I posted this clip over a week ago, and it seems it has become an internet sensation – rightly so as it’s so funny yet so joyous – and the singer’s rather odd Botox-style smile and plastic fixed expression is mesmeric. It now has it’s own website Facebook fanpage and name (they call him Trololololololololololo and even copycats have popped up). But who is he?

Well a little Google Translate on the original clip reveal the subject to be ‘I am very glad, because I’m finally back home’ and the info to be ‘The original clip. Singer Edward Gil’ – now searching on the latter comes on this website with this other, wonderfully cheesy video:

And doesn’t this sound familiar (same set and all) – must be from the same show as Trololo, and I suspect ‘Moon Stone’ – it’s ‘Woodcutters’ by the same composer, that’s why:

And another song by the ‘Trolololo’ songwriter Arkady Ostrovsky, a song called ‘Moon Stone’ – holy green-screen Batman!

Turns out the man is Eduard Anatolyevich Khil (or sometimes Gil or Hill) born September 4 1934 in Smolensk, known for several songs (look at the website link above for a list) and is part of a band with his son called Prepinaki.

The song that’s the viral hit is indeed called ‘I Am So Happy to Finally Be Back Home’ and “is an Ostrovskii composition, meant to be sung in the vokaliz style, that is to say sung, but without words”.

Oh in more modern times, with his sons as Prepinaki, it seems Trololololololo man has gone all gypsy drum and bass

Also digging using the cyrillic for ‘vokaliz’ found what is the precursor to trololololo man – it’s a cover?

or maybe that was a cover of this:

And Benny Hill on acid meets Trololololo?:

The mystery deepens…and I suddenly want to hear more strange joyous Russian scat musics…

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• Who Boys NEW ALBUM! – May 4, 2007
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• Best. Music. Video. Ever. – February 26, 2010
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