"[3] The nucleus of "Blood for Poppies" came from sessions Shirley Manson held to write her abandoned solo album project.

[10] Inspired by a suggestion by Manson, the band worked the beat of the middle eight section around a sample of the sound of a helicopter's blades.

It's not literal in any sense whatsoever but it's a song about disorientation and delusion and the human struggle to stay sane in the face of insanity.

[28] "Blood for Poppies" has been described by Billboard as "a mix of crunchy and funky guitars during the verse" and an "infectious, sing-along chorus";[16] while KROQ's Nadia Noir claimed it was "a song which conjures up some of the shimmering distortion, guitar tremolo, and the sensual shoegaze" of My Bloody Valentine's "Only Shallow", "albeit with the funkier, harder edge and Manson's sultry contralto vocals that make Garbage wholly unique".

[29] Rick Martin, of NME, described the song as "some righteous noise and a proper poptastic chorus to boot," and remarked; "If only all seven-year itches came with as much squalling feedback and eardrum-bursting goodness".

[30] The promotional video for "Blood for Poppies" was helmed by fashion photographer Matt Irwin[31] and filmed over four days between February 23–26, 2012 in Los Angeles.

[33] Visuals created for the black and white clip were inspired by surrealist artists, film makers and photographers such as René Magritte, Maya Deren, Luis Buñuel and Francesca Woodman,[34] while certain shots referenced Le Voyage Dans La Lune and Un Chien Andalou.

[35] The video incorporates noir imagery, haute couture, 1950s glamour and stop-motion astronomy shots filtered to achieve a gritty, vintage effect.

[36] The retro look is the result of the video's post-production, special effects and editing; the "black and white" is sometimes grainy and burnt and the images often overlap.

[36] Employing non-linear montage sequencing, Manson is seen singing while blindfolded, playing Cat's Cradle, eating an egg, cavorting on a Malibu beach and hiding behind a tree.

[36] "We piled into a transit van with the ridiculously talented team of Matt Irwin and Aaron Brown and hopped around little pockets of Los Angeles creating a gorgeous surrealist dream.

[38] The "Blood for Poppies" video debuted on AOL Music on April 3, following a live chat with the group on their Ustream channel.