AndyThe Russia-Georgia conflict has moved to the disco dancefloor after Georgia’s decision to pick the none-too-subtle “We don’t wanna put in” as their entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Performed by Stephane and 3G, the provocative song will no doubt wind Russia’s Prime Minister no end if it makes it to the final in Moscow this May. Check out these lyrics:
“We don’t wanna put in / Cuz negative move / It’s killin’ the groove,
I’m gonna try to shoot in / Some disco tonight / Boogie with you.”
“Shoot in”, by the way, is beautifully rhymed with Putin – sorry, Put In – and coincides with section of the dance where the singers mime being shot in the head.
Initially, I thought this would probably sink without a trace, but people seem to be speculating that the infamous block voting that brought Russia it’s Eurovision win last year might work in Georgia’s favour, delivering a massive snub to Putin on his home turf, in front of a television audience of more than 100 million Europeans.
At the moment, the only thing standing in Georgia’s march to glory is the little known Eurovision rule that bars lyrics of a “political or similar nature”. Georgian officials are busytelling anyone who’ll listen that it’s all about the disco:
“This song is not about politics, it has nothing to do with politics and politicians. It’s a funny disco song.”
Their pitiful pleas are not helped, though, by Kakha Tsiskaridze the song’s producer, who told journalists:
“Since we (Georgia) decided to take part, we need to send a message to Europe and first of all to Moscow.
The song is called “Put In” and its text carries a double meaning. I think everyone will understand what we want to say. It’s important for us to say what Georgia wants to say as a country.”
Personally, I pray they get through. I really can’t wait to see Putin dancing to the Georgian disco beat.
The song by itself sucks, lie anything they sing on Eurovision, but, man, Georgians can sing! I only wish they chose something in that amazing Georgian folk style. Well, anyway, even with that song, I wish them success. It would be really funny to see them in the first place after all that hype around the song 🙂
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Good it’s a crap song, those never win on Eurovision anyway oh wai…
Quite funny though I agree.
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Let ’em have their “dig” or however one wants to term it.
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Funny staff 🙂 I think it would be a trick if they participate with this song. People will love it. Hope this will not annoy Russians too much…
Concerning the “funny stuff”:
The quote attributed to JFK “Don’t get mad – get even” could be considered
The next go around, Russia could hypothetically enter an ethnic Ossetian and/or Abkhaz group with a certain message. Maybe better yet, an anti-Saakashvili ethnic Georgian group.
😉
Regardless, Russia should play it cool on this one.
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Good its a crap song, those never win on Eurovision anyway oh wai
Erm please stop doubling me ????????, it’s a bit uncomfortable.
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@Sublime Oblivion – sorry, there’s a low-tech Russian spammer targeting Siberian Light at the moment.
He was posting vaguely on-topic one line comments with a link back to his site(s) but now he’s adopted the even lazier approach of cutting and pasting from someone else’s earlier comment.
Because it’s someone so small scale I’m just deleting them manually at the moment, which means that he’s getting absolutely no benefit for his efforts. I suppose I could email the spammer and let him know that he’s wasting his time, but it’s more fun to let him carry on at the moment…
Does South Ossetia get to enter a song about Georgia? Something about “murderous assholes” and “joke pseudo-country”?
Georgians are very brave. It wouldn’t be surprising that their song would be forbidden (or the singers killed by the Russian regime: it has already happened on other contexts).
In any case, Eurovisión is already a political fact, since the voting system is based on the countries’ political affinity.
Not quite so.
There has been a regional bias, which has some positive aspects. As an example, note how the former Yugo republics rallied to vote for the Serb winner. On the one hand, it’s good to see them cooperating as opposed to warring (rhetorically and otherwise). On the other, it’s not fair to discriminate against others based on their regional locale.
Your comments about Russia and Goergia suggest the latter to be a noticeably greater example of freedom. This can be legitimately questioned. If true, than the Abkhaz and South Ossetians wouldn’t be showing a preference for Russia.
