Today’s Google Doodle honours the late Russian crooner on what would have been his 83rd birthday.
Khil was a Soviet-era singer who experienced an unlikely second heyday as a YouTube sensation.
In 2010, a video resurfaced which sees Khil mouth his way through a lyric-less version of the song I Am Very Glad, As I’m Finally Returning Back Home.
Khil smiles sweetly as he performs in a brown double-breasted suit and gold tie that perfectly matches the backdrop.
Millions watched the two-minute and 40-second-long “Mr Trololo” clip when it was uploaded in 2010, including US chat show hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, who featured it on their respective shows.
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Khil was oblivious to his new-found fame until he heard his young grandson humming the tune, some 30 years after he had originally sung it.
In 2010, the singer explained that he and the song’s composer, Arkady Ostrovsky, scrapped its lyrics because of fears that Soviet authorities would consider it pro-American.
Originally, it described: “John on his mustang traveling across the expanses of the prairie to his beloved Mary, who lives in Kentucky, waiting for him and knitting wool socks.”
When the pair struggled to replace the words, Ostrovsky proclaimed: “If that’s how it is, let it be a vocalisation!”
Khil was advancing into his seventies when the video went viral, but embraced his new following.
“It’s great,” he said. “Now I want to perform not under the name of Eduard Khil, but under the pseudonym ‘Trololoman.’ At least I’m looking into the matter.”
He had an astute insight as to why the song had captivated so many followers.
“In every country, a person probably understands the song for himself, in his own way,” he explained.
“Then when you write it down, we’ll meet on the Internet, [where] all together we’ll sing the new lyrics to the song.”
Khil passed away on June 4, 2012 following complications from a stroke. He was 77 years old.
Among those who offered their condolences to his family was Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“[Khil’s] name is connected to an era in the history of Russian music,” Putin said.
“Eduard Khil was unique in his extraordinary charm and lyricism, and constant in his professionalism, vocal culture and creative taste.
“Many of the songs he performed became part of the golden fund of the Russian stage.”