Halsey's “Panic Attack” Lyrics, Explained

Halsey has always had a flair for visuals and theatrics, but the highly buzzed-about rollout for her fifth album The Great Impersonator (which dropped Oct. 25) might be her best yet. Keeping with the record’s title, the 30-year-old singer impersonated 18 artists, including Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchell, Britney Spears, and even herself, in skillfully detailed photo shoots. And while their influence can be heard throughout Impersonator’s track list, the most striking moments on the collection are 100% Halsey.

Ahead of its release, the “Ego” singer said she “made this record in the space between life and death,” in a social media post. Accordingly, that theme is prominent in nearly every track, seemingly influenced by her diagnoses with lupus and T-cell disorder. Halsey can’t seem to fully shake the fear of mortality even in her most romantic moments, which makes the swaying love song “Panic Attack” — co-written by Stuart Price and Robin Weisse — both an intriguing and affecting listen.

Over a steady kick drum and ‘70s-sounding steel guitar licks, she paints a picture of a young woman whose thoughts are only occupied by staying alive: “My body carries sadness that my brain cannot yet see / And I’ve been holding on to memories in my stomach and my teeth.” Nevertheless, the thoughts seem to subside around an unnamed lover who can bring on a knees-shaking sensation “every time you lean in closer.”

Though its title hints at an anxiety anthem, she quickly twists it into a romantic moment of sorts. “I think you’re a danger to my health, or so it seems,” the pre-chorus lyrics go, before an acoustic guitar comes in for the revealing Fleetwood Mac-esque chorus. (Fittingly, she credited Stevie Nicks, who is “made of magic,” as the tune’s sonic inspiration.)

As it turns out, there’s not a huge disparity between the physical signs of sickness and falling in love. Though she desires the latter, a fear of the former has her on high alert. “Is it love or a panic attack? / Is a heavy heart too much to hold,” she sings, before resolving: “I don’t know, but it’s late so I’m taking you home.” The confusing sensations rear their head once more in the second verse, where lyrics beg for “a blood test or an antihistamine” because a romantic interest makes her “f*cking nervous” and she doesn’t “know what it all means.”

Lyrically, the song seems to speak to Halsey’s relationship with fiancé Avan Jogia. She began dating the Canadian actor in 2023 before announcing their engagement in September 2024. Though “Panic Attack” seemingly reveals that their romantic beginnings were upstaged by Halsey’s recent health struggles, the bridge speaks to the undeniable flame. “My spirit has been broken / My optimism’s getting sore,” its lyrics allow, before she admits: “I would love to love you / But my body’s keepin’ score / And I don’t know if I can see you anymore.”

Only an artist like Halsey could pull off a medical-drama-turned-love-song. The fine line between infatuation and sickness is well-trodden territory in pop music – see “Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer or “Fever” by Peggy Lee” — though Halsey’s addition to the canon seems to understand that sometimes love is worth waiting the symptoms out.