Michael Averko´s last blog post..Our Brothers. Keepers
Put another way: the Abkhaz and S. Ossetian preference for Russia can be seen as contradicting the idea of Georgia being comparatively freer. There’re some other matters to consider as well.
Michael Averko´s last blog post..Our Brothers. Keepers
Cristina (from Spain)
YOu have written it so true :)) haha you rock!
Russian Regime could do no harm to Georgia even in the Sovier Era, especially now, they will not break GEorgians 😀
Georgians are so heroically brave that their soldiers threw their weapons down, removed their uniforms, and ran away en masse at the sight of Russian tanks. They are only good at shelling defenseless civilians with heavy artillery from a distance, and then only until the militia shows up.
Also, the Georgian government is already broken. What is more pathetic than a self-described “proud, independent nation” grovelling for handouts (that it never receives) from the United States? Not much. This is a low point in Georgia’s long history of grovelling to foreign powers.
Why am I not surprised to see someone from Spain defending the bombing of a civilian population in the name of national unity? Gosh, it’s like Guernica all over again.
Alas, Franco, we hardly knew ye. Fortunately we still have Saakashvili, your more bumbling Georgian counterpart.
Chris, do not be this naive, you believe the propaganda Russians are trying to sell…
Russia has lost it;s control over the world, RUssians dont want to lose control over Caucasus.. it’s all about Georgia today, but it may be all over the whole Caucasus and post Soviet countries tomorrow. Besides Russia doesn’t need NATO near his borders, that absolutely means losing the control ower the Caucasus.
One should be a fool to believe that Georgians started the war the first, Russians have been provoking for years, bombimg the territory and backing the rebels in South Ossetia ( the original name is Samatchablo) and Abkhazia, handing their passport in conflict zones, ect. It is rediculous to laugh at Georgian soldiers, who were 100 times less then Russians but fighted for freedom and their own civilians, while Russians soldiers behaved like real cowards, loothing and raping. see what Human Watch reports… what would you suggest , little Georgia to fight against russia till the last Georgian male is on Earth?!
there is so much hate in your words but I do not know where they come from.. or what makes you be an expert in this field, sitting in your flat, making great speech/posts on sites..
Spain is one of the few EU countries to not recognize Kosovo.
Saakashvili is a loose cannon type of a power backed leader. Note how the repackaged KLA doesn’t show soildarity by supporting the indpendence of other disputed former Communist bloc territories. On the other hand, Saakashvili doesn’t recognize Kosovo’s independence.
If South Ossetia and Abkhazia were granted a federalized loose republic structure in post-Soviet Georgia, their separatist drive might not have reached the point that it did.
Michael Averko´s last blog post..Our Brothers. Keepers
You missed the bit regarding Young Russia’s protests in front of the empty Georgian embassy in Moscow.
Apparently, the song is an insult to all Russia … it is all the work of the evil US (the US pays for everything in Georgia after all) and .. oh yes, Saakhashvili is on cocaine.
Several dozen activists staged a noisy protest Monday to condemn Georgia’s entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, which they described as an insult to Russia and its prime minister Vladimir Putin.
Young Russia, a pro-Kremlin youth group, organised the rally near the closed Georgian Embassy in Moscow against “We Don’t Wanna Put In,” which Georgia has chosen as its entry to Eurovision, to be held in Moscow in May.
“This song does not just insult Putin, it insults the whole Russian people,” Maxim Mishchenko, leader of Young Russia and a member of the Russian parliament, said on the sidelines of the protest.
“I think that you shouldn’t take a non-political contest and turn it into a political show to insult your opponents,” he added.
The disco-style song by Georgian group Stephane and 3G, sung in English, has the chorus “We don’t wanna put in/The negative move/It’s killin’ the groove,” which many believe plays on Putin’s surname.
Monday’s protest indicated that the song could get an angry reception in Russia, which is hosting Eurovision this year after winning last year’s competition in Serbia.
