I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles

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I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles is a popular song which debuted in 1918 and was first published in 1919.

The tune is by John Kellette. The lyrics are credited to "Jaan Kenbrovin", actually a collective pseudonym for the writers James Kendis, James Brockman and Nat Vincent. The number was debuted in the Broadway musical "The Passing Show of 1918".

The copyright to I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles was originally registered in 1919, and was owned by the Kendis-Brockman Music Co. Inc. This was transferred later that year to Jerome H. Rernick & Co. of New York and Detroit. When the song was written, James Kendis, James Brockman, and Nat Vincent all had separate contracts with publishers, which led them to use the name Jaan Kenbrovin for credit on this song. James Kendis and James Brockman were partners in the Kendis-Brockman Music Company.

The waltz was a major Tin Pan Alley hit, and was performed and recorded by most major singers and bands of the late 1910s and early 1920s.

The song was a hit for Ben Selvin's Novelty Orchestra in 1919. The Original Dixieland Jass Band recording of the number is an unusual early example of jazz in 3/4 time.

The song also became a hit with the public in British music halls and theatres during the early 1920s. Dorothy Ward was especially renowned for making the song famous with her appearances at these venues. The song was also used by English comedian "Professor" Jimmy Edwards as his signature tune - played on the trombone.

The song is now better known as the club anthem of West Ham United, who currently play in the English Premier League. It was adopted by supporters in the late 1920s and was mainly sung about their young gifted player called Billy J. "Bubbles" Murray, so called because of his distinct and almost uncanny resemblance to the boy in the famous painting by Millais entitled "Bubbles". The song stuck with the fans when "Bubbles" made it to, and stayed in the first team for many years.

As a tribute to West Ham, the punk rock band the Cockney Rejects covered the song in 1980.

In 2006 at the final match at Arsenal F.C.'s Highbury stadium, Wigan and Arsenal supporters broke into song to celebrate West Ham's defeat of Tottenham which elevated Arsenal into the Champions League on the last day.

The song is also distinctly heard in the movie Green Street Elite, starring Elijah Wood. It has become a popular song in the US, notably at the Omicron-Beta chapter of Kappa Sigma at CW Post Long Island University.

[edit] Notable recordings

Notable recordings of the song include:

Albert C. Campbell & Henry Burr
- Columbia A-2701 (matrix: 78263-1)
- Recorded January 22, 1919

Helen Clark & George Wilton Ballard
- Edison Blue Amberol 3798
- Released August 1919

Ben Selvin & his Novelty Orchestra
- Victor 18603 (matrix: 22966-6)
- Recorded July 31, 1919

Peter Dawson (as Will Strong)
- HMV B 1092
- Recorded London February 17, 1920

Doris Day & Jack Smith with the Norman Luboff Choir with orchestra directed by Paul Weston
- Columbia 39453 (matrix: RHCO 4481-1N)
- Also released as a track of the 10" LP, On Moonlight Bay
- Recorded Los Angeles April 27, 1951