Madra Salach have released new single ‘Ribbon Factory’•
Bleech 9:3 have dropped new track 'Tourniquet' and announced their biggest headline tour yet•
Mollie Elizabeth has announced her new EP ‘People Pleaser’ and shared ‘Kiss The Ring’•
Baby Dave and The Works have kicked off a new collaboration with ‘Wings’•
RAYE, Olivia Dean, JADE and more are set to perform at the 2026 Mercury Prize ceremony•
Fontaines D.C. have released ‘Tongue’ and its New York-shot video•
LCD Soundsystem have announced 12 New York residency shows, including their 100th•
Saint Clair have shared new single ‘Dreams’ ahead of sold-out autumn headline tour•
overpass and Nieve Ella have shared a new version of ‘Fall In Love’•
Pollyfromthedirt has shared ‘White Wine Vinegar’ and announced a first London headline show•
Keo are leading the midweek UK album chart with ‘Put A Smile On For Me’•
Welly has released new single ‘Skinny Boy’•
Rachel Chinouriri has shared ‘Broken chair’ from new album ‘I Think I Spoke Too Soon’•
Lime Garden have shared new track ‘Moving Target’ with Antony Szmierek in the video•
CMAT will perform on ‘The Daily Show’ this week•
Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•
flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•
Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•
JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•
Madra Salach have released new single ‘Ribbon Factory’•
Bleech 9:3 have dropped new track 'Tourniquet' and announced their biggest headline tour yet•
Mollie Elizabeth has announced her new EP ‘People Pleaser’ and shared ‘Kiss The Ring’•
Baby Dave and The Works have kicked off a new collaboration with ‘Wings’•
RAYE, Olivia Dean, JADE and more are set to perform at the 2026 Mercury Prize ceremony•
Fontaines D.C. have released ‘Tongue’ and its New York-shot video•
LCD Soundsystem have announced 12 New York residency shows, including their 100th•
Saint Clair have shared new single ‘Dreams’ ahead of sold-out autumn headline tour•
overpass and Nieve Ella have shared a new version of ‘Fall In Love’•
Pollyfromthedirt has shared ‘White Wine Vinegar’ and announced a first London headline show•
Keo are leading the midweek UK album chart with ‘Put A Smile On For Me’•
Welly has released new single ‘Skinny Boy’•
Rachel Chinouriri has shared ‘Broken chair’ from new album ‘I Think I Spoke Too Soon’•
Lime Garden have shared new track ‘Moving Target’ with Antony Szmierek in the video•
CMAT will perform on ‘The Daily Show’ this week•
Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•
flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•
Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•
JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•
Dork
News
Features
Reviews
Magazine
  • Dork
  • Popzines
Shop
Listings
Directory
Festivals
Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST
Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD
The 19755SOSAlessi RoseArctic MonkeysArlo ParksBastillebeabadoobeeBillie EilishBleachersblink-182BlossomsBlur
Bring Me The HorizonCarly Rae JepsenCavetownChappell RoanCharli xcxCHVRCHESCMATConan GrayDeclan McKennaDjoFall Out BoyFoals
Fontaines D.C.Ghostgirl in redGlass AnimalsGorillazGracie AbramsHAIMHarry StylesHolly HumberstoneInhalerJames MarriottThe Japanese House
The Last Dinner PartyLewis CapaldiLinkin ParkLouis TomlinsonMaggie RogersMaisie PetersMUNAMy Chemical RomanceNiall HoranOasis Live '27Olivia DeanOlivia Rodrigo
Pale WavesParamorePhoebe BridgersPinkPantheressRemi WolfReneé RappSabrina CarpenterSam FenderShameSlipknotTate McRaeTaylor Swift
Twenty One PilotsWallowsWet LegWolf AliceYard ActYUNGBLUDZara Larsson
etc.
Film & TV
Gaming
Literature
Culture
Festival Guides-YOUR ESSENTIAL FESTIVAL COMPANION
Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST
Mixtape-DORK'S BEST NEW TRACKS
Play-DORK'S NEW MUSIC FRIDAY EDIT
Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD
Playlist Covers
Playlist Directory
Recommender
Before Doors-LIVE SESSIONS
After Gates-FESTIVAL SESSIONS
Music Video Directory
Down With Boring-THE DORK PODCAST
Chart Attack-UK NUMBER ONES, DISSECTED
Dork Live
Oasis Live ’27Tickets. Dates. What’s the story?Explore the tour
Dork Radio
Live
Live 24/7
Dork Radio
Dork
Down With Boring

Join thousands of music lovers getting the best new tracks, exclusive interviews, and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox every week.

