Georgian Band to Protest Putin at Eurovision?

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


God bless the Eurovision Song Contest. It’s so, like, Austin Powers-y. Established in 1956, the event invites European countries to each submit a song, and then a winner is selected. It’s like the UN meets American Idol, and it’s given us ABBA, Bucks Fizz, and, erm, Verka Serduchka! But the latest edition of the contest, set for Moscow in May, has been sullied by the grating melody of politics, as Russia’s rivals to the south appear to have taken the opportunity to stick it to the Russian prime minister. Georgia’s entry, by a band called Stephane and 3G, is a song entitled “We Don’t Wanna Put In,” which, in its sung form, sounds a heck of a lot like “We Don’t Wanna Putin.” Sneaky! Georgians are denying there’s a “hidden message” in the track, but gee, it’s hard not to hear it (watch the awesome video above). Eurovision specifically bans any lyrics “of a political nature,” so it remains to be seen if Stephane and 3G will get away with it, and they better watch out—that guy knows judo! Lucky for them, there’s no easily-singable phrase that sounds like “Saakashvili.” Actually, “We Don’t Wanna Suck His Willy” comes close. Russians, feel free to use that.

OUR DEADLINE MATH PROBLEM

It’s risky, but also unavoidable: A full one-third of the dollars that we need to pay for the journalism you rely on has to get raised in December. A good December means our newsroom is fully staffed, well-resourced, and on the beat. A bad one portends budget trouble and hard choices.

The December 31 deadline is drawing nearer, and if we’re going to have any chance of making our goal, we need those of you who’ve never pitched in before to join the ranks of MoJo donors.

We simply can’t afford to come up short. There is no cushion in our razor-thin budget—no backup, no alternative sources of revenue to balance our books. Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the fierce journalism we do. That’s why we need you to show up for us right now.

payment methods

OUR DEADLINE MATH PROBLEM

It’s risky, but also unavoidable: A full one-third of the dollars that we need to pay for the journalism you rely on has to get raised in December. A good December means our newsroom is fully staffed, well-resourced, and on the beat. A bad one portends budget trouble and hard choices.

The December 31 deadline is drawing nearer, and if we’re going to have any chance of making our goal, we need those of you who’ve never pitched in before to join the ranks of MoJo donors.

We simply can’t afford to come up short. There is no cushion in our razor-thin budget—no backup, no alternative sources of revenue to balance our books. Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the fierce journalism we do. That’s why we need you to show up for us right now.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate