Lithium (Evanescence song)

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This article documents a current single. Information is likely to change as the song remains on the charts.

""
Lithium (Part 1)
Single by Evanescence
from the album The Open Door
A-side(s)	"Lithium"
B-side(s)	"The Last Song I'm Wasting On You"
Released	January 8, 2007
Format	CD single
Recorded	2006
Genre	Alternative rock Piano rock
Length	3:44
Label	Wind-Up
Writer(s)	Amy Lee
Producer(s)	Dave Fortman
Chart positions
#1 (Israel, Lithuania, Greece, Portugal) #2 (Italy) #6 (Canada) #10 (Poland, Spain) #16 (New Zealand) #21 (Ibero-America) #22 (Latin America) #23 (Sweden) #26 (Australia) #29 (Europe) #30 (Ireland) #35 (South Africa) #32 (UK) #40 (Switzerland) #44 (Austria) #44 (Germany) #53 (Mexico) #55 (Netherlands) #58 (U.S.) #59 (Colombia)
Evanescence singles chronology
"Call Me When You're Sober" (2006)	"Lithium" (2007)	"Sweet Sacrifice" (2007)
The Open Door track listing
Weight of the World (3)	Lithium (4)	Cloud Nine (5)
Lithium (Part 2)

"Lithium" is the second single from Evanescence's second studio album The Open Door.

Originally to be released in the UK on December 4, 2006,^[1] new dates were later set.

Contents 1 Story behind the song 2 Music video 3 Track listing 4 Sample 5 Charts 6 References

[edit] Story behind the song

In an interview with MTV Italy Amy Lee says:

“	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.	”
—Amy Lee, MTV Italy[2]

Lee previously stated in an interview with VH1 that she wrote the chorus on the guitar when she was about 16, later filling in the verses while writing The Open Door.^[3]

[edit] Music video

The music video for "Lithium" was directed by Paul Fedor, and shot between October 31 and November 1, 2006. The video is set in a snowy forest and features two versions of Amy Lee representing the emotions of sorrow and happiness. The underwater scenes featured in the video are similar to those in the video for Going Under.

In reference to the video, Lee has been quoted saying:

“	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.	”
—Amy Lee, MTV News[4]

After its release on MuchMusic.com exclusively to Canadian audiences on November 24, 2006, the video was ripped and placed on several other sites, such as YouTube and MySpace. The video was subsequently removed from MuchMusic.com, but later restored on December 4. Wind-up Records officially released the video on Evanescence's website on November 27,^[5] and was released on iTunes December 19. The day it was first previewed and later premiered on TRL, December 24, Amy Lee stopped by the studio for a guest appearance on the show.

[edit] Track listing

• Single (Part 1)

1. "Lithium"
2. "The Last Song I'm Wasting On You"

• Maxi (Part 2)

1. "Lithium"
2. "The Last Song I'm Wasting On You"
3. "All That I'm Living For" (Acoustic version)
4. "Lithium" (Video/Acoustic version)

• 7" Vinyl Picture Disc

1. "Lithium"
2. "The Last Song I'm Wasting On You"

[edit] Sample

[edit] Charts

Chart (2006/2007) Peak position Argentina Los 40 Principales 4 Australian ARIA Singles Chart 26 Austria Singles Top 75 41 Chile Top 100 Airplay 16 Colombia Top 100 59 Czech IFPI Chart 24 Brazil Hot 100 Chart 44 Germany Singles Top 100 Chart 44 Greece Singles Top 50 Chart[6] 1 Ibero-America Top 100 [7] 21 Ireland Singles Top 50 Chart 30 Israel Galgalatz Israel Top 20 1 (4) Italy Singles Top 50 2

Chart (2006/2007) Peak position Lithuania Airplay Top 5[8] 1 Latin America Top 40 Airplay [9] 22 Mexico Top 100 Airplay 53 New Zealand Singles Top 40 16 Netherlands Mega Single Top 100 55 Poland Singles Chart 10 Portugal MTV Hit List 1 (3) Spanish Los 40 Principales [10] 10 Sweden Singles Top 60 Chart 23 Switzerland Singles Top 100 Chart 40 UK Singles Top 75 32 U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks 37 U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks 39

[edit] References

Evanescence
Amy Lee • Terry Balsamo • Rocky Gray • John LeCompt • Tim McCord
Former members: Will Boyd • David Hodges • Ben Moody
Discography
Commercial albums: Fallen • Anywhere but Home • The Open Door
Private releases: Evanescence EP • Sound Asleep EP • Origin • Mystary EP
Singles: "Bring Me to Life" • "Going Under" • "My Immortal" • "Everybody's Fool" • "Call Me When You're Sober" • "Lithium" • "Sweet Sacrifice"
Related content
Evanescence songs • Evanescence albums This box: view • talk • edit