“‘04 Cold-Blooded Man” acts as a counterpoint to the 69 Love Songs track “Sweet Lovin’ Man” in its speaker’s thorough bitterness at their former lover.

“I remember quite well: I was at the Monster in the West Village, and nothing happened to me, but I remember writing a song and I remember which notebook I wrote it in, and I remember the fantasy that was probably inspired by a particular person but I don’t remember that. […] I had a boyfriend I went out with twice, three years apart, and he left me for one of his students. A double insult. Being left for someone you don’t understand the appeal of is particularly grueling.” – Stephen Merritt, 50 Song Memoir booklet