I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles is a 1919 American song written for Tin Pan Alley by John Kellette with lyrics credited to Jaan Kenbrovin, a pseudonym for James Kendis, James Brockman, and Nat Vincent. It first appeared in The Passing Show of 1918, was published on January 4, 1919, and was released as a single in October 1919 with a popular instrumental arrangement by Selvin's Novelty Orchestra, recorded in New York on July 31, 1919. The tune is a jazz dance band waltz, about dreams and fragile hopes that rise like bubbles and fade, and it was one of Tin Pan Alley’s major hits of the era. An early jazz 3/4 time version was also recorded by the Original Dixieland Jass Band. Over the years it has been revived and associated with West Ham United as a club anthem, and it has been covered by artists from Doris Day and Vera Lynn to the Cockney Rejects and Engelbert Humperdinck, as well as appearing in films and events such as the 2012 London Olympics.
