1985 Bears unveil their latest musical effort today

Despite how the world of music videos has evolved since 1985, football fans won't forget the lyrical contributions from those brash and dominant Super Bowl XX champion Bears, the team that gave the world "The Super Bowl Shuffle."

Nearly 25 years since pledging that they weren't looking for any trouble, members of the original Chicago Bears Shufflin' crew returned to the studio in January and recorded a parody version of the music video that remains an infamous part of Chicago sports lore. The 30-second ad airs today during the 1st quarter of the Super Bowl and it's called "The Boost Mobile Shuffle."

If you're old enough to remember the repeated lateral sway that masqueraded as a dance move, you're in the ad's target audience.

Former linebacker Otis Wilson reprised his role in the "Shuffle." He lives in Chicago and runs a charity that aids impoverished Chicago-area youngsters. (If you're interested in helping the Otis Wilson Foundation, check out otiswilsonfoundation.com.)

Through the charity, Wilson regularly sees his ex-teammates at his group's golf outing, annually held in the summer at the Bolingbrook Golf Club. But that doesn't mean he didn't savor the time spent filming the commercial.

"Anytime we get together, it's almost like you're little boys again," said Wilson, now 52.

The parody only provided a partial band reunion with seven members of the Bears squeezing into spandex uniforms for the somewhat-eagerly awaited follow up to the hit single. Richard Dent, Steve Fuller, Willie Gault, Jim McMahon and Maury Buford joined Wilson in January to make the parody at Chicago's Park West, where the original was recorded. Head Coach Mike Ditka also appeared.

Mike Singletary was recorded in San Francisco where he coaches the 49ers. Producers digitally added "Samurai Mike" to the final footage.

Not everyone was excited about the ad. Former Bears safety Gary Fencik, a Barrington High School graduate, turned down an offer to appear.

The original recording took place a day after the only blemish on the 1985 Bears' schedule, a Monday night loss to Miami on Dec. 2.

The "Shuffle" will never be confused with Chicago's musical legends, like Buddy Guy, Wilco or the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. But the Crew did earn a Grammy nomination for the song that taunted opponents and thrilled fans with a unique combo of cowbell, drum machines and 1980s hip hop. To this day, it still gets radio play during football season.

"I never thought it was ridiculous," said Wilson, who called himself "Mama's boy Otis" in the original. "Because when you think about it, it opened doors for other athletes and organizations and teams to do videos."

It also opened the door for "Saturday Night Live" to write their own parody called "We Are the Kickers" in 1987. The late Walter Payton hosted that show. Wilson said the void left by the beloved running back was felt during the ad's recording.

Boost Mobile is a prepay cell phone company that's a division of Sprint Nextel. Boost is primarily aimed at a demographic too young to remember artificial playing turf at Soldier Field, but Boost wants to expand it customer base. Even Buford - the punter who played cowbell and didn't say a word in the original video - was tracked down.

"Maury was in the first one and played percussion," Wilson reminds fans who don't remember any lines from Buford. "He doesn't have a speaking role in this one, either."

Caralene Robinson, Boost's director of brand marketing, said the company wanted to draw older customers with something iconic, something that NFL fans still talk about. It didn't hurt that one of her staffers is a Bears fan.

"It's something we just couldn't pass up," she said.

Gault, at 49, is the youngest of the bunch, and Wilson said age has caught up to some of the players. Those who couldn't dance in 1985 still can't dance in 2010. No names need be mentioned.

William "The Fridge" Perry couldn't appear, backing out two days before the filming. An immune deficiency sidelined the once-massive defensive tackle and he's seeking treatment at a South Carolina hospital. The players will donate some of the money from the spot to help with his hospital bills, Wilson said.

While marketers tried to capture the feel of the original video and song, the "Shuffle's" copyright holder, Julia Meyer, has restricted the use of "The Super Bowl Shuffle," which her deceased husband produced. When the Daily Herald interviewed her in 2006, she was charging $1,000 per second for the "Shuffle," which is 51/2 minutes long. She does grant free use of the song to charities, including groups that feed the needy.

Meyer said recently that she hadn't seen the ad, but is eager to view it. She said she told Boost officials that she wants them to retain the feel of the original shuffle, which had family-friendly lyrics. For example, a female referee blew her whistle to drown out the sound of the obscenities in the original video.

"Everything in advertising these days kind of uses the shock factor," Meyer said. "... I hope that it will be as fun as the original was."

For his part, Wilson said the process was rewarding. He said the ad is "great for the city of Chicago." Bears fans haven't seen their team win a Super Bowl since the Crew's meteoric rise both on the field and on the pop music charts.

"The bodies have changed, the mindsets have changed, but it was fun doing that," Wilson said.