Some activists described the song — which won the right to represent Georgia after a panel and phone-in vote in the ex-Soviet republic last month — as a US plot against Russia.
“We think that Georgia put this song on Eurovision because America paid for it, because America pays for everything in Georgia,” said Young Russia spokesman Yevgeny Nasonov, who attended the protest.
The group brought a live turkey to the protest that was said to represent Georgian President Mikheil Saakhashvili and two activists dressed in NATO-style uniforms showered it with fake dollars.
In a reference to Saakashvili, who is frequently pilloried in the Russian media, the activists chanted: “Misha stop sniffing cocaine/Better to use your brain.”
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well whatever Georgians do it is easy to accuse that America pays for it,,
We all see how Russia treats its neighbours, they are still moving in the troops. The visit of the International Investigation Commission for August Georgia-Russia War, Heidi Tagliavini to the breakaway region of Abkhazia, Georgia, has made the separatists and the occupants to change their plans. They were planning to conduct military exercises along the boundary line today.
as for the song, why did Putin get it that way? it is just sequence of 2 words, excuse me but it is not forbidden to sing and use PIT IN or any other words in a song.
If anyone thinks it is immoral I’d say i even remember more immoral things from Russia, for instance a dirty video of “Saakashvili and Timochshenko”… it was officially used by one of the Russian political parties as an ad.
Anyways, back to the basics, I think there i nothing wrong with this song.let them participate and let the ppl from the partcipant countries decide
There’s Georgian opposition to Saakashvili, as well as what one sees from the South Ossetians and Abkhaz.
Like I suggested, Russia might be best off by not giving too much attention to the Georgian Eurovision entry. Having said that, Russian opposition to that entry is premised on what can be considered a point of etiquette – as per an understanding of what Eurovision should be about (Andy makes reference to it in his above post).
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On a related note:
http://www.rferl.org/content/Georgian_Singers_Sad_Song_Only_Making_Russians_See_Red/1503373.html
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this is so shameful song …
so … this is the part of shameless people who live in our country Georgia …
this is so shame song ..
these people who sang a song are 4 poor singers who did everything for being popular ….
so … this is the part of shameless people who live in our country …
”Initially, I thought this would probably sink without a trace, but people seem to be speculating that the infamous block voting that brought Russia its Eurovision win last year might work in Georgias favour, delivering a massive snub to Putin on his home turf, in front of a television audience of more than 100 million Europeans.”
Neither Russia or Georgia should even be in the Eurovision. They and the rest of the CIS and the ex Comecon countries should be left tear themselves to bits in their own competition. Ireland, as undisputed Eurovision champions, should be free to win it whenever the mood takes us!
Seriously though the block voting in Eastern Europe is completely out of hand and is making a futher mockery of what was already a mockery. Block voting in the old days meant Ireland giving the UK 12 points and vice versa; these days countries are getting 60 points from their slavic ”brothers”, whatever that bloody means. Like I said a separate competition for all the banana republics in the East would be ideal, and let the top four come out and sing against the original countries, and not let them vote in the finals. Harsh, but fair I think, and would bury block voting big time.
I wonder if some might take this as a political move:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7931726.stm
It can be possibly taken in two extremes.
– Russian imperialists seeking to dramatize the idea of Russo-Ukrainian closeness
– Desperate Russkies going abroad for talent
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Re: My Last Post
I’ll rephrase the stated “two extremes,” with two views that some will no doubt find agreement with.
There’s another view that reflects how many in Ukraine view Russia. A point touched on at this link:
http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/email/recasting-ukraines-identity
No one forced the Ukrainian contestant to represent Russia.
Michael Averko´s last blog post..INTERVIEW: Eritrean Diaspora vs. Government Controlled Media
Irishman
Hard to disagree, I personally think that Eurovision is not a contest where talanted people can win. Thats why Georgia has sent the group and the song good enough for the host!
