What Does West Ham's 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' Slogan Mean In Ted Lasso Season 3?
One of the most unexpected aspects of the massive Apple TV+ hit "Ted Lasso" is its incorporation of real soccer (or football, if you're across the pond) teams. The Premier League is a real league, although the AFC Richmond team that Ted (Jason Sudeikis) coaches is not. But the team's rivals, coached by kit man turned villain Nathan (Nick Mohammed) and owned by Rebecca's ex-husband Rupert (Anthony Head), are definitely real. The real West Ham United was founded in 1895, and last year ranked 7th of 20 in the Premier League. They also have a very unusual slogan, which is briefly seen in the first episode of "Ted Lasso" season 3: "I'm forever blowing bubbles."
The phrase pops up on a digital reader board over the stadium entrance when Nate heads into one of his first days on the job at West Ham. Animated bubbles float by in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot that nonetheless feels super whimsical in contrast to the angry former kit man's attitude. But "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" isn't just a phrase you might see around West Ham turf — it's also a song fans of the team sing at games. Why? The answer goes all the way back to 1918.
It all relates back to a Broadway tune, a soap ad, and an oil painting
That's when a song called "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles," a jazz waltz composed by John William Kellette, hit Broadway in the play "The Passing Show of 1918." The song's words were written by Jaan Kenbrovin, who the National Museum of American History notes doesn't actually exist. Kenbrovin was a pseudonym for a writing team that included James Kendis, James Brockman, and Nat Vincent. Regardless, "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" became a popular tune when it hit the airwaves soon after, even catching on at West Ham's local Park School, according to Goal and NBC Sports.
Those outlets point out that Park School had a rather lively sports culture, with several of its soccer players, including Syd Puddefoot and Jim Barrett, going on to join West Ham. One teammate who didn't end up at West Ham but ended up with a memorable legacy nonetheless was Billy J. Murray, who earned the nickname "Bubbles" thanks to his apparent resemblance to the pale, curly-haired lad on the Pears' Soap advertisements. Pears' Soap is still around, but a century ago, its advertising looked much different: The boy in question actually came from the 1886 oil painting "A Child's World" by Pre-Raphaelite John Everett Millais. That painting, co-opted for the ad, became known as "Bubbles." Thus, Park School soccer star Murray earned his Bubbles nickname.
West Ham is still forever blowing bubbles
So how did the song make its way to West Ham if Bubbles never actually joined the team? According to Goal and club historian John Helliar, it all came back to a friendship between West Ham trainer (and future manager) Charlie Paynter and school headmaster Cornelius Beal. Beal reportedly used to sing "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" when the team succeeded, and soon began replacing lyrics with specifics related to whichever member of the team happened to be having a good game. The trend caught on, and soon fans sung along. When former Park School students joined West Ham, the song followed, and by the mid-1920s, it was part of a new tradition.
Nowadays, Goal reports that West Ham enthusiasts stick with a specific version of the song that begins "I'm forever blowing bubbles/Pretty bubbles in the air," and ends with a chant of "United! United!" It's a cute tradition that seems like exactly the sort of thing Nate needs to warm his mean little heart. In a moment that sounds more like a plot of "Ted Lasso" than real life, West Ham fans even broke a bubble-blowing world record in 1999, when close to 24,000 fans blew bubbles at once. AFC Richmond might have the talent, but that enthusiasm's going to be tough to beat.
New episodes of "Ted Lasso" premiere on Wednesdays on Apple TV+.