Cycling Remains (Reimagined Olivia Rodrigo)

In Verse 1, the song starts with sounds from a door key opening and jangling, a distant saxophone playing, and a bicycle pedalling that I recorded myself instead of using the original sound effects directly from “drivers license”. All of this represents changes from my previous phase of life, such as the surroundings, the boarding house itself, etc.

The bicycle pedalling sound itself has been added in every song’s section transition (and a key jangling at Verse 3) to give the nostalgic feeling within the silent part (no yapping) of the song.

Sometimes you will find made-up lyrics by AI in searches or some sort, so please recheck the lyrics again to avoid misinformation.

Here is the example of some made-up lyrics found:

Verse 2: But, you’re not here now And I’m riding without you all The roads we used to take Are now just memories

Chorus: Cycling remains, but you’re not here The laughter echoes, but it’s disappeared I keep pedaling through the pain Hoping to find the real you again

Bridge: Every turn reminds me of you Every sunset feels so blue I wish you could see me now Riding through this empty town

Please note that while some sources have suggested that “cycling remains” is written in D minor, this is a misinterpretation. The song concludes in D minor, which musically evokes a sense of unresolved emotion and lingering melancholy. It is like a deliberate choice that mirrors the song’s reflective tone.

However, the overall key of the song is F major, not D minor. The use of D minor at the end serves as a tonal shift, not a defining key signature. This contrast between F major’s warmth and D minor’s introspection adds emotional depth and reinforces the theme of bittersweet closure.

Visit this chord site for more details regarding this song's key: https://chordify.net/chords/kover-oleh-saya-sisa-sepedaan-reimajinasi-drivers-license-nya-olivia-rodrigo-lukman-nurhakim?edit=68142868786de0a9220009fc

[Edit: different link]

Abu Nailah's "cycling remains" is more than a reinterpretation of Olivia Rodrigo's "drivers license". It's a quiet elegy for friendships lost, memories cherished, and spiritual paths once shared. Beneath the ambient textures and lyrical sorrow lies a subtle but powerful invocation of hadrah, not as a full ritual, but as a whisper embedded in the song's DNA.

The rebana and duff percussion, the faint chant (like "iku saking"), and the ambient echoes of majelisan gatherings evoke a kind of spiritual nostalgia. These aren't just musical choice, but also emotional artifacts. Abu Nailah isn't mourning a breakup; he's mourning the loss of those who introduced him to sacred spaces, who once laughed with him over the noise of communal remembrance.

His decision to release an Islamic version of the song, stripped of standard instrumentation, amplifies this grief. It's a return to the source, like a way of honoring the spiritual lineage passed down through friendship. Without those friends, he might never have known the warmth of majelisan, the rhythm of hadrah, or the beauty of shared sincerity.

"cycling remains" becomes a sonic memorial. Every wheel turn, every chant fragment, also the unresolved chord, is a reminder: some friendships don't just end, but also leave behind echoes that shape who we become.

“cycling remains”—a reimagined song cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license”—is a deeply personal and atmospheric piece that reflects on lost friendships, emotional distances, and the haunting nostalgia of a life that keeps moving forward despite inner grief. Rumored about NDC in my current home of Jogja, the song uses vivid imagery, such as glare-colored buses, cycling memories, and glimpses of ex-best friends to paint a poignant portrait of longing.

Originally, the song features a sparse piano-led arrangement, ambient textures, and soft rhythmic elements that evoke introspection and emotional vulnerability—elements that are still present in this particular cover. However, to reimagine the original, this track blends all that with traditional Indonesian elements, featuring the melodic tones of the basuri—a trumpet-like horn associated with local buses—interwoven with modern instrumentation. Incorporating Islamic musical nuances, such as duffs and hadrah chanting, adds a spiritual dimension, reflecting communal gatherings and the solace in shared rituals.

Sound effects, including bicycle movements, door unlocking, and distant fireworks, enrich the narrative, marking transitions in the artist’s life, such as moving to a new boarding house near campus and the onset of a new year. The song concludes on a D minor chord, leaving listeners in a contemplative state, mirroring the unresolved emotions and the cyclical nature of reminiscing.

A more detailed meaning by Melobyte:

These lyrics depict the aftermath of a friendship ending and the feelings of betrayal and sadness that come with it. The speaker reminisces about the good times they shared with their friend, riding bikes through villages and laughing together. However, things have changed, and the speaker now cycles alone past their friend’s street, feeling the loss deeply.

The lyrics convey a sense of longing and disbelief that the friendship has come to an end. The speaker struggles to understand how their friend could be okay with the separation, especially after everything they went through together. The repetition of the phrase “best friends forever” highlights the irony of the situation and the reality that friendships can sometimes fade away.

The use of imagery, such as seeing the friend’s face in buses and hearing their voice at parties, adds depth to the emotional impact of the lyrics. The speaker is haunted by memories of their friend and finds it difficult to move on from the loss.

Overall, these lyrics capture the raw emotions that come with the end of a close friendship and the struggle to come to terms with it. The sadness and longing expressed in the song make it relatable to anyone who has experienced the pain of losing a friend.

[Edit: More context added]

A little bit of an ad here: Ecosmo is the brand name of this new one, which was given to me a day before my 20th birthday–about a month or so before our breakup.

I realized that there were more new friends from a nearby village at that time, so yeah…

"Belum ada satu bulan…"💫 ~a reference to Bernadya's "Satu Bulan"

My parents suggested I have a motorcycle. Instead, I only want a bicycle again, which coincidentally connects with the reimagined title of the song.

There is a previous version of this cover, which is still a short one (that was around the time we broke up).

1. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abu_nailah2004/reel/DBmOaV4ykT5
2. TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@abunailah_official/video/7527475829203373330

There were around three months or so before I posted the full version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Im1oj7mGjUo

What made me buy another bike (the Ecosmo one) was that my previous bike was damaged. Also, because it couldn’t be repaired anymore, I just gave it to a bike repair shop. The repair shop took it apart, and luckily, I still had time to take pictures of the rest as souvenirs for me.

There are stickers (both from buses mania and majelisan) that we used to share attached to both bikes, if you look closely. However, there are still some shared stickers from my remaining friends (see Verse 3) on the new bicycle.

In the Islamic version of the song, there are actually ambiences, and the clear one says Javanese: "Iku saking."

The villages' trivia is explained in this annotation: https://genius.com/35337927

"I only mentioned their initials, NDC, for their privacy in the tribute credit at the end of the lyric video.

(a screenshot of the end credits written like this: "an NDC tribute directed by me")

There are more places than just their villages, though.

It’s quite hard for me to move on. Moreover, they’re only across my current street.

Image description (an image of the villages taken from Google Maps)

I might make an MV if I have the time lol."

[Edit: forgot a closing quote sign]