'Cause I'm a Man

Background

Kevin Parker described the song as being "about how weak men are basically, and how we make all these excuses." In the song, Parker's vocals are clearer in the mix than in previous Tame Impala songs, an extension of his love of "that dreamy, silvery vocal sound." It was difficult for him, as he was uncomfortable with his vocal performance. According to Parker, recording the song became obsessive. He recalled performing over 1,057 partial vocal takes for either "'Cause I'm a Man" or the album's third single, "The Less I Know the Better", though he could not recall which.

The song courted controversy over its lyrics, which could be considered sexist. Parker addressed this in an interview with Stereogum:

Parker intended the song as tongue-in-cheek, and noted that interpreting the song in such a way disappointed him.

Release and remixes

The song debuted on Australia's Triple J on 5 April 2015, and was released for digital download on 7 April 2015.

A remix of the song by pop rock band Haim premiered on 6 August 2015. According to Billboard, Tame Impala asked Haim to remix the song, and subsequently promoted the song via their social media accounts. The song has been noted as more of a cover version than a remix, and Danielle Haim acknowledged this: "We've never really done a "remix" before so we decided to put out our own spin on the song."

Critical reception

Evan Minsker of Pitchfork gave it the site's "Best New Track" designation, praising the song's universal theme and R&B balladry: "It's a vulnerable song—one with regret, sure, but also affection." Ryan Reed at Billboard gave it four stars out of five, praising the song as a "soulful single" spread over "four gorgeous minutes."

Accolades

The Arizona Republic ranked the song number seven on its list of the top 30 songs of 2015.

Music video

The song received two music videos. The first "official" music video for the song, lasting four minutes and four seconds, was uploaded on 21 May 2015 to the group's Vevo channel on YouTube. The video is a 3D animation centered on a man with no face and his events in life involving work, women, and "the ultimate pitfalls of life", as stated by AXS TV. It was directed by Nicky Smith. The second, directed by Dan Dipaola and Megan McShane, features puppet versions of Tame Impala performing the song, and was released on 28 May. In June, Feltworth, a puppet band connected with the Canadian group Sloan, released a clip wherein its members debate the merits of the second clip.