What Nirvana’s lithium says about religion and mental health

July 13, 2024, 16:00

The classic song from Nevermind has been the subject of debate over the years. Here’s what Kurt Cobain had to say about it.

nirvana‘S No matter was only the second album by the Seattle band, but since the death of Kurt Cobainthe texts were repeatedly taken apart and analyzed.

Take the song lithiumfor example. It was released in the UK on 13 July 1992 as the third single from Nevermind, over nine months after the album hit stores. The title – which does not appear in the actual lyrics – refers to the drug that is mainly prescribed to treat bipolar disorder.

This makes the meaning of the song pretty clear, it seems. Kurt’s cousin, Beverly Cobainclaimed in an interview that the musician himself had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “As Kurt no doubt knew, bipolar disorder can be very difficult to manage,” she said in her capacity as a psychiatrist. “The correct diagnosis is crucial. Unfortunately for Kurt, adherence to appropriate treatment is also a critical factor.”

So could Lithium be an ode to the drug that was part of Kurt Cobain’s life?

Following the release of Nevermind, Cobain admitted that the inspiration for the song was completely different.

He said Musician In January 1992, the magazine wrote that Lithium was “another story I made up, but in which I incorporated some of my personal experiences, like breaking up with girlfriends and bad relationships, that feeling of that dead emptiness that the person in the song feels – very lonely, sick.”

However, it was the line “Light my candles when I’m dazed / For I have found God” This led more than one journalist to speculate whether this was actually about religion.

Speak with Downside When Kurt was asked in an interview with the magazine “Thema Gehirnwaschen” in May 1992 whether the line was an attack on people who had been “brainwashed” by religion, he went into this topic in more detail.

“The story is about a guy who lost his girlfriend,” he explained. “I can’t decide what she died of. Let’s say she died of AIDS or in a car accident or something, and he’s ruminating on it and has turned to religion as a last resort to stay alive. To keep him from committing suicide.”

“Sometimes I think religion is fine for certain people. It’s good to use religion as a last resort before you go crazy.

“I have a relative who I really love and who inspired me a lot because she was a musician and I used to visit her. She then became disillusioned with her life and became suicidal. We thought she was going to kill herself. Now she is a born-again Christian – and thanks to her religion she is still alive. I think that’s OK.”

Cobain later revealed to Nirvana biographer Michael Azerrad that the lines were also inspired by his friend Jesse Reed‘s parents, who were born-again Christians and with whom the musician had lived for a time. He explained: “I’ve always been of the opinion that some people should have religion in their lives… That’s OK. If it saves somebody, it’s OK. And the person in (Lithium) needed it.”

“His family life was a mess,” Jesse’s father recalled David Reedin the book Love and death. “He was having a lot of trouble with his mother and was going through a really bad time. He and my son were always together, so I asked him if he wanted to stay with us. He jumped at the chance. I think Kurt saw me as a Ned Flanders type of guy. Kurt became a born-again Christian through my son Jesse and our family environment. He went to church almost every time the door was open. For a while he took the Christian life very seriously.”

Kurt’s flirtation with Christianity did not last long, but his contact with the local church had an advantage – here Cobain met the future Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic.

If you or someone you know is affected by this story, please contact one of the following hotlines:

The Samaritans

Spirit

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CALM (Campaign against a miserable life)

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