Lithium

"Lithium" is a song by American rock band Evanescence from their second studio album, The Open Door. It was released by Wind-up Records on December 4, 2006 as the album's second single. "Lithium" was written by singer and pianist Amy Lee and produced by Dave Fortman. Lee initially wrote it on guitar when she was 16 years old, and later reworked it on piano, recording it with the band's performance. The song is a power ballad with lyrics about uncertainty between feelings of sorrow and happiness. "Lithium" received generally positive reviews from music critics. The single entered the top 40 in multiple countries, where it spent several weeks charting. The music video was directed by Paul Fedor, and features Lee and the band performing the song in a dark snowy forest, where Lee sinks in a lake of black water. An alternate version of the song appears on the band's fourth studio album, Synthesis (2017). Composition Lee had originally composed the song on guitar when she was 16 years old, but never used it despite liking its chorus. While writing the album, she completed the song on piano, finishing the verses. Lee used the word "Lithium" as a "metaphor for numbness" for herself, adding that she's known people on the medication and seen its effects. She described the song's theme as a representation of "happiness from a negative point of view", viewing it as "I don't want to numb myself and not feel anymore". Her inspiration for the song was the feeling that she was "in love with my sorrow". Elaborating in an interview, she stated: "I get into these moods where I write music. It's not about so much about being depressed, it's just the strange low that I ride. But at the same time I want to be free and break through and be happy. I think that was kind of me, getting ready to play [and saying], 'That's it, drop the ball and just change and move on.'" The song is about wanting to "break free" from cycles of being stuck in negative situations. "Lithium" is a power ballad with "cinematic production, gripping orchestration and Amy Lee's voice gliding through verses and soaring over choruses", wrote Billboard. It depicts the singer's love-hate relationship with sadness. Entertainment Weekly writer Jon Dolan described the song as a "tortured Queensrÿche-style pain strummer" in which Lee explores a form of addiction.