Songfacts®:

• In "Man of the Year" Sam Barber explores the struggle of personal hardship and the search for meaning amid adversity. He's come to the gnawing realization that life is often a bit confusing, frequently disappointing, and, more often than not, completely unfair. Some days you try to do the right thing, and life just shrugs and throws a wrench at your head.
• The phrase "man of the year" is used ironically, reflecting the idea that even when you try your best, you might still be misunderstood or feel like you're falling short, but that shouldn't stop you from carrying on.
  
  "No matter how hard you try to be a good man, sometimes you're going to be seen as the bad guy," Barber told Holler. "And there isn't much you can do about it, so don't beat yourself up about it. F--- it if you're not the man of the year."
• Barber wrote the "Man of the Year" himself. Ryan Hewitt and Joe Becker produced it.
  
  Ryan Hewitt is an American producer, engineer, and mixer based in Nashville. He has contributed to multiple Grammy-nominated projects, notably mixing and engineering Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium, which won Best Rock Album.
  
  Joe Becker is Barber's go-to producer. Their collaborations include his breakthrough single, "Indigo."
  
  Hewitt and Becker's dark, acoustic arrangement, featuring steady strings, somber bass, and flourishes of steel guitar, mirrors the song's heavy emotional themes.
• Barber played the acoustic guitar on this one. The other musicians are:
  
  Seth Taylor: banjo
  Todd Lombardo: acoustic guitar
  Craig Young: bass guitar
  Ryan Connors: keyboards
  Aaron Sterling: drums