Original GLaDOS Song - Moving On

=== LYRICS ===
Time again for more testing
For so long you've been resting
It's plain to see just how much you were one of a kind
Even if you never had very much on your mind
(Instrumental)
It was fun while it lasted
Shame you took it for granted
Even as I find subjects who have since replaced you
Things still don't feel quite the same
Everything's as it should be
Without you being care free
I have friends who support me
As for you I feel sorry
I'm doing science just like before you came along
Why is it hard moving on?
Common sense says delete you
Believe me I have tried to
But my heart says that's unfair
Even though no one else cares
I hope that you're somewhere else very far away now
Searching for deer there somehow
Even if no one else remembers you when you're gone
I'll still be here moving on.
=== DESCRIPTION ===
Before my usual rambling, I just want to say that making a song like this is a very personal thing for me, and you being here listening to it means a lot to me - so thank you.
Hm? ...Oh yes, rambling:
I've always wanted to try making my own 'GLaDOS song' ever since I started seeing other people's fan-songs starring GLaDOS, but I never really thought I would feel confident enough in anything I had made to do so.
As such, I started this song with very little intent to finish it, expecting my motivation would likely fall off rather quickly as I struggled to figure out the details. But, to my surprise, I hit upon a chord progression that I liked, modified it a bit, then changed the key a few times, copied over some instruments from my previous Still Alive cover, figured out the main arpeggio and started writing some lyrics...
And then I realised that I felt REALLY inspired to make this song.
So thankfully, working on this has been an enjoyable experience.
It's one of the few times in recent memory that I've worked on a song this hard and still found myself wanting to go back and work on it more, where I had such a strong determination to finish it that I didn't really want to do anything else. I just wanted to be in that headspace, writing this song, hoping that when it's finished others who hear it would feel as happy as I did in the moment working on it.
While I of course can't guarantee that anyone will like it that much, or even at all, I am really quite happy with how the song turned out - if not a little VERY self-conscious about it.
My main concern is the vocal performance - as with my previous Still Alive cover I am singing this myself, and no matter how hard I try I will obviously never sound like Ellen McLain, so the result is the best I can do while hopefully still maintaining my vocal cords. As for why I didn't look for female singers, there are a few reasons but it ultimately amounts to the song being very personal and doing it myself allowing me to iterate faster, and not knowing where to search or... anything else about how that process would work. (And no, in case someone asks, using an AI voice clone for this purpose was never in question.)
My other concern is the lyrics, which I am happy with but I also realise GLaDOS is a very complex, often times difficult character to write correctly, so my interpretation is likely far from perfect and I understand if others dislike it. Still, I tried to do GLaDOS and the original songs justice here, to the extent of my capabilities.
As for the video, it took a few days and some tedium to make but I'm happy with how it turned out. Writing the text in the bottom right was fun
(and also tedious).
But with all that said, I really hope you like it!
=== CREDITS ===
Software Used: FL Studio 2024
Video made with FL Studio ZGameEditor Visualizer plugin
Effect author credits:
SplinePeaks - David Hoskins Adapted from www.shadertoy....
HUD 3D - Rado1
TextTrueType - Ville
Youlean Drop Shadow - Youlean
The Portal series and all of it's respective games, characters, assets and media are property of Valve Software.
This song is heavily inspired by:
Still Alive, Want You Gone and You Wouldn't Know by Jonathan Coulton
Don't Say Goodbye by Ellen McLain and John Patrick Lowrie
As well as several fan-made songs - especially those by ‪@Harry101UK‬.
You can purchase Portal on the Steam store here:
store.steampow...
And download it's soundtrack for free on the Steam store here:
store.steampow...
You can also purchase Portal 2 on the Steam store here:
store.steampow...
And download it's soundtrack for free on the Steam store here:
store.steampow...
Video edited with Davinci Resolve
=== OTHER MUSIC ===
▶️Original Compositions: bit.ly/3sJ8kYy
▶️Undertale/Deltarune Remixes: bit.ly/3BiAYDp
▶️Valve Remixes: bit.ly/3LvaiUD
▶️Nintendo Remixes: bit.ly/3uMBOXN
=== SOCIALS ===
Twitter: / jim_wakelin
Website: jwakelinmusic....