By 1985 Metrô was one of the most successful Brazilian bands, extensively touring and performing in numerous variety shows of the time; however, then-vocalist Virginie Boutaud was growing exhausted from the band's convoluted touring schedule, and her bandmates planned to shift from the pop-influenced style of their previous album Olhar to a more "mature" and "daring" direction influenced by Barão Vermelho, Legião Urbana and Titãs, who were some of the most influential Brazilian rock acts at the time.

With D'Orey, the band embraced a more experimental style nearly reminiscent of their earlier material as A Gota Suspensa, removing almost completely the synth-pop elements prominent in Metrô's previous album.

The band initially planned to change its name from Metrô to Tristes Tigres ("Sad Tigers"),[3] but their record label Epic did not allow them.

Despite positive reception and the moderate success of singles "Gato Preto" and "Lágrimas Imóveis", A Mão de Mao was considered a commercial failure.

According to Pedro d'Orey, he thought of the album's title after reading a recently published biography of Mao regarding his private life, and wanting to write a song thinking of him "more as a human being than as a dictator".