In print now

October 2026

Latest issue variants

View archive
Dork, October 2026 (Cara Delevingne cover)

Cara Delevingne

Dork, October 2026 (Keo cover)

Keo

Dork, October 2026 (Lizzy McAlpine cover)

Lizzy McAlpine

Dork, October 2026 (Tove Lo cover)

Tove Lo

Advertise|Support|About Dork|Editorial standards & corrections|Privacy Policy|Genres|Years|Sitemap|RSS|Cookie settings
© 2026 The Bunker Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
Powered by PlaywireAdvertise on this site.
  1. Tracks
  2. Halsey
  3. BADLANDS
  4. Control
Control by Halsey

TRACK

Halsey

Control

Release date: 27th August 2015

From BADLANDS
Track 9
3:35
AlternativeMusicElectronicRock
Spotify Apple Music More on Halsey

About This Track

'Control' personifies Halsey's bipolar disorder, a condition she has discussed openly since her teenage diagnosis. The track appears as the ninth song on the standard edition of 'BADLANDS', released in 2015, and Halsey later noted it as the most emotionally difficult song she had written at that point. The question 'Who is in control?' recurs through the chorus, framed by the voice of someone grappling with the unpredictable energy of a diseased mind.

The lyrics move through imagery of shadows, monsters, mirrors turned to the wall, and villains that live in the speaker's bed and head. Halsey writes, 'I'm bigger than my body / I'm colder than this home / I'm meaner than my demons', a litany of assertions that reads like an attempt to outpace the disorder itself. The villains beg to be written down so they will never die, a compact between the artist and the intrusive thoughts that demand documentation.

The chorus adopts the perspective of onlookers alarmed by the speaker's intensity: 'Please, stop, you're scaring me'. Halsey answers with defiance rather than reassurance, insisting the fear is justified. The song holds the tension between self-awareness and the loss of agency, a portrait of mental illness rendered without euphemism.

"Control" is a track by Halsey, from the album BADLANDS, released 27th August 2015. The track is 3:35 long. It's filed under Alternative. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 15 articles about Halsey.

About the Artist

Halsey

Halsey

Lyrics

Control

They send me away to find them a fortune
A chest filled with diamonds and gold
The house was awake
With shadows and monsters
The hallways, they echoed and groaned

I sat alone, in bed 'til the morning
And crying, "They're coming for me"
And I tried to hold these secrets inside me
My mind's like a deadly disease

I'm bigger than my body
I'm colder than this home
I'm meaner than my demons
I'm bigger than these bones

And all the kids cried out
"Please, stop, you're scaring me"
I can't help this awful energy
Goddamn right, you should be scared of me
Who is in control?

I paced around for hours on empty
I jumped at the slightest of sounds
And I couldn't stand the person inside me
I turned all the mirrors around

I'm bigger than my body
I'm colder than this home
I'm meaner than my demons
I'm bigger than these bones

And all the kids cried out
"Please, stop, you're scaring me"
I can't help this awful energy
Goddamn right, you should be scared of me
Who is in control?

I'm well acquainted
With villains that live in my bed
They beg me to write them
So they'll never die when I'm dead

And I've grown familiar
With villains that live in my head
They beg me to write them
So I'll never die when I'm dead

I'm bigger than my body
I'm colder than this home
I'm meaner than my demons
I'm bigger than these bones

And all the kids cried out
"Please, stop, you're scaring me"
I can't help this awful energy
Goddamn right, you should be scared of me
Who is in control?

And all the kids cried out
"Please, stop, you're scaring me"
I can't help this awful energy
Goddamn right, you should be scared of me
Who is in control?

