Nirvana produced the song “Lithium” in 1991 as a single. The song was written by Kurt Cobain while he was suffering from bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a psychological disorder marked by alternating periods of elation and depression. The song goes through everyday thoughts of a person suffering with this disorder who is also suffering from heartbreak. Psychological disorders, like bipolar disorder, affect a person’s way of perceiving a situation and how they possess emotions. One’s emotions play a huge part in who they are and the decisions that shape them in their future. “Lithium”, for instance, illustrates both the sorrowful and cheerful emotional stages of a person’s identity that transcends to his everyday life. This, in turn, contributes to making decisions based on either emotional stage that leads to contrasting experiences in the future.
The song helps show this connection to perceiving emotions and their effect on one’s experiences in life. It does this by going back and forth between emotions very quickly in a way that is almost confusing. Kurt Cobain achieves this through using his own life experiences of the disorder. He uses the verse “I like it, I’m not gonna crack, I miss you, I’m not gonna crack, I love you, I’m not gonna crack, I killed you, I’m not gonna crack” to show what it is like to try to hide his disorder and how quickly his emotions would change. Kurt Cobain is constantly trying to give the illusion that he has everything together, when in reality, he is fighting his mind to control his emotions. These emotions appeal to the concept of experience as they reflect on a person’s emotional and mental aspects of their identity.
Works Cited
Nirvana – Lithium. Genius. (1992, July 13). Retrieved December 3, 2022, from