I.C.E. Lyrics in English Chilly Gonzales

Buckle into the high-speed I.C.E. and let Chilly Gonzales be your irreverent tour guide across Germany. In this playful, half-German, half-English rap he calls the whole experiment a Schnapsidee (crazy idea) yet barrels on anyway, tossing out witty wordplay and name-dropping everything from Brahms, Clara Schumann and Nietzsche to Ritter Sport chocolate and climate protests. The result feels like a rapid-fire collage of German culture: classical grandeur, punk attitude, techno nights, comfort food and clever puns all whiz past the window as the train hurtles down the tracks.

Beneath the jokes lies an affectionate outsider’s portrait of the country. Gonzales revels in Germany’s discipline, artistry and quirks while freely poking fun at clichés, awkward small talk and his own imperfect German. By the final stop he declares the song a “love letter to the Bundesrepublik” – a cheeky, critical and ultimately warm embrace of the place he now calls home, signed from the window seat of the nation’s fastest train.