First, Georgia threatened to boycott this year’s Eurovision Song Contest because it’s to be held in Moscow. Then Georgia recanted on the boycott and applied late. Now Georgia has gone ahead and selected its entry to the competition: an English-language song titled, “We Don’t Wanna Put In.” Ahem. If you don’t get it yet, consider the ersatz-disco refrain: “We don’t wanna put in / The negative move / Is killing the groove.” It’s certainly no Vysotsky song, but a “subtle” political slight it is.

Performed by Stephane & 3G at the Georgian national final Wednesday, the verses came packaged with tacky ’70s attire and shaky choreography, which included a gun-to-the-head motion at the words: “I’m gonna try to shoot in / Some disco tonight / Boogie with you.” And then three of them fall to the ground. You know, as part of the choreography. If nothing else, the routine has gained the group excellent publicity. On YouTube and the official Eurovision site, the conversation is heated. Says one commenter, “They won for political reasons only, maybe they will receive the 12 points from all Russia neighbours [sic].”

If you want more analysis than any Eurovision song could possibly warrant, look to Gazeta.ru’s excessively detailed coverage of the performance, in which the journalist draws parallels with transvestite Verka Serduchka’s 2007 Eurovision performance of “Dancing Lasha Tumbai” (which to Russians sounded suspiciously like “Russia Goodbye”) and implores Russia to roll with the punches. For once.

Stephane & 3G sing “We Don't Wanna Put In” (Georgia 2009)[youtube]

Photo: Vysotsky asks, “What did I do to deserve that comparison?”