Hi folks,

I have been watching a lot of videos made by very intelligent and thoughtful people, namely Extra Credits and MovieBob. I've always been intrigued by how they can talk about very high-brow, intelligent subjects, yet still be entertaining. Since lately, I've been having a lot of free time, I feel like making my own contributions.

If you read it, then great! If you can make comments/suggestions, that's even better!

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Still Alive vs. Want you Gone

The two songs that play at the ending credits of Portal 1 and Portal 2.
Now I'm assuming that all of you have heard of the songs, and, straight to the point, Still Alive is better than Want you Gone.
What I want to discuss is why the first song is so much better and appreciated than the second one.
Also, SPOILERS



Let's start off with the more "physical" differences.
Still Alive is a very simple, yet catchy song. The music is very ambient, and the melody and the lyrics stand out. It allows the players to contemplate about the game they have just finished, as well as easily listen to the lyrics of the song and pick out the sweet, juicy references.
Want you Gone's music is more busy. It conflicts with the main melody line and its lyrics. While it is still very catchy, it's techno beat makes it more difficult to listen to, and less memorable. It also comes after a very long turret opera that is more simple and endearing. The opera is also more close to the actual ending than Want you Gone.

Speaking of being endearing, GLaDOS of Still Alive in Portal 1 provides a great contrast in character. We played throughout the game thinking that GLaDOS is a heartless and cynical robot that has taken the lives of innocent people, or "test subjects", plus the entire facility, include her own creators. This personality trait is further proven by game dialogues and mechanics, where she tries to kill you as well.
But suddenly, when you listen to the song, GLaDOS become a soft sounding, almost demure singer who shows human emotions such as anger ("I'm not even angry"), loneliness ("Go ahead and leave me, I think I prefer to stay inside"), and even humour ("maybe Black Mesa, that was a Joke, Ha ha, Fat chance"). The song also personifies her by adding phrases like "Even though you broke my heart and killed me". She changes from a two-dimensional antagonist into a three-dimensional character that has evolved from being "the end boss" to someone, or something, you can feel compassion to. It made us think about all our interactions with GLaDOS throughout the game.



However, in Want you Gone, GLaDOS remain the same. The entire game was spent establishing GLaDOS's personality as cynical and critical (until the Cave Johnson story twist, in which GLaDOS conveyed compassion, but we still see her trying to struggle against it). The song simply re-establishes her character without adding anything new to the table. It didn't flesh out the character like it did in Portal 1, making it a more forgettable song.
Recall how the Turret Opera felt more endearing? It was because it gave the gun turrets something different, which, again, makes us think about all our previous interactions with them.

In the end, everything boils down to all the little details. Still Alive is very well thought out. Each phrase, opening, and ending is unique and adds to the overall experience. For example, the song starts off with no music "This was a Triumph", as if congratulating the player for completing the game. The entire song addresses "Science" as this thing that GLaDOS is obsessed about, making you feel that all her doing was just "for Science". All the little references enter fluently into the song. The play on words with "Still Alive", like "... on the people who are Still Alive", is carried into the ending, hinting a return of GLaDOS. Finally, the last phrase subtly changes into a minor key, raising questions as to whether or not GLaDOS is truly glad for doing "science" and still being alive.



Compared to Want you Gone, the references to Caroline is awkward, and there isn't any play on the words "Want you Gone". Also, the reference to AI immortality is inconsistent with the game and only serves as a way to re-establish GLaDOS's cynical personality (which I've already mentioned). The last problem is that the references aren't well considered. Nobody really cares about the song reference to Caroline because it is part of the main story arc. There are't any shoutouts to extraneous games or secrets either, making the overall experience weak.
I am aware that Still Alive has a distinct advantage for being the first song. That is not a good excuse. It is still possible to make a big impact with an ending song, as the Turret Opera showed.
It's just that there was less thought put into the second song.
And the results show. Just look at the youtube comments. The top ratings of Want you Gone videos usually relate back to Still Alive or the Turret Opera song.



Anyways, Hope that was somewhat Interesting. In the end, it's just my opinion.
Be sure to comment and discuss below
And remember..
THE CAKE IS A LIE!

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Dec 17 2011, 5:19 am by UnholyUrine.

Tl;Dr but i skimmed through most of it and i absolutely love your attention to detail and the shear amount of work you put into this thread. Tbh i like the portal 2 ending more because the humor just made it all that enjoyable. And the fact the portal 2 ending song sounds more like a robot.

Why?

Hinting a return of GLaDOS? You're kidding, right?

The entire fucking point of the song is to beat you over the head that GLaDOS isn't actually dead, despite the fact that it looks like you killed her. The most unambiguous ending to a Valve game ever.

In contrast, Want You Gone doesn't really give any indication as to what is going to happen with GLaDOS / Chell in the future at all.

Wat? If the music I'm looking at is correct, it ends on a D chord with the melody on a F# ... F# is the third of D major.

this

Lol that is Still Alive from Mirrors Edge not Portal, still awesome though. WHERE IS Mirror's Edge 2??

I prefer Still Alive to Want You Gone, it is more catchy and has more uhh emotional appeal.

@Lanthanide

hinting vs. beating over your head... same thing.. point is they did it gracefully.

@Tikels

I knew saying that will come around and bite me.. Minor "key" as in it did not end in a dominant or octave chord.

@Private Parts

Mirrors Edge's Demo was amazing, and Still Alive for that went really well with it.. Too bad the game itself sucked. They had a great concept, but knowing EA, I doubt they'll make that risky choice again.

Octaves are intervals, not chords. That being said, nobody said it ended on the dominant. It ended on the tonic. There was nothing minor about it.

That is, assuming that the music I was looking at was correct, as it's hard to tell by the music, at least with by my ear.

So, could you teach us how to analyze literature like that so we can get 100s in English class?

More like


amirite?

I personally prefer "Still Alive" over "Want You Gone" and without any sort of profound reasoning. I just think it is catchier and has very clever writing. Not to say the second doesn't, but it doesn't quite do the same for me.