Let’s just say I’m hardly a football kinda gal. I don’t know a Cover 2 from a cover song. Ask me what a running back is running back from, and we’ll both walk away with more questions than answers. But I can tell you exactly why I still keep a vintage 1970s Bears mug on my desk, alongside a Bears gnome. It’s the mug I drank from on Papa’s dock in 1993, and the same one I reached for again years later as an adult. These days, it holds my coffee while I work, a daily reminder that loyalty doesn’t have to come with knowing the playbook.
Da Bears and Smokey Bear have always been in tandem for me: actual footage of me with Smokey Bear, aka my papa John Leadingham, during the 1996 Sebring Christmas Parade.
When it comes to Bears, though, I do have some credentials: my papa was the local Smokey Bear. A real-life forest firefighter, he worked for what was then the Florida Division of Forestry (now the Florida Forest Service) and spent my childhood appearing at parades in the Smokey Bear suit.
I may not know the game, but I know the things we keep because they remind us of the people we love. Musician, writer, and American Blues Scenecontributor Brant Buckley understands that kind of Chicago Bears devotion. With his original song “We Love Da Bears,” inspired by the passion he witnessed in the stands at Soldier Field, Buckley crafted what he hopes will become a game day anthem for Bears faithful.
He shared the story behind the song exclusively with American Blues Scene:
I wrote ‘We Love Da Bears’ for all Chicago Bears fans. Last season, a month before the playoffs, I was reading the Chicago Sun Times and there was an image of Bears fans cheering at Soldier Field. The picture struck a chord within me as I saw so much passion and dedication in everyone’s eyes. Underneath this was love; a deep love for their Bears. I composed a unique, backwards walking Blues riff on guitar, and the melody follows the riff.
It took me a few months to polish the lyrics, the bridge section, and the chorus. It’s a chant heavy, athematic tune that I hear fans singing before and during games. My goal is to have it played at Tailgates and Soldier Field. I really believe in this song and I have been searching for a song like this for over 20 years. I’m grateful my musical antenna was up, and I followed the signal.
It was recorded at Mystery Street Recording in Chicago at 432hz as I find 432hz resonates more with the heart and soul compared to 440hz tuning. Mickey Cushing recorded and mixed the song. He did an incredible job playing bass, putting the chant vocals together, and capturing the whole Chicago Bears vibe. He mentioned his grandfather used to have season tickets, so he went to a lot of games. He really brought the recording to life. Collin Jordan from the Boiler Room mastered the track and did an excellent job too.
I am excited to see where this song goes. I also need to give my old music mentor and veteran Blues player, Jesse Graves, a shout out because this song wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for meeting him 13 years ago. Everything I know about Blues music originated from him.
‘We Love Da Bears’ is a culmination of my Berklee Songwriting Degree, the last decade of Blues music study, and writing a Chicago Blues Grave Tour Book on all the greats buried within the Chicagoland area. I am very grateful for this song. These songs come around once in a lifetime.