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From BADLANDS

3:352015
Listen
Album
BADLANDS
BADLANDS
Halsey
28th August 2015
Track number
9
Release year
2015
  1. 4Drive
    4:19
  2. 5Roman Holiday
    3:22
  3. 6Colors
    4:10
  4. 7Coming Down
    3:43

More from Halsey

Albums & EPs

The Great Impersonator
The Great Impersonator
2024
Sing 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Sing 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2021
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
2021
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power (Deluxe)
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power (Deluxe)
2021
Birds of Prey: The Album
Birds of Prey: The Album
2020
Manic
Manic
2020

Explore

More tracks by Halsey

  1. Afraid of the dark (Demo)
  2. Carry The Weight
  3. Charades
  4. Colors (Ian Asher remix)
  5. Different
  6. Ego (Live from Vevo)
  7. H’s Saddest
  8. Hand That Feeds
  9. Hand That Feeds (from the film Ballerina)
  10. Hometown (Stripped - live from Vevo)

Showing 10 of 20

If you like Halsey

Tove Lo

Tove Lo

Fletcher

Fletcher

Hayley Kiyoko

Hayley Kiyoko

Bea Miller

Bea Miller

Ke$ha

Troye Sivan

Troye Sivan

9Control
3:35
  • 10Young God
    3:00
  • 11Ghost
    2:34

    • Credits

    Production & Engineering

    Writer
    Halsey, Roy Kerr, Tim Bran
    Writer
    Ashley Frangipane, Roy Kerr, Tim Bran
    Producer
    Dylan William, Lido
    Producer
    Lido
    Additional Programming
    Dan Grech-Marguerat
    Mastering Engineer
    Pete Lyman
    Mixing Engineer
    Dan Grech-Marguerat
    Vocal Producer
    Dylan William
    READ MORE ABOUT HALSEYREAD MORE ABOUT HALSEYREAD MORE ABOUT HALSEYREAD MORE ABOUT HALSEY
    READ MORE ABOUT HALSEYREAD MORE ABOUT HALSEYREAD MORE ABOUT HALSEYREAD MORE ABOUT HALSEY
    Halsey has made their Rock in Rio debut with a heavier set after reported facial infection
    News

    Halsey has made their Rock in Rio debut with a heavier set after reported facial infection

    Halsey played a 75-minute, guitar-led Rock in Rio set featuring ‘Nightmare’, ‘Experiment on Me’ and a rockier ‘Closer’.

    14 Sept 2026 • 12:45 pm
    Halsey turns Mad Cool into a furious ceremony of rebirth
    Live

    Halsey turns Mad Cool into a furious ceremony of rebirth

    Halsey's 'The Girl in the Tower' festival run reaches Mad Cool with a theatrical, career-spanning set.

    13 Jul 2026 • 9:18 am
    blink-182 are set to headline Rock for People 2027
    News

    blink-182 are set to headline Rock for People 2027

    Pop-punk trio top 2027 bill as Czech festival shifts a week earlier

    15 Jun 2026 • 12:10 pm
    Rock for People has announced Halsey as the final headliner for 2026
    News

    Rock for People has announced Halsey as the final headliner for 2026

    Tickets for the festival are now on sale, with VIP options limited.

    15 Dec 2025 • 1:26 pm
    Halsey - The Great Impersonator
    Reviews

    Halsey - The Great Impersonator

    Conceptual, chameleonic and constantly starting anew.

    24 Oct 2024 • 10:44 am
    Halsey - If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
    Reviews

    Halsey - If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power

    Halsey’s definitive artistic breakthrough.

    16 Sept 2021 • 9:33 am
    Featured on 20 playlists

    On the playlists

    Featured on 8 tastemaker playlists

    Gacha Life Songs 2017-2021#67

    Gacha Life Songs 2017-2021

    zuffle · 407K fwrs

    feminist rage songs#125

    feminist rage songs

    Love Bedroom Pop · 317K fwrs

    hot girl revenge 💋#59

    hot girl revenge 💋

    Alayna · 148K fwrs

    VILLAINESS ENERGY 🔥🖤🔪 HOT GIRL REVENGE, Dark Feminine Vibes, Toxic Female Aura, Sexy Badass#75

    VILLAINESS ENERGY 🔥🖤🔪 HOT GIRL REVENGE, Dark Feminine Vibes, Toxic Female Aura, Sexy Badass

    PRETTY GIRL FM 💖🎀 · 77K fwrs

    Fourth Wing - Rebecca’s Version#20

    Fourth Wing - Rebecca’s Version

    Rebecca Yarros · 75K fwrs

    Halloween Music 2026 🎃🕸️#129

    Halloween Music 2026 🎃🕸️

    Stormy Chocada · 44K fwrs

    POV You're the psychotic villian#29

    POV You're the psychotic villian

    annabelle · 41K fwrs

    alt rock #165

    alt rock

    juliannelocke · 40K fwrs

    Browse the full Dork playlist directory →