The Man

"The Man" is a song by American rock band the Killers from their fifth studio album, Wonderful Wonderful (2017). It was released on June 14, 2017, as the lead single from the album. Background and artwork Drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. stated that the song's lyrics were "largely about how when we were younger we felt invincible. What it meant to be a 'man' in your 20's. Sort of your chest out, the breadwinner, nothing could stop you, invincible sort of thing. It's sort of tongue-and-cheeking that, how that is not really the point of being a man at all. It's actually more about compassion and empathy." According to the band's vocalist Brandon Flowers, the song is a response to the more delicate songs of the album, including "Rut" and "Some Kind of Love": "Those songs came and it was like, 'These are more tender or contemplative than we've ever been, how did we get to this point?' Reflecting on that was where 'The Man' came from." The artwork for the single features Flowers's youngest son Henry and was shot by Anton Corbijn. Composition "The Man" is a new wave, pop rock, disco-rock, and glam rock song written by the Killers and Jacknife Lee, the latter of whom also produced it. The track contains elements of the 1975 Kool & the Gang song "Spirit of the Boogie". Lyrically, the song is a self-reflection of Brandon Flowers' cockier early years and described by himself as a way of reconciling that wide-eyed character with the man he is now.