Eduard Anatolyevich Khil ( rus, Эдуа́рд Анато́льевич Хиль, , ɨdʊˈart ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈxʲilʲ; 4 September 1934 – 4 June 2012), often anglicized as Edward Hill, was a Soviet-Russian
baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
singer.
Khil became known to international audiences in 2010, when a 1976 clip of him singing a
non-lexical vocable
In the broadest sense of the word, a vocable is any meaningful sound uttered by people, such as a word or term, that is fixed by their language and culture. Use of the words in the broad sense is archaic and the term is instead used for utterances ...
version of the song ( rus, Я о́чень рад, ведь я, наконе́ц, возвраща́юсь домо́й, Ya ochen rad, ved ya, nakonets, vozvrashchajus domoy) became an
Internet meme
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
, often referred to as "Trololol" or "Trololo", as an
onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...
of the song, or as the "Russian
Rickroll
Rickrolling or a Rickroll is an internet meme involving the unexpected appearance of the music video for the 1987 song "Never Gonna Give You Up", performed by the English singer Rick Astley. The video has over 1 billion views on YouTube. The m ...
", and, as such, the song was commonly associated with
Internet troll
In slang, a troll is a person who posts or makes inflammatory, insincere, digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages online (such as in social media, a newsgroup, a forum, a chat room, a online video game), or in real life, with the int ...
ing. The song's newfound prominence in
Internet culture
Internet culture is a culture based on the many way people have used computer networks and their use for communication, entertainment, business, and recreation. Some features of Internet culture include online communities, gaming, and social media ...
led him to adopt Mr. Trololo as a stage name.
Early life and education
Eduard Anatolyevich Khil was born on September 4, 1934, in
Smolensk
Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...
, to Anatoly Vasilyevich Khil and Yelena Pavlovna Kalugina.
[Эдуард Хиль](_blank)
With his family breaking up, he was raised by his mother. During the
Great Patriotic War
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sout ...
, his kindergarten was bombed and he was separated from his mother and evacuated to
Bekovo, Penza Oblast
Bekovo (russian: Бе́ково) is an urban locality (a work settlement) and the administrative center of Bekovsky District of Penza Oblast, Russia, located to the extreme south of the oblast on the right bank of the Khopyor River, from Penz ...
where he ended up in a children's home, which lacked basic facilities and needs, including food. Despite the desperate situation, Eduard regularly performed in front of wounded soldiers in the nearby hospital.
He was reunited with his mother in 1943 when Smolensk was liberated from
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
and in 1949 moved to
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, where he enrolled in and then graduated from printing college.
In 1955, Khil enrolled in
the Leningrad Conservatory, where he studied under direction of Yevgeny Olkhovsky and Zoya Lodyi. He graduated in 1960.
During his studies, he began performing various lead operatic roles, including Figaro in ''
The Marriage of Figaro
''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...
''.
Career
After graduating he became interested in pop music after attending a
Klavdiya Shulzhenko
Klavdiya Ivanovna Shulzhenko (russian: Кла́вдия Ива́новна Шульже́нко, uk, Клавдія Іванівна Шульженко; – June 17, 1984) was a Soviet popular female singer and actress.
Biography
Shulzhenko ...
concert,
and started to perform popular music. This led to him winning several prizes in the next two decades. He won the "All Russian Competition for Performers" in 1962 and was invited to perform at the "Festival of Soviet Songs" in 1965.
He attained second place in
Sopot International Song Festival
The Sopot International Song Festival or Sopot Festival (later called ''Sopot Music Festival Grand Prix'', ''Sopot Top of the Top Festival'' from 2012–13 and ''Polsat Sopot Festival'' in 2014) is an annual international song contest held in So ...
in 1965.
In 1967, composer
Andrey Petrov
Andrey Pavlovich Petrov (russian: Андре́й Па́влович Петро́в; September 2, 1930 – February 15, 2006) was a Soviet and Russian composer. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1980. Andrey Petrov is known for his mus ...
won the
USSR State Prize
The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, Gosudarstvennaya premiya SSSR) was the Soviet Union's state honor. It was established on 9 September 1966. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, t ...
for a collection of songs performed mainly by Khil,
and in 1968 Khil was awarded the
Honored Artist of the RSFSR
Honored Artist of the RSFSR (, ''Zasluzhenny artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchestra conductors, who had outstanding achievements in the ...
