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06/17/2020
FvSpee
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FvSpee
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33
Colonia instead of Corona, No. 20 and end: Cologne, Lisbon, Tokyo
Toreros, music and chestnuts,
Guitars and singing in the moonlight.
And Spain, and always Spain.
Yes, children, can't you think of anything better? Toreros with Olé,
that's long gone!
For the last piece of the Colonia-statt-Corona series I saved a special trouvaille: The Cologne "Portugal" from 4711. I'm thievingly happy to be able to write a first-time commentary here. It is a fragrance with mysterious backgrounds. I could not determine its year of publication, not even whether it is 100, 50 or 10 years old. I've never seen it in a drugstore or perfumery. But you can order it online at 4711 in Cologne - which I did. But above all... - stop! First of all, let's talk about what the verses at the beginning are supposed to say.
Ever since my first Comedian Harmonists LP about 30 years ago, I found the Portugal song, even if it is not as popular as the sailors, the Lenz or the cactus, for example, particularly catchy. And since I discovered this scent here and made the decision to present it in this series, I knew that this would have to be done together with "How about Lisbon".
How about Lisbon? This is just as beautiful as Spain! Wine, olives and geraniums
bloom on windows and balcony.
So off to Lisbon,
to the city of the Portuguese.
I'm sure you'll become friends with these and you got a lot out of it.
When I listened to the song again now and read through the lyrics, it still seemed beautiful to me, but also strangely suspicious. There is something escapist about it, its humour is less crazy and cheeky (and in some parts more thigh tapping) than the most famous couplets of the sextet. And indeed, research shows that it was written in 1934, when the group was increasingly torn apart internally, practically no longer performed in the Reich (because of the three Jewish members) and was also under pressure to deliver optimistic rather than disintegrating song lyrics. Or at most still deliciously silly ones, as in the case of "In der Bar zum Krokodil", also written in 1934.
Although you are not yet fluent in Portuguese,
but the country is paradise Palm trees in all their splendour surround every square Many a Portuguese woman
has sense for your sympathy
And in the evening, he'll be looking for treasure under the palm trees
And maybe it's no coincidence that the song sounds a bit like a tourist advertisement. For while in Spain, which is devalued at the beginning of the song's lyrics, the republic with its left-wing government still existed in 1934, in Portugal Salazar had been building up the right-wing authoritarian "Estado Novo" since 1932. Actually a great destination for KdF trips. So I'm at a point where the song seems a bit spooky to me. I can no longer enjoy it impartially. Too much knowledge is sometimes not good
Let's get back to "Portugal". So it can be purchased online at 4711, but most importantly. in Japan. "Portugal" is big in Japan. Entering the sequence of terms "4711 Portugal Japan" in the search engine of your choice, or even more directly, a visit to www.4711.jp shows where the bunny in the wasabi mustard is: "Portugal" is apparently the cologne par excellence in Japan. There (and apparently only there), besides this cologne and a corresponding eau de toilette, there is also an after shave, a body milk, and, let's be clear: a hair tonic and a brilliantine. I'm surprised that there isn't also a toothpaste and condoms with a Portuguese taste. Why that is, I don't know. I hope that it doesn't also go back to 1934 and Japan's proximity to Germany and Portugal at that time.
What you can also find on the mentioned Japanese website of 4711 (and only there) is a neat scent pyramid for "Portugal" (even in English). It reads:
Head: tangerine, orange, lime
Heart: neroli, petitgrain, coriander, artemisia
Base: ebony, musk, moss.
And that brings us to my scent. "Portugal" begins with a brilliant orangey prelude, which is fruity, but not vulgarly fleshy, but very noble, delicate and cool. The fragrance here has almost something crackling. I have to think of a box of oranges made of plywood, with every fourth or fifth fruit wrapped in a fine tissue paper with beautiful graphics. After a few minutes, unusual, almost modern niche contrasting green-brown, somewhat earthy, warmer and dirtier notes appear, which I would most likely attribute to coriander - but which then quickly recede again. A citric-orange freshness remains only very close to the skin, which is then combined with the soft and woody notes of the base.
If I look at the top note (the most important thing about such a volatile cologne) in isolation, I am almost completely enthusiastic; if you see the fragrance in its entirety, it is in any case an exciting, interesting fragrance - and not only in its history, but also in the experience of the fragrance itself, it is definitely a somewhat mysterious fragrance.
