It’s the mid-1980s, and you want to help feed the hungry in Africa, Chicagoland or wherever need exists in the world. GoFundMe — and the internet, for that matter — is many decades away from existing. What are your options?
One small way to help: Go to the local record store and buy a 45 on vinyl that was recorded for free and donates its proceeds to charity. At $1.49 or $1.99, buying a single isn’t much of a sacrifice to make, but when millions of people do it, the effect can be substantial.
That’s exactly what happened in the Christmas seasons of 1984 and 1985 as a group of British and Irish rockers recorded “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and members of the Chicago Bears football team recorded “Super Bowl Shuffle.”
Yes, I realize there was another huge charity single between those two (“We Are the World” by USA for Africa). But good cause or not, that song was sonic garbage to my ears in 1985 and only sounds worse four decades later. If you want to know more about that, check out the Netflix documentary. Enough said.
Besides, the Band Aid Christmas song came first, remains a popular holiday tune today and still sounds good as you guess which pop star sang which line. We’ll talk about that song before we get to my favorite football team of all time.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof was (and remains) one of the most interesting musicians and activists of the 1970s, ’80s and beyond. Bursting out of the Dublin, Ireland, scene, his band the Boomtown Rats walked the fine line between punk rock and new wave.
They reunited and toured in the 2010s, in part because their hits such as “Rat Trap,” “I Don’t Like Mondays” and “Banana Republic” remain valid social commentary on issues such as the economy, gun violence and censorship. Geldof was the frontman and primary songwriter, gaining additional fame/notoriety after staring as Pink in the 1982 film “Pink Floyd — The Wall.”
Geldof and fellow musician Midge Ure of Ultravox wrote “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” after viewing news reports about the extreme famine gripping Ethiopia in 1983-1985. They thought a Christmas season record, perhaps with a few pop stars helping sing it, might generate some much-needed revenue for relief efforts.
The duo was pleasantly surprised when dozens and dozens of Irish and U.K. artists volunteered to perform for free on the song. It was recorded Nov. 25, 1984, in London and features many of the hottest artists of the era.
Vocalists on the song include (roughly in order) Paul Young, Boy George of Culture Club, George Michael, Sting, Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran), Bono (U2) and members of Bananarama and Spandau Ballet. Other musicians performing on the track include Phil Collins on drums, John Taylor of Duran Duran on bass and members of Kool & the Gang on backing vocals (they happened to be in London at the time of recording).
Other stars who couldn’t make the recording session supported the record either through spoken messages on the B-side of the single (David Bowie, Paul McCartney, members of Big Country and Frankie Goes to Hollywood) or through donations from sales of their own records (Thompson Twins).
Trust me when I say this was a who’s who of BritPop and British/Irish rock stars of the mid-1980s.
The song has been remade several times in the ensuing 40 years, with musicians from different areas taking up the fundraising mantle from Geldof (who contributed to future humanitarian efforts such as 1985’s Live Aid and 2005’s Live 8 fundraising concerts).
Most of you reading this hear “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” each year as radio stations and online playlists switch to holiday music, so I probably don’t need to spend too much time describing the song. But the tune combines Ure’s bouncy keyboard riff with a steady beat while highlighting the distinctive voices of the singers.
It still sounds good and serves as an annual reminder that, yes, Boy George and Culture Club really were the most popular band in the world for a brief moment.
Shufflin’ Crew
In the midst of 1985’s fundraising via “We Are the World” and Live Aid, a group of athletes closely followed by this writer began one of the most successful seasons in NFL history.
Hard to believe it’s been 40 years since the Chicago Bears won their only championship, completing a dominant season by blasting the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX on Jan. 26, 1986. With a standout defense, one of the game’s all-time greats in Walter Payton and other young stars, this nearly 14-year-old Bears fan assumed that would be the first of several championships won by his team.
Unfortunately, Chicago Bears fans are still waiting for the second title (maybe this year?), but whenever we want to remember that championship run, we can always spin our “Super Bowl Shuffle” 45. For great lyrics and great music, look elsewhere — but as a nostalgia blast and fairly decent fundraising record, it can’t be beat. Especially if you’re a current or former Chicago-area resident.
For those who don’t remember or weren’t around in 1985, the “Super Bowl Shuffle” was a janky rap song recorded by Chicago-area record label Red Label Records, with proceeds (more than $300,000) going to several Chicago-area charities. As Payton, the first of 10 players featured, noted in the lyrics: “We’re not doin’ this because we’re greedy; The Bears are doin’ it to feed the needy.”
If that lyric makes you roll your eyes … well, it was all downhill from there in the rhyming department. Fans will debate who was the worst rapper among Bears players: Mike Singletary, Gary Fencik or (ding ding ding) Steve Fuller, a backup quarterback with a southern accent.
The music video is the best way to revisit “Super Bowl Shuffle,” as the 10 players listed and pictured on the single sleeve (officially called “The Chicago Bears Shufflin’ Crew”) are augmented by other players dancing badly and pretending to play instruments. My personal favorite: Bears punter Maury Buford, in shades, clanking away on the cowbell.
Looking up the background on “Shuffle,” it was interesting to learn that while the Bears’ effort was the most popular, reaching No. 41 on Billboard’s national Hot 100 chart in late 1985, many other sports teams recorded songs during that era.
These included the 1985 Seattle Seahawks, whose “The Blue Wave is on a Roll” was a jazz-themed song with players’ vocals augmented by a saxophone solo and various blooper-style sound effects (“Super Bowl Shuffle” had these too, mainly a referee’s whistle blocking the obvious rhyme of “ass”).
One year later, the L.A. Rams recorded “Let’s Ram It” — somehow not cracking up at the double entendres throughout the song. But since the Rams lost their playoff opener to Washington in 1986, it didn’t have the notoriety of the “Super Bowl Shuffle.”
Four decades later, the Rams have a chance to avenge that musical upstaging on the field this weekend. But I’m hoping Bears QB Caleb Williams and the 2025 “shufflin’ crew” can win to setup an NFC Championship matchup in Seattle. As Bears defensive end Richard Dent once sang, “You better start makin’ your Super Bowl plans”!
