FR2009
Trololo / Eduard Khil
Wordless Soviet song used as cheerful internet troll anthem
Meaning
It denotes Eduard Khil's 1976 vocalise of I Am Glad to Finally Be Returning Home, sung as tro-lo-lo instead of lyrics. The tone is cheerful, absurd and nostalgic, used as playful bait. It is used mainly by meme users and commenters.
Origin
The music was written by Arkady Ostrovsky and performed by Soviet baritone Eduard Khil on Soviet television reportedly in 1976. The cowboy lyrics were reportedly censored, so he sang vocalise. A clip reached YouTube around 2009 and went global in February and March 2010.
How it's used
People post it as a surprise reply, fake link or prank soundtrack. Grammatically it is a noun for the song and meme, and an interjection Trololo signaling cheerful trolling. It does not inflect, though lengthened forms add comic effect.
Example
He tried to start a flame war and I just replied with Trololo.
Variants & related
Variants include Trololololo, Trololo Man and Mr. Trololo. Related memes named explicitly are Rickrolling and Numa Numa, plus Soviet-song remixes. Its opposite is an angry rant video.
Common misunderstandings
Outsiders wrongly think it is meaningless gibberish or an improvised joke. It is not a hate symbol and should not mock Russian speakers. The register is affectionate and ironic, not political or sincere.