This place is magical,
and you never want to leave again Are you far from Lisbon,
you're always dreaming about it,
from the city of the Portuguese.
Guitars and singing in the moonlight.
And Spain, and always Spain.
Yes, children, can't you think of anything better? Toreros with Olé,
that's long gone!
For the last piece of the Colonia-statt-Corona series I saved a special trouvaille: The Cologne "Portugal" from 4711. I'm thievingly happy to be able to write a first-time commentary here. It is a fragrance with mysterious backgrounds. I could not determine its year of publication, not even whether it is 100, 50 or 10 years old. I've never seen it in a drugstore or perfumery. But you can order it online at 4711 in Cologne - which I did. But above all... - stop! First of all, let's talk about what the verses at the beginning are supposed to say.
Ever since my first Comedian Harmonists LP about 30 years ago, I found the Portugal song, even if it is not as popular as the sailors, the Lenz or the cactus, for example, particularly catchy. And since I discovered this scent here and made the decision to present it in this series, I knew that this would have to be done together with "How about Lisbon".
How about Lisbon? This is just as beautiful as Spain! Wine, olives and geraniums
bloom on windows and balcony.
So off to Lisbon,
to the city of the Portuguese.
I'm sure you'll become friends with these and you got a lot out of it.
When I listened to the song again now and read through the lyrics, it still seemed beautiful to me, but also strangely suspicious. There is something escapist about it, its humour is less crazy and cheeky (and in some parts more thigh tapping) than the most famous couplets of the sextet. And indeed, research shows that it was written in 1934, when the group was increasingly torn apart internally, practically no longer performed in the Reich (because of the three Jewish members) and was also under pressure to deliver optimistic rather than disintegrating song lyrics. Or at most still deliciously silly ones, as in the case of "In der Bar zum Krokodil", also written in 1934.
Although you are not yet fluent in Portuguese,
but the country is paradise Palm trees in all their splendour surround every square Many a Portuguese woman
has sense for your sympathy
And in the evening, he'll be looking for treasure under the palm trees
And maybe it's no coincidence that the song sounds a bit like a tourist advertisement. For while in Spain, which is devalued at the beginning of the song's lyrics, the republic with its left-wing government still existed in 1934, in Portugal Salazar had been building up the right-wing authoritarian "Estado Novo" since 1932. Actually a great destination for KdF trips. So I'm at a point where the song seems a bit spooky to me. I can no longer enjoy it impartially. Too much knowledge is sometimes not good
Let's get back to "Portugal". So it can be purchased online at 4711, but most importantly. in Japan. "Portugal" is big in Japan. Entering the sequence of terms "4711 Portugal Japan" in the search engine of your choice, or even more directly, a visit to www.4711.jp shows where the bunny in the wasabi mustard is: "Portugal" is apparently the cologne par excellence in Japan. There (and apparently only there), besides this cologne and a corresponding eau de toilette, there is also an after shave, a body milk, and, let's be clear: a hair tonic and a brilliantine. I'm surprised that there isn't also a toothpaste and condoms with a Portuguese taste. Why that is, I don't know. I hope that it doesn't also go back to 1934 and Japan's proximity to Germany and Portugal at that time.
What you can also find on the mentioned Japanese website of 4711 (and only there) is a neat scent pyramid for "Portugal" (even in English). It reads:
Head: tangerine, orange, lime
Heart: neroli, petitgrain, coriander, artemisia
Base: ebony, musk, moss.
And that brings us to my scent. "Portugal" begins with a brilliant orangey prelude, which is fruity, but not vulgarly fleshy, but very noble, delicate and cool. The fragrance here has almost something crackling. I have to think of a box of oranges made of plywood, with every fourth or fifth fruit wrapped in a fine tissue paper with beautiful graphics. After a few minutes, unusual, almost modern niche contrasting green-brown, somewhat earthy, warmer and dirtier notes appear, which I would most likely attribute to coriander - but which then quickly recede again. A citric-orange freshness remains only very close to the skin, which is then combined with the soft and woody notes of the base.
If I look at the top note (the most important thing about such a volatile cologne) in isolation, I am almost completely enthusiastic; if you see the fragrance in its entirety, it is in any case an exciting, interesting fragrance - and not only in its history, but also in the experience of the fragrance itself, it is definitely a somewhat mysterious fragrance.
This place is magical,
and you never want to leave again Are you far from Lisbon,
you're always dreaming about it,
from the city of the Portuguese.
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