September 4, 2017
Eduard Khil’s 83rd Birthday
On this day in 1934, Eduard Anatolyevich Khil was born in Smolensk, Russia. Though famous in his sunset years for the viral YouTube comeback clip that tickled Western fans with its melodious “tro-lo-lo-ing,” the Soviet-era singer (aka “Mr. Trololo”) had made his mark decades earlier in his homeland.
After training at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory (now the Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory), Khil earned his bona fides as a pop singer, racking up numerous awards, including the distinguished People’s Artist of Russia in 1974. A 1976 TV performance of “I Am Glad Because I Am Finally Returning Back Home,” featuring Khil’s now-legendary “tro-lo-lo-ing” vocalization, first appeared on YouTube in 2009. It rocketed the baritone crooner to internet (and meme) fame by 2010. Khil discovered that he was an internet sensation after he heard his grandson humming the song!
Today’s Doodle is an animation of that viral “Trololo” clip. Khil takes the stage in a drab brown suit and mustard-colored tie and happily breaks into his signature “tro-lo-lo-ing,” his expressive eyebrows dancing to the beat. A round of applause for “Mr. Trololo” on what would have been his 83rd birthday!