. The
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...
was awarded in 1971, and
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
's most prestigious artist award, the
People's Artist of the RSFSR
People's Artist of the RSFSR (russian: Народный артист РСФСР, ''Narodnyj artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet Union artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchest ...
, was awarded to Khil in 1974.
[Music Encyclopedia. Ch. Ed. V. Keldysh. Volume 6. Heintze – Yashugin. 1108 STB. with illus. 1982 Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia 1982] He was so successful that the public called him the 'Symbol of Leningrad'.
Between 1977 and 1979, Khil taught solo singing at the
Russian State Institute of Performing Arts
The Russian State Institute of Performing Arts (russian: Российский государственный институт сценических искусств), formerly known as St Petersburg Theatre Arts Academy, formerly Leningrad State ...
.
Khil toured in over 80 countries
[ and lived at ]Tolstoy House
The Tolstoy House is a well-known apartment building in St. Petersburg, located at 15-17 Rubinstein Street and 54 Fontanka Embankment. The building was constructed in 1910–1912 under the aegis of Major-General Count , nephew of the 1812 war he ...
( rus, Толсто́вский дом) in Saint Petersburg.
After his singing career faded in the early 1990s, Khil re-entered private life and worked in a cafe in Paris, singing cabaret. In 1996, upon the suggestion of his son Dmitry, he became part of ''Khil and the Sons'', a joint project with the rock band Prepinaki.[Дмитрий Хиль — о наследии отца, советской эстраде и памяти о ней]
In Russian
For his 75th birthday, Khil was awarded the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"
The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (russian: Орден «За заслуги перед Отечеством», ''Orden "Za zaslugi pered Otechestvom"'') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on 2 March 1994 by P ...
, 4th class in 2009 by Russia and, in 2010, performed in Saint Petersburg's Victory Day Parade.
Song style
He was the first artist to sing such songs as ''Woodcutters'' ( rus, Лесору́бы), ''I am so happy to be finally back at home'', ''Moonstone'' ( rus, Лунный камень) by Arkady Ostrovsky
Arkady (Avraam) Il'ich Ostrovsky (also spelled Ostrovskij, Ostrovskyj russian: Аркадий (Авраам) Ильич Островский) (February 25 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._February_12.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_d ...
, ''A song about a friend'' ( rus, Пе́сня о дру́ге), ''And people go to the sea'' ( rus, А лю́ди ухо́дят в мо́ре) by Andrey Petrov
Andrey Pavlovich Petrov (russian: Андре́й Па́влович Петро́в; September 2, 1930 – February 15, 2006) was a Soviet and Russian composer. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1980. Andrey Petrov is known for his mus ...
and ''Blue Cities'' ( rus, Голубы́е города́). Other popular songs performed by Khil included ''From where does the homeland begin?'' ( rus, С чего́ начина́ется Ро́дина?), ''How the steamers are seen off'' ( rus, Как провожа́ют парохо́ды), ''Winter'' ( rus, Зима́), ''Birch sap'' ( rus, Берёзовый сок), ''Alder Catkin'' ( rus, Серёжка ольхо́вая), ''We need one victory'' ( rus, Нам нужна́ одна́ побе́да), and many others.
Khil's manner of singing and performance was unique and easily recognizable in Russia (as well as in other countries that were part of the USSR), characterized by his personal charm and his lyrical baritone, which combined a degree of optimism and humor.
Personal life
The family name
In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community.
Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...
''Khil'' is thought to have come from a Spanish ancestor with the surname '' Gil'', which is pronounced similarly to ''hill''.
In July 1958, Khil met ballerina
A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...
Zoya Pravdina, while performing alongside her at the Leningrad Conservatory
The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory (russian: Санкт-Петербургская государственная консерватория имени Н. А. Римского-Корсакова) (formerly known as th ...
. During the summer and fall, they toured together, and began a romantic relationship. They were married on 1 December 1958, and stayed married until his death in 2012.
The couple had one son, Dmitri, born 2 June 1963, and a grandson named Eduard (born in 1997) after his grandfather.
Illness and death
On 8 April 2012, Khil suffered a stroke and was hospitalized with serious brain injuries at the Mariinsky Hospital in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, where he fell into a coma immediately afterward. His condition was later reported as critical, with now irreversible brain damage. Doctors were initially optimistic about a partial recovery, but later retracted these statements. He died in the hospital in Saint Petersburg on 4 June 2012, from complications from the stroke, aged 77, two days after his son's 49th birthday.
