See the Top 12 covers of Portal's 'Still Alive'

by Justin McElroy { Jan 21st 2008 at 11:00AM }

We've mentioned before that we worry the internet is close to killing the golden goose of Portal references, with no small amount of help from your friends at Joystiq. That doesn't mean, of course, that we're in any way tired of the game's big finale, Jonathan Coulton's brilliant song "Still Alive." YouTubers are just as smitten as us apparently, with enough covers popping up on the service for GameSetWatch to compile a Top 12 list.

We think their #1 pick is pretty much irrefutably awesome, leaving us to debate only which cover makes us the most uncomfortable. We have selected the video above, a heart-melting salvo of earnest warbling and ... props. Don't worry, sweetheart. It's called an awkward phase because it will, eventually, end.

[Hey visitors from Jonathan Coulton's blog! As Coulton himself pointed out, you probably shouldn't be mean to this young lady for sharing her song with the internet. She seems like she could be the world's sweetest human, and karma can be a real pain about stuff like that.]

Tags: jonathan-coulton, jonathancoulton, portal, still-alive, stillalive, valve

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Jamie @ Jan 24th 2008 2:12AM

okay... so she decided to sing the song herself?
and she didn't do that great... but it doesn't help that you have to be asses about it, check out my own stuff youtube.com/Jamieneo66
half the songs its me singing, all pretty bad but oh well, can't be helped right ?
you'll notice though that douchebags comment me and i don't feel it however, this lass might and if she read this how the feck do you think she'll feel -_- atleast she did something she wants to, so stop raggin on it asses

Raivyn @ Jan 25th 2008 3:19PM

Thing you gotta remember with it is that most negative comments come from people that feel they need an ego boost. Ignoring them is the best way to win the war.

Raivyn @ Jan 25th 2008 2:42PM

Good on her for trying, i wouldnt, but the song really needs to be left alone, perhaps a flash video here and there, but thats where the line should be drawn.

NATO_Duke @ Jan 21st 2008 11:07AM

That was pretty darn uncomfortable to watch - I only got through 30 seconds of it.

Jerk Face @ Jan 21st 2008 11:52AM

Same here, ha ha..

BlackTye @ Jan 21st 2008 2:03PM

I didn't get through 10.

Mike @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:26PM

Would have been better if she got n...no it wouldn't.

silverelsay1 @ Feb 6th 2008 4:20AM

This was frijeeking incredible! Her voice is awesome, and her 'geekiness' just added to the sense that GLaDOS was really singing, along with the wires hanging around her neck.
Thank you for sharing your voice with us, and lets all hope that these ignorant a**holes will learn what is truly great in life.

Fox318 @ Jan 21st 2008 11:08AM

Holy shit!

That girl freaked me out, and not in a good way.

MacGordon @ Jan 21st 2008 11:11AM

It hurts to watch. I feel...weird and yucky now.

Bucket @ Jan 21st 2008 11:13AM

Wow. That's got that rare "sympathy shame" thing going for it, like watching your little sister's play and she forgets her lines.

sheppy2.0 @ Jan 21st 2008 11:21AM

I'm more curious how she would do if he didn't constantly read the lyrics....

I mean, she's reading the lyrics very clearly yet still stumbles over them. And....

who am I kidding, I braved to the point where she threw all the pieces into a fire over her shoulder. "Hmm, computer parts equal balled AC cable and a modem, right? I know what a computer looks like, woot! Time for my youtube premier."

Zootittles @ Jan 21st 2008 11:32AM

I'm making a note here: HUGE DISCOMFORT

Justin McElroy @ Jan 21st 2008 12:11PM

Congrats, Zootittles, you just won the Justin McElroy Memorial Confirmed Burn of the Day Award.

Zootittles @ Jan 21st 2008 12:29PM

Hot diggity dawg!

ViagraFiend @ Jan 21st 2008 5:55PM

@Justin

You just wanted to type Zootittles.

giantenemycrab @ Jan 21st 2008 6:56PM

You know what's even weirder? If you read the Youtube comments some of them think she's hot and would "bang her." *hurls*

GoldenS1104 @ Jan 21st 2008 11:33AM

The video made my intestines fall out of my anus.

Jerk Face @ Jan 21st 2008 11:53AM

That comment was so full of win that I can't even handle it!

Brian @ Jan 21st 2008 11:35AM

I'm not sure how to respond to that clip, very awkward feeling...

