“Passionate ambivalence”: Living Colour’s Vernon Reid on the most powerful Nirvana song
When Nirvana first emerged, one of the most surprising aspects of their artistry was Kurt Cobain’s ability to give voice to things others had long ignored. Even more impactful than that, however, was his talent for articulating thoughts that many shared but lacked the platform or drive to express. After all, Cobain knew he was different, and music became his primary outlet for expression.
Most of Nirvana’s legacy seems to culminate in Nevermind, which is understandable, as it seems to incorporate everything great about the band and Cobain’s artistic identity. With slower, more considered moments against upbeat anthems, it has something for everybody, guided by its more melodic and accessible components with the more heavily grunge-defined aspects nestled further within.
At the same time, it mirrors many of the things that made Cobain destined for a career in the music industry in the first place. While its lasting impact hinges on the popularity of hits like ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, ‘Come As You Are’, and ‘Something In The Way’, it also lays bare the darker, more definitive aspects of Cobain’s own psyche, like his inability to reckon with a broken world and own self-hatred.
Both of these components often caused him to wrestle with his demons while seeking a place in a far-from-perfect world, culminating in music that was unapologetically unfiltered and an authentic representation of how he actually felt on the inside. Growing up, Cobain quickly became disillusioned with the pretence that filled most modern rock music and felt determined to deviate from those norms, which aligned well with his inner anarchism, even if it manifested in more subdued ways.
‘In Bloom’, for instance, saw Cobain tackling outsider misinterpretation, something he knew well from school when his frustrations caused him to become more alienated. ‘Lithium’, on the other hand, tackled finding solace in another entity or substance after losing a significant other. Beneath that, however, existed a more sinister reading about mental health (“Today I found my friends / They’re in my head”) and resigning to external hatred by confronting it head-on.
In fact, this is why the song has become a significant favourite among fans and musical peers, like Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, who once told Rolling Stone it was his favourite song on Nevermind. Discussing the record, he praised Cobain’s ability to capture the duality of emotion and disillusionment and how, often, they’re not too distant from one another. “My favourite song on Nevermind was ‘Lithium’,” he said.
Adding: “Kurt Cobain tapped into something in the culture that nobody had given a voice to before: passionate ambivalence: ‘I’m so ugly, but that’s OK ’cause so are you.’ He captured the idea of having incredibly powerful feelings about not having feelings.”
This catharsis forms the basis of the entire song as Cobain tackles his demons with an almost playful aura. It tackles the ultimate euphoria of relinquishing control without concerning itself with dreamlike pretence, like someone who has finally found the beauty in belonging elsewhere, even amid the imperfect chaos of life. As Cobain puts it: “Sunday morning is every day for all I care.”