Among people who offered their condolences to Khil's family was Russia's President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
. He said about Eduard Khil:
Legacy
Internet videos
In 2009, a 1976 video of Eduard Khil singing a non-lexical vocable
In the broadest sense of the word, a vocable is any meaningful sound uttered by people, such as a word or term, that is fixed by their language and culture. Use of the words in the broad sense is archaic and the term is instead used for utterances ...
version of the song "I am very glad, as I'm finally returning back home" ( rus, Я о́чень рад, ведь я, наконе́ц, возвраща́юсь домо́й) was uploaded to YouTube and became known as "Trololol" or "Trololo". The name "Trololo" is an onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...
of the distinctive way Khil vocalizes throughout the song. The video quickly went viral and Khil became known as "Mr. Trololo" or "Trololo Man". The viral video also has been referred to as the Russian Rickroll
Rickrolling or a Rickroll is an internet meme involving the unexpected appearance of the music video for the 1987 song "Never Gonna Give You Up", performed by the English singer Rick Astley. The video has over 1 billion views on YouTube. The m ...
.
The song was written by Arkady Ostrovsky
Arkady (Avraam) Il'ich Ostrovsky (also spelled Ostrovskij, Ostrovskyj russian: Аркадий (Авраам) Ильич Островский) (February 25 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._February_12.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_d ...
. Besides Khil, it was also performed by Valery Obodzinsky
Valery Vladimirovich Obodzinsky (russian: Вале́рий Влади́мирович Ободзи́нский; 24 January 1942 – 26 April 1997) was a Soviet and Russian singer (tenor), a holder of the title of Meritorious Artist Mari Autonomous ...
, Hungarian singer János Koós
János Koós (born Kupsa; 20 November 1937 – 2 March 2019) was a Hungarian Pop music, pop singer, who became successful in the 1960s after participation in the talent show ''Táncdalfesztivál''.
Early life
János Koós (né Kupsa) was born i ...
, and by Muslim Magomayev on the ''Little Blue Light
The ''Little Blue Light'' (russian: Голубой огонёк, ''Goluboy ogonyok'') was a popular musical variety show aired on Soviet television since 1962 during various holidays. The name alludes to the light bluish glare of a black-and-wh ...
'' programme in the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, although Magomayev's version was sped up slightly, causing the song to be played almost a semi-tone higher.
According to Khil, the ''Trololo'' song originally featured lyrics which described a narrative about a cowboy riding a horse to his farm:
The ''Trololo'' video first appeared on some sites beginning on 21 February 2010, the most prominent of those being the "Trololo" website trololololololololololo.com[Trololo music video](_blank)
at that helped push the video into popular awareness, receiving more than 3,000,000 hits in its first month. It gained prominence on 3 March 2010, during a segment on ''The Colbert Report
''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show focuse ...
'' after appearing on ''Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld
''Red Eye'', also known as ''Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld'' from 2007 to 2015 and ''Red Eye w/ Tom Shillue'' from 2015 to 2017, was an American late-night/early-morning satirical talk show on Fox News, which aired at 3:00 a.m. ET Tuesday throu ...
'' a handful of times over the previous couple of weeks. It was also parodied by actor Christoph Waltz
Christoph Waltz (; born 4 October 1956) is an Austrian-German actor. Since 2009 he has been primarily active in the United States. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two British Academy Film Awards and two Sc ...
on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...
'' as well as Craig Reucassel
Craig Bruce Reucassel is an Australian television and radio comedian. He is best known for being a member of satirical team The Chaser. He hosted the Australian version of ''Balls of Steel'', which premiered in April 2011. Since 2013, Reucassel ...
of The Chaser
The Chaser are an Australian satirical comedy group, best known for their television programmes and satirical news masthead. The group take their name from their satirical newspaper, a publication known to challenge conventions of taste. The ...
on the 2010 Australian TV specials ''Yes We Canberra!
''The Chaser election specials'' are a number of Australian political satire based comedy programs produced by The Chaser. The shows, which have run under various titles, provide commentary on Australian federal election and has been produced s ...
'', and in September 2011 on the animated American television series ''Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'' in its tenth-season premiere episode, "Lottery Fever
"Lottery Fever" is the first episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series '' Family Guy''. The 166th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 25, 2011. The e ...
".
"Trololo"'s popularity in turn re-ignited interest in Khil's singing career aside from his vocalised performance; for a time, the "Trololo" website included a petition for Khil to come out of retirement to perform on a world tour.
