Lithium

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Across the Universe*
All That I'm Living For
Anything for You
Anywhere
Artifact/The Turn
Ascension of the Spirit
Away from Me
Before the Dawn
Better Without You
Bleed
Blind Belief
Breathe No More
Bring Me to Life
Broken Pieces Shine
Call Me When You're Sober
Catherine
Cloud Nine
Demise
Disappear
End of the Dream
Erase This
Eternal
Even in Death
Everybody's Fool
Exodus
Far From Heaven
Farther Away
Feeding the Dark
Field of Innocence
Forever You
Forgive Me
Give Unto Me
Going Under
Good Enough
Haunted
Hello
Hi-Lo
If You Don't Mind
Imaginary
Imperfection
Instrumental 1
Instrumental 2
Instrumental 3
Instrumental 4
Lacrymosa
Lies
Like You
Listen to the Rain
Lithium
Lose Control
Lost in Paradise
Made of Stone
Me & You
Missing
My Heart Is Broken
My Immortal
My Last Breath
Never Go Back
New Way to Bleed
Oceans
October
Origin
Overture
Part of Me
Perfect Dream
Say You Will
Secret Door
Sick
Snow White Queen
So Close
Solitude
Spanish
Surrender
Sweet Sacrifice
Swimming Home
Take Cover
Taking Over Me
The Chain*
The Change
The End
The Game is Over
The In-Between
The Last Song I'm Wasting on You
The Only One
The Other Side
Together Again
Tourniquet
Understanding
Unknown Title
Unraveling
Use My Voice
Wasted on You
Weight of the World
What You Want
Where Will You Go?
Whisper
Yeah Right
You Got a Lot to Learn
Your Love
Your Star
* Cover songs


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General Information

Written by: A. Lee

This song is described as a track "which embraces feeling over numbness." Amy confirmed, at the world premiere of The Open Door in London, England, her soured relationship with ex-boyfriend Shaun Morgan of Seether was the inspiration for this track.

Before the release of The Open Door, some fans mistakenly believed Lithium to be a cover of the Nirvana song which bears the same name. However, the two songs are unrelated.

At The Open Door premiere in Milan, Amy Lee said that Lithium would be the album's second single.

Amy's description of the song from VH1.com:

Vin1.jpg I wrote the chorus on the guitar when I was about 16. I always thought it was a cool chorus, but I never used it for anything. I started playing it on the piano and the verses came out. I have a pile of pieces stowed away in my mind that maybe I'll use some day. In a way it's an old song, but not really. It grew up.[1] Vin2.jpg


From MTV Italy:

Vin1.jpg It's not literal, it's not literal about the drug for me, I've never taken lithium before. It's sort of a metaphor about numbness and happiness and sort of like, it's me looking at happiness in a negative way because I've always been, you know, kind of afraid to be happy. Like with the band and the art and everything else, it's always like I'm never letting myself break through into the happiness it seems like, because it's not cool or something. And describing happiness is lithium, it's like saying 'that's numbness, I won't be able to be an artist anymore if I'm happy,' which is hilarious because that's just not true, I'm happy. So it's like this fight within the song of like 'do I do this and get out of here and get happy or do i wallow in it like I always do?' and it's cool because at the end of the song I say 'I'm going to let it go,' like I am going to be happy.[2] Vin2.jpg


Lithium was performed at the Legends & Lyrics concert in Nashville on February 23, 2009.[3]

Drug

Lithium is a psychiatric drug used as a mood stabilizer, often prescribed to people with bipolar disorder and/or mood swings, along with other mood disorders.[4]

Versions

Studio versions:

Lithium

  • Recording date: September 2005 - March 2006
  • Status: Released
  • Released on:
The Open Door (track #4) - the second single off the album
All Lithium singles
  • Length: 3:44

Live versions:

Lithium [2006-2007 Live]

  • Performing period: October 5, 2006 - December 8, 2007
  • Example: Live @ KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2006

Lithium [2009 Live]

Lithium [2011-2012 Live]

