The song first appeared in the 1971 stop-motion short , produced by Soyuzmultfilm . It is performed by Crocodile Gena , a gentle soul who works as a crocodile in a zoo by day and plays the accordion for pedestrians by night.

"Ah, I play the accordion in front of the pedestrians... what a pity that a birthday only comes once a year!"

Whether you’re reliving your childhood or discovering it for the first time, Gena’s accordion reminds us all to find a reason to smile—even when our birthdays only come once a year.

Why do people still search for "Ya Iqrayu Ne Garmoshki yukle" (Download "I Play the Accordion") decades later?

Unlike the purely joyful "Happy Birthday," Gena’s song acknowledges that life can be lonely and rainy, but there is still beauty in the celebration.