Ted @ Jan 21st 2008 11:36AM

Aaargh, there was something really weird about that, reason number 243 for closing the internets.

nxtiak @ Jan 21st 2008 11:40AM

After watching almost all of the 12, I think number 7 (this creepy girl) was the most enjoyable of them all.

nxtiak @ Jan 21st 2008 11:41AM

Oh and the Japanese one, You can d/l the mp3 version too, sweet.

ViagraFiend @ Jan 21st 2008 11:48AM

I thought the Japanese one was the most disturbing.

NATO_Duke @ Jan 21st 2008 5:47PM

you=into creepy.

StarFoxA @ Jan 21st 2008 11:47AM

That girl scares me.

Jerk Face @ Jan 21st 2008 11:58AM

Justin, I would think that with your esteemed background in musical performance, you would have been the first to enter the aural showdown!

That distinguished and angelic baritone melts my heart every time.

Mr.ESC @ Jan 21st 2008 12:03PM

"Now these points of data make a BEAUTIFUL line".

Not a wonderful line,You lose Si...Missy Good Day.

Mr.ESC @ Jan 21st 2008 12:15PM

N°1 was awesome,the backwards version sounded cool as well it reminds me of "Virus alert" by Al weird.

Mr.ESC @ Jan 21st 2008 12:16PM

Odd,No Mario paint version ¬¬

MasterInsan0 @ Jan 21st 2008 12:28PM

Wow. She looked like she was going to cry through most of it. And by most of it, I mean the 10 seconds I could stand to watch of it.

Some people think YouTube is like instantaneous net-stardom. What they forget is that you can be famous for how much you suck.

Arturo @ Jan 21st 2008 7:03PM

I could withstand the rest and yes, she did seem on the verge of tears through the entire clip...*feels bad* =(

Eddie @ Jan 21st 2008 12:31PM

Nerd sex tapes FTL

Mike @ Jan 21st 2008 12:35PM

I'd hit it.

alan @ Jan 21st 2008 1:08PM

i think i just threw up in my mouth a tiny bit

The Artist formally known as Jesus @ Jan 21st 2008 1:54PM

"I'd hit it."

with a 10 foot pole right?

ThornedVenom @ Jan 21st 2008 6:00PM

You mean with his 10-foot pole?

Brandon @ Jan 21st 2008 12:43PM

"No Beta Left!"
That card made me laugh so hard...

Joseph @ Jan 21st 2008 12:45PM

Don't mess with her. She has a gun.

ViagraFiend @ Jan 21st 2008 12:47PM

Dude, I so want your avatar to dance.

pezman726 @ Jan 21st 2008 1:14PM

The japanese version is awesome!!!!!

"so i'm grad i got a burn tink of all ze sings we rearned."

Priceless!

James Lockwood @ Jan 21st 2008 2:05PM

DAYM! That girl is HOT. And she can sing too!

ViagraFiend @ Jan 21st 2008 3:59PM

I bet if I let her hair down and took off her glasses I could make her look like this:

http://www.gagabu.com/uploads/posts/thumbs/1180044117_www_gagabu_com_1.jpg

James Lockwood @ Jan 21st 2008 2:09PM

You know Justin got his the second she said 'moist' haha.

Luis Reyes @ Jan 21st 2008 3:57PM

am i the only one who is scared that such a girl happened to get her hands on a gun(be it fake or not)!!?!

ThornedVenom @ Jan 21st 2008 6:01PM

That was so intensely awkward that I declare meme time.

Synner @ Jan 21st 2008 6:52PM

Wow, you would think that as much as the posters and editors here at joystiq are all over yahtzee's dick, one of you would have read his column in PCGAMER.

Portal jokes are not funny anymore, they ceased being funny at about the 150th identical webcomic.

Seeing pathetic losers living their own "Portal Moment" is also, not funny.

I am beginning to actually have this bullshit cloud my opinions of an otherwise excellent game.

I Think Orange Box should get a quarter a review point removed for every ignoramus that makes a companion cube/Glados/Cake reference from here on out.

bender @ Jan 21st 2008 8:59PM

aww, lighten up. Here, have some cake.

Easo @ Jan 21st 2008 6:56PM

This video makes me feel like a creep or like i'm invading her privacy. It almost seems like she made it with the intention of no one ever seeing it, but accidently left it at the bus stop where a classmate found it and posted it to youtube. I honestly feel bad for having seen it:(