett/invision/ap)

The induction was a long-time coming for Soundgarden. They originally formed in 1984 and steadily moved to the forefront of underground indie rock scene on labels like Sub Pop and SST while touring the country in a red Chevy van. “It was almost like a camping trip with sleeping bags,” Cameron recalled. “I remember I brought this one blue blanket to sleep on.”

“I’d bring my own breakfast. I’d bring a cooler, and I’d put cereal and yogurt in there,” Yamamoto said. “These guys would go to Denny’s every day. I can’t do that!”

After moving to A&M Records, Soundgarden spent the 1990s crafting some of the most innovative, heavy and dynamic albums of their generation. Groundbreaking records like “Badmotorfinger,” “Superunknown” and “Down on the Upside.” Soundgarden disbanded in 1997 but got back together 13 years later in 2010 and resumed working on music and touring.

As rewarding as the Rock Hall honor is, the absence of Cornell –- who took his own life after a concert in Detroit in 2017 – carried a bit of somber note into the festivities. “It’s nice to hear the power of the music that we created, but it’s extremely bittersweet as well that we don’t have [Chris] with us,” drummer Matt Cameron said. “In the few instances where we have performed this music since his passing — it’s only been a few occasions — it’s empowering, but it’s also really, really bittersweet.”

In the meantime, Cornell’s bandmates are continuing to work on a collection of tunes they were recording with him just before his passing. “Once we were able to work on the music again, it all just kind of came back to just how powerful the music still is and how meaningful it still is to us,” Cameron said. “I think we’re going into it with just those types of intentions of trying to make it natural and real, which at this stage of the game, there’s a few things that sound amazing.”

The reunion with Yamamoto – who left Soundgarden around 1989 — for the Rock Hall show went a long way to livening the festivities. As soon as the band kicked into one of their early cuts, “Entering,” during rehearsals in Seattle, Shepherd recalled with a hint of awe that, “It instantly sounded like Soundgarden.”

“That was one of those things where I might have gone to YouTube and had somebody else teach me how to play it again,” Yamamoto said with a laugh. Nevertheless, Shepherd snapped a picture of the moment and gleefully sent it around to friends.

“We weren’t sure how it would work, but Hiro’s so adaptable and he’s such an amazing musician that it sounded great from the get-go,” Cameron said. “A lot of low end, but the band has always had a pretty sizable bass presence in our sound. It was just nice.”

Inductee Kim Thayil of Soundgarden, Taylor Momsen and inductee Matt Cameron of Soundgarden perform onstage during the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Peacock Theater on November 08, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

(Amy Sussman/WireImage)

To bring Cornell’s vocals to life at the Peacock Theater, Soundgarden turned to a pair of younger powerhouses. Brandi Carlile and the Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen. Both are tried and true Soundgarden fans and represent the group’s impact on the next generation of musicians that followed in their wake. It’s something they are particularly proud about.

“It’s still surprising, but it is something that was probably on our wishlist as something we would hope to expect,” Thayil said. “If we’re honest with ourselves and we’re honest with what we’re creating and honest in how we communicate together, then this should happen. But it’s still a surprise and still heartwarming.”

“It is sort of nice to be able to contribute to that continuum of music and have younger generations hopefully be inspired by what we were grooving on with the band, which was you know, self-expression and collaboration and trusting your own instincts and things like that,” Cameron said. “I think is a nice thing to impart on other young musicians.”

As for who they think should follow Soundgarden into the Hall next, Thayil has some thoughts. “Alice in Chains is the first thing that comes to mind, of course,” he said. “I’m surprised to learn that these six people aren’t in the Hall of Fame: Sonic Youth, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, the Pixies, the New York Dolls and the Black Crows.”

“And the Melvins!” Cameron added.