But before you start cussing out one country or another, my advice to you, read a little bit more about them, or at least, if you are die-fan of talanted people and good music, listen to Georgian music and then make mile long posts here.
I refer personally you as an Irish man, coz I think you should me knowing what it means for a little nation to fight for freedom over the centuries, and what makes things worse it that huge North neighbour never leaves a little country like Georgia in peace.
”But before you start cussing out one country or another, my advice to you, read a little bit more about them, or at least, if you are die-fan of talanted people and good music, listen to Georgian music and then make mile long posts here.”
🙂 leluuu, I havent even heard the Georgian song to start dissing it! But the reality is the Eurovision is now hopelessly biased towards an Eastern European win. The
(Eastern) block (bloc?) voting now means the old competitors really have no chance anymore. And apart from anything else its not really about talent or good songs. Its a bait small-minded of the organisers to have banned the Georgian song, but perhaps the rules say the song cant be overtly political.
”I refer personally you as an Irish man, coz I think you should me knowing what it means for a little nation to fight for freedom over the centuries, and what makes things worse it that huge North neighbour never leaves a little country like Georgia in peace”
I suppose we do, but there comes a time when you have to move on as well. The only place Ireland and England really fight now is on the rugby field, and, apart from murder in the scrum, (and them CONTINUOUSLY going offside and holding on, ahem, ANDY!)its a big party. The problem for Georgia though is that the whole thing has become very personal now, between Putin and Saakashvilli. Until both of them are gone I cant see how relations can improve. At this moment Georgia would do well to ignore NATO and simply focus on getting into the EU, which, if nothing else, will improve Georgia’s economic progress, much as it transformed ours. I imagine that feelings are very raw now for Georgians, and its just a pity that there is nobody progressive in either Moscow or Tbilisi to improve relations. No matter what happens you are neighbours and again, as Ireland have learned, its better be friends than foes.
Irishman
Thanks for your reply, it is interesting to exchange views with you, unlike others 🙂
I suppose you havent hear anything abouit Georgian Hospitality 😀 haha sorry if all my posts look very national but the topic has brought 😀
Well if you haven’t lisitened then check out Georgian folk music and dances. You might not necessarily like them, its not the main point here, but at least it will give you some kind of idea about us, though you might need some Georgian guide to explain certain things 🙂 as for the Georgian song for Eurovision I can not say i like it or that I do not, but as I have already mentioned there is no use of sending some1 way talanted there , there was no use to protest and not to take part in it and this song is like a mix of everything. I do not even know if Russians blocked it.
You might think I hate Russians but it is not true, honestly. And one does not need to be genious to get that you should try to have good relationships with your neughbour, especially hundred times bigger plus stronger then you, but it’s even more foolish to think that little Georgia could be the reason of misunderstandings.
you ever been to Russia? Do not even compare England with Russia, okay? coz it is like black and white, like the opposite directions. Georgia will always be like a rebel republic that should be a state of Russia and not independent country. The geopolitical location that’s what makes my country at the center of attention Until ppl in Russia still dream about regaining the Soviet Union there is no use even to try. and they do believe in it, and you know why? coz Russia is used to be a powerfull Empire. You think it is up to little Georgia? no my friend, you think it is between Putin and Saakashvilli?? more then that, it is not even Russia-Georgia thing, it’s more US-Russia efforts to have a power and control ower the world.
Why do we need to enter NATO? – to feel more secure – that’s my answer. your country has not been bombed several times, but ours was, and during years even before the August 2008, but could we ever fire back? no we couldn’t coz A) we had no weapon for that, B) it was powerful Russia.. Russians are backing conflict zones, giving out their pasports, took some lands etc, etc, you do not need to know everything, it will just load you. I am not much into politics, it is too dirty, but once you are Georgian you should be knowing a think or two about it 😛
That’s the matter, not very promising though, but I think we’re gonna go through it.
Bests
leluuu