Many Velo-citizens can't get that "u-la-la-la-la” from the official Velo-city 2022 Ljubljana song out of their heads. So, instead of fighting it, Ljubljana is offering the song for free to download, so you can listen to it whenever you want, and remember the good times spent in Ljubljana during the conference!
Here are the English and Slovenian versions: (https://mol.sharefile.eu/d-s7d2524373f2a43458f9eb61fe4569b4d)
Luviana feat. Sara Lamprečnik - Change is strange
Luviana feat. Sara Lamprečnik - Vse spreminja se
Would you like to discover the story behind it? The author of the lyrics, Vita Kontić Bezjak, who was a part of the Velo-city 2022 Ljubljana organising team and contributed to the promotion of the conference and cycling in Ljubljana, explains: "The song is about that hunch, when you wake up with a strange feeling that something good is about to happen that day. You feel the change in the air and you are, at the same time excited, while you are also partly frightened of the unknown that is about to come".
"You have the butterflies in your stomach. Ljubljana - beloved - in its name carries love', consequently, the story is romantic as well: it represents love for the city, cycling, new experience, another person."
She created the story in the song and the entire concept while she was biking to work, which is a true example of how cycling opens our minds to creativity. It's not all about the lyrics, it's also about that melody and rhythm that invite you to hop on your bicycle and keep turning the pedals at the same pace as the music. The songwriter Davor Kontić - Conti says: "The melody of the song was created on the interweaving of various harmonies, that each time you listen to it, reveal a new sonic landscape, and with breezy and uplifting lyrics draws a smile on everyone's face. Together they form a pleasing musical wave that takes you to a lovely summer day, on your bicycle."
The song fits perfectly into the music video. The video was directed by the well-known Slovenian director, Perica Rai. It tells the story of two cyclists that start their trip from different points in Ljubljana, and accidently meet in the city centre's beautifully refurbished ecological zone for pedestrians and cyclists. Faith brings them together and they spend a day together on their bikes, discovering fascinating corners of the city (that you can only experience on your bicycle or on foot).
At the same time, the video is also a documentary, showing many improvements for cyclists in Ljubljana. Do the actors seem familiar to you? Well, they are the dancers Petra Ravbar and Matevž Česen that performed on stage at the closing ceremony of Velo-city 2021 in Lisbon and the end of the Ljubljana bike parade at the Congress Square (to the official Velo-city 2022 song).
We know you like the song, but what does singer Sara Lamprečnik think about it?
"I'm having a lot of fun when I sing Change is Strange because it is a light and easy song that gives you that summer feeling. I liked the whole process of recording the song and I was really enjoying singing it at the Velo-city 2022 Ljubljana events, where the song really came to life."
In case you were wondering, why do you keep seeing butterflies everywhere? In the Velo-city 2022 logo and other visual materials; across the public spaces while you were in Ljubljana; and in the music video and the lyrics of the song. We assure you, it is no coincidence.
'Cycling the change' was the main theme of Velo-city 2022 and the Ljubljana team thought about which animal or icon would best symbolise the change.
"Butterflies that marked the congress, are a symbol of transformation and harbingers of change for the better. When we cycle, we change ourselves, our surroundings, environment and society; through which we incite progress," said Prof. Janez Koželj, Vice-Mayor of the City of Ljubljana and Head of the Executive Board of the Velo-city 2022 Ljubljana organising team. Butterflies are also a symbol of happiness, love and freedom - all the things we feel when we cycle!
Velo-city is an exchange knowledge platform where everybody goes home with new ideas and plans. We hope you learned a lot and enjoyed the four day conference as much as we did! Let's keep cycling the change together!
See you next year in Leipzig?