Arkady Ostrovsky's son, Mikhail, gives another version of the vocalise story:
Khil's son was quoted as saying "He thinks maybe someone is trying to make a fool of him," and "He keeps asking, 'Where were all these journalists 40 years ago?'"
''Trololo'' was used by Butlins
Butlin's is a chain of large seaside resorts in the United Kingdom. Butlin's was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families.
Between 1936 and 1966, ten camps were built, including one in Ireland and o ...
in a television advertising campaign in the United Kingdom, as well as a United States ad campaign with the Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...
convertible that debuted during Super Bowl XLVII
Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
in 2013. It was also featured in the 2012 video game '' Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault''. It was played briefly in the 2018 film '' Pacific Rim: Uprising''.
On 31 December 2011, Khil performed the Trololo song again live on a 2012 New Year's Russian holiday television special. Within the first week of January 2012, the new video of Khil performing his new version of the Trololo song had gone viral on YouTube again, earning over four million hits. Khil died later that year.
On 4 September 2017, Google
Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
displayed an interactive doodle
A doodle is a drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied. Doodles are simple drawings that can have concrete representational meaning or may just be composed of random and abstract lines or shapes, generally without ever lift ...
of Khil singing the Trololo song to celebrate what would have been his 83rd birthday. Although it was released on the doodle site on 4 September, it was not released until the next day due to Labor Day
Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...
in some countries.
Awards
* Winner of Second All-Russian competition of performers (1962)
* Sopot International Song Festival
The Sopot International Song Festival or Sopot Festival (later called ''Sopot Music Festival Grand Prix'', ''Sopot Top of the Top Festival'' from 2012–13 and ''Polsat Sopot Festival'' in 2014) is an annual international song contest held in So ...
second prize (1965)
* Honored Artist of the RSFSR
Honored Artist of the RSFSR (, ''Zasluzhenny artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchestra conductors, who had outstanding achievements in the ...
(1968)
* Order of the Red Banner of Labour
The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...
(1971)
* People's Artist of the RSFSR
People's Artist of the RSFSR (russian: Народный артист РСФСР, ''Narodnyj artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet Union artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchest ...
(1974)
* Lenin Komsomol Prize
Lenin Komsomol Prize () was a Soviet annual award for the best works in science, engineering, literature or art carried out by young authors of age not exceeding 33 years. Komsomol was the abbreviated name of The Communist Union of Youth (Russia ...
(1976)
* Order of Friendship of Peoples
The Order of Friendship of Peoples (russian: oрден Дружбы народов, translit=orden Druzhby narodov) was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military unit ...
(1981)
* Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"
The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (russian: Орден «За заслуги перед Отечеством», ''Orden "Za zaslugi pered Otechestvom"'') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on 2 March 1994 by P ...
, 4th class (2009)
* Utyosov Prize
Filmography
* 1965 – ''Cheryomushki'' (Черёмушки) – vocal
* 1974 – ''Eduard Khil'' (documentary, directed by Marina Goldovskaya
Marina Yevseyevna Goldovskaya (russian: Марина Евсеевна Голдо́вская; July 15, 1941 – March 20, 2022) was a Russian-American documentary film maker known for her candid portrayal of people.
Family
Her father worked with ...
)
* 1985 – ''Golubye goroda'' (Голубые города, ''Blue Cities''; film-concert, music by Andrey Petrov
Andrey Pavlovich Petrov (russian: Андре́й Па́влович Петро́в; September 2, 1930 – February 15, 2006) was a Soviet and Russian composer. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1980. Andrey Petrov is known for his mus ...
)
* 2004 – ''Yatinsotests'' – club manager
References
External links
*
*
Official YouTube channel
*
Trololo music video
a
trololololololololololo.com
(via Archive.org)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khil, Eduard
1934 births
2012 deaths
20th-century Russian male singers
20th-century Russian singers
21st-century Russian male singers
21st-century Russian singers
People from Smolensk
Eastern Orthodox Christians from Russia
Russian State Institute of Performing Arts alumni
Saint Petersburg Conservatory alumni
Honored Artists of the RSFSR
People's Artists of the RSFSR
Recipients of the Lenin Komsomol Prize
Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class
Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Russian Internet celebrities
Viral videos
Internet memes
Internet memes introduced in 2010
Burials in Russia
Winners of the Golden Gramophone Award