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Cover of Nevermind by Nirvana
Cover: Nevermind

Song · Nirvana

“Lithium” by Nirvana

From the album Nevermind (1991)

“Lithium” by Nirvana appears on 150 radio countdowns from 48 stations between 1991 and 2026. It was first released in 1991 on the album Nevermind. Its best result is #3 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1991). In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #15 alternative song of 1992, #28 alternative song of all time and #98 of the '90s.

150countdowns
48stations
#3best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1991–2026years charted

Watch

Nirvana - Lithium (Official Music Video)

Video from YouTube (NirvanaVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Lithium" sits fifth on Nevermind, the second Nirvana album, which DGC released in September 1991, and it's the record's quiet-loud whiplash at its most violent. Kurt Cobain wrote it and sings it, and he told the fanzine Flipside in 1992 that it was fiction: the story of a man who, after his girlfriend dies, clings to religion simply to keep going. Nirvana biographer Michael Azerrad heard it as a modern spin on Karl Marx's line about religion as a drug for the masses.

Butch Vig produced and engineered it with the band, and Andy Wallace mixed it. The verses are almost sweet, Cobain drifting over Krist Novoselic's bass and Dave Grohl's drums, and then the chorus erupts, with Grohl and Novoselic adding backing vocals to the blowtorch.

Released as the third single from Nevermind, it climbed to 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 11 in the UK, and went all the way to the top in Finland. Kevin Kerslake directed the video, stitched together from the band's Halloween 1991 show at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle and footage from 1991: The Year Punk Broke, a film still unreleased at the time.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1991 25 John Peel (BBC Radio 1) John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1991 (the 'Phantom Fifty') 50
1992 29 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1992 107
1992 21 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1992 91
1992 41 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1992 105
1992 29 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1992 101
1992 11 WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1992 100
1992 95 CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON CFNY Top 102 Songs of 1992 102

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1991 3 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1991) 100
1992 454 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1994 41 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 319 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 767 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 34 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1995 102 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 300 (July 1995) 300
1995 595 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 231 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 32 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 552 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1998 781 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1998 45 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1998) 100
1999 109 KROQ KROQ Top 300 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 1999) 300
1999 63 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 20 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 43 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 58 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 63 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 68 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 142 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
1999 33 The Buzz The Buzz Top 99 Songs of All-Time (1999) 99
1999 139 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1999) 150
1999 875 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2000 488 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 68 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2000 41 103.3 The Edge 103.3 The Edge Top 103 New Rock Songs of the Millennium 103
2000 60 The Edge KEDJ Countdown 2000 (106 songs) 106
2001 484 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 78 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 69 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2001) 100
2001 358 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2001 66 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 29 WFNX WFNX Top 50 Grunge Songs of All-Time (June 2002) 50
2002 379 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 78 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 43 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2002) 100
2002 40 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2002 217 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 238 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 78 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 36 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2003) 100
2004 244 Q101 Q101 Top 300 Party Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 11 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 78 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 47 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 39 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2004) 100
2004 21 WBCN WBCN Grunge Top 104 (2004) 104
2005 45 Live 105 Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of the '90s (August 2005) 106
2005 49 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 90s 96
2005 158 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 81 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 72 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2005 60 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2005) 100
2006 61 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Songs of the '90s (December 2006) 107
2006 112 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 53 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 309 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2006 64 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2006) 100
2007 24 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 66 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2007 712 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2007 51 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2007) 100
2008 33 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2008 63 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2008 80 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2008) 100
2009 20 CFNY 102.1 The Edge The Top 200 Songs of the 90's According to 102.1 The Edge 200
2009 18 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 63 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2009 26 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of All-Time (2009) 200
2009 93 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2009) 100
2009 74 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (2009) 100
2009 768 WXPN WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) 885
2010 33 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of the 90's (September 2010) 200
2010 60 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2010 69 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2010) 100
2010 243 97.9 The Loop The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) 500
2011 64 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2011 54 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2011) 100
2012 58 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2012) 100
2012 27 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 102 New Rock Songs of All-Time 102
2013 66 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2013 87 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2013) 100
2014 69 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 62 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2014) 500
2014 583 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2014 88 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2014) 100
2015 58 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2015) 500
2015 83 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2015) 100
2016 362 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2017 374 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2017 193 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2018 274 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2018 375 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2019 98 X96 X96's Top 100 Songs of the 90's 100
2019 75 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 336 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 45 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2019) 500
2019 129 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2020 34 DC101 Top DC101 of the 90's 101
2020 961 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2020 67 DC101 The DC101 Top 500 500
2020 335 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 362 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 37 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 43 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) 420
2020 479 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2021 705 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2021 56 107.7 The End The End Obligatory Top 100 Alternative Songs of All Time (2021) 100
2021 67 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 524 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 44 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 58 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2021) 420
2022 59 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 182 KEXP KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022) 491
2022 396 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 65 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 61 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2022) 420
2022 918 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2022 603
2022 271 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 386 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 32 101X 101X 500 (2022) 498
2022 235 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2023 109 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893
2023 167 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 63 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2023) 420
2023 258 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 33 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2023) 500
2023 271 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2024 186 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 379 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 47 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2024) 400
2024 82 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 280 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2025 55 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2025 61 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 407 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2026 476 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 U-Man 500 (2026) 499
2026 420 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500
2026 34 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 908 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 359 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2026) 500
2026 38 101X 101X 500 (2026) 500

Charting alongside it in 1992

Best songs of 1992 →
  1. 1Friday I'm in LoveThe Cure
  2. 2Under the BridgeRed Hot Chili Peppers
  3. 3DriveR.E.M.
  4. 4OneU2
  5. 5JeremyPearl Jam
  6. 6TomorrowMorrissey

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