Songfacts®:

• This song finds Morrissey setting his sights on masculinity, equating men with soldiers, hockey jocks and meat eaters. Producer Joe Chiccarelli told Radio.com: "My personal opinion is: there are a lot of stupid things that we do in the name of 'manhood.' I have to tell you, I remember when we cut that track and hearing those words for the first time, I almost cried. I thought, "No one has ever said this in such a bold way." I was blown away by that song."
• According to Chiccarelli, Morrissey wanted the rhythms to sound "thuggish." The producer recalled: "I thought, 'We have to bust out of this groove at some point, and have some release!' All those intro pieces, all those sound effects pieces, those were all his design. I suggested that we trim down the amount of time in the intro before 'I'm Not a Man.' He said, 'No, it's fine.'"