  • Performing Period: August 17, 2011 - November 9, 2012
  • Example: War Memorial Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Lithium [Acoustic]

  • Performing period: August-September 2006
  • Status: Released
  • Released on: Lithium Maxi CD single
  • Recording date: August 13, 2006
  • Recording place: Sony Studios
  • Length: 3:52
  • Performed by Amy Lee (piano, vocals), John LeCompt (acoustic guitar) and David Eggar (cello)

Lithium [Legends & Lyrics]

  • Performing date: February 23, 2009
  • Status: Unreleased
  • Performed at: Legends & Lyrics, Nashville, Tennessee
  • Length: Unknown

Lithium [2011-2012 Acoustic]

  • Performing period: December 7, 2011 and May 30, 2012
  • Performed at: Octane Artist Confidential, SiriusXM Radio (December 7, 2011) and BigFM, Wiesbaden, Germany (May 30, 2012)

Lyrics

Lithium - don't wanna lock me up inside
Lithium - don't wanna forget how it feels without
Lithium - I wanna stay in love with my sorrow
Oh, but God, I wanna let it go

Come to bed, don't make me sleep alone
Couldn't hide the emptiness you let it show
Never wanted it to be so cold
Just didn't drink enough to say you love me

I can't hold on to me
Wonder what's wrong with me

Lithium - don't wanna lock me up inside
Lithium - don't wanna forget how it feels without
Lithium - I wanna stay in love with my sorrow

Oh! Don't wanna let it lay me down this time
Drown my will to fly
Here in the darkness I know myself
Can't break free until I let it go
Let me go

Darling, I forgive you after all
Anything is better than to be alone
And in the end I guess I had to fall
Always find my place among the ashes

I can't hold on to me
Wonder what's wrong with me

Lithium - don't wanna lock me up inside
Lithium - don't wanna forget how it feels without
Lithium - I wanna stay in love with you
Oh, I'm gonna let it go

Video

From The Lithium Video

Directed by Paul Fedor,[5] the video features two Amys, one in the water (assuming the "sadness" role) in a black dress singing to her alter ego in white (assuming the "happiness" role) who, through a process of internal torment, conquers her sadness. The video also features prominent shots of the rest of the band, including new member Tim McCord, all dressed in black.

Vin1.jpg There's the me in all white and it's really wintry, and then there's the all-in-black Amy under the surface of the water of this lake in the forest. So it's the happiness and the sorrow and we're almost singing to each other, trying to figure out how both of us can work.[5] Vin2.jpg


Shot in L.A. in late October of 2006, and released some time late in November. The video leaked on Thursday, November 23 (Thanksgiving). Due to unknown issuesapparently caused by the label, the video was released internationally late in November, however the US had to wait almost 2 weeks for stations to start playing it.

Amy is seen playing a grand piano (not just a baby grand) for the first time.

Watch the video on YouTube.com here.

Commercial Release

Main Article: Lithium Single

The Lithium single was commercially released on January 9, 2007.

Songs released with this single include:

  1. Lithium [Album Version]
  2. The Last Song I'm Wasting On You
  3. All That I'm Living For [Acoustic Version] (with David Eggar on cello)
  4. Lithium (enhanced acoustic video)

Guitar Tabs & Sheet Music

Guitar tab at GuitarWorld
Guitar Tab by Norin at e-chords.com
Piano sheet music - arranged by Kelly Thomas

Notes and References

  1. Bottomley, C. (September 18, 2006). "Evanescence: Amy Lee Explains the New Songs". VH1.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2006. Retrieved December 18, 2006.
  2. "Tutto su Evanescence". MTV News. October 12, 2006. Archived from the original on October 17, 2006. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  3. "Amy Lee Plays Legends And Lyrics". UpVenue.com. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  4. For more information, see Lithium - Wikipedia
  5. 5.0 5.1 Moss, Corey (November 20, 2006). "After Facing Big Bad Wolf, Amy Lee Faces Herself In Evanescence Clip". MTV News. Retrieved July 19, 2013.