George Michael’s ‘Father Figure’ is sampled on Taylor Swift’s new album The Life of a Showgirl. (Getty)
As Taylor Swift releases her 12th studio album The Life of a Showgirl, fans are intrigued by her “collaboration” with late queer music icon George Michael.
It was confirmed earlier this week that track four on Swift’s new record, entitled “Father Figure”, features George Michael as one of the credited songwriters.
The track, also written by Swift and her collaborators Max Martin and Shellback – who have worked on Swift’s more pop hits including “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “Style” – likely includes an interpolation of George Michael’s 1987 track “Father Figure”, which topped the US Billboard charts.
Looking back at Michael’s original song might give Swifties some hints as to what the pop superstar’s new track could be about.
George Michael’s “Father Figure” is about “a very specific experience“
George Michael’s “Father Figure” became his fourth solo US Billboard chart-topper, and a top 20 hit in his home country, the UK. Yet the musician, who died of heart and liver disease on Christmas Day in 2016 aged 53, was fairly coy about the subject of the song.
During an interview with ET, the former Wham! singer explained that “Father Figure” was about “a very specific experience” in a relationship he had.
“‘Father Figure’ is just a very, without going into too much detail, it’s just a very specific experience that I wrote about a specific relationship with one person,” he shared.
“I think there’s a definite pattern in people’s lives where they move away from their parents, then they spend time on their own and then they look for that replacement. It’s always talked about in terms of boys being discarded in terms of their mothers, and then finding a replacement.”
In an interview with Billboard, the legendary musician delved deeper into the song’s background, without dishing too much on the song’s subject.
“The initial concept was completely different from the way the song turned out,” he said.
“In fact, the initial concept for ‘Father Figure’ was to make it a kind of mid-tempo dance track. And what happened was I wanted to hear something in my mix so I happened to cut out the snare on the board and suddenly it changed the whole entire mood of the track.
George Michael. (Getty)
“Suddenly it just seemed really dreamy. And this was halfway through writing it because I was writing the song as I was going along in the studio. And I just thought, well, hey, this is actually much better! So I worked the rest of the feel of the track around this kind of spacey type sound. And it ended up, in my mind, being the most original sounding thing on the album.”
Exploring the song’s lyrics, “Father Figure” appears to be an ode to a significant other who Michael wished to love and care for like a father would their child.
“I will be your preacher, teacher (Be your daddy)”
“I will be your father figure (Oh, baby) / Put your tiny hand in mine (I’d love to) / I will be your preacher, teacher (Be your daddy) / Anything you have in mind (It would make me),” he sings on the stirring chorus.
Some George Michael megafans believe that on verse three, the “Faith” singer quietly references his sexuality. At the time of the song’s release, Michael was still in the closet; he did not reveal his sexuality publicly until 1998.
“That’s all I wanted, but sometimes love can be mistaken for a crime / That’s all I wanted, just to see my baby’s blue eyes shine,” he croons, potentially referencing prevalent homophobic attitudes in the UK during the late ‘80s. Homosexuality was partially legalised in the UK in 1987, with Scotland and Northern Ireland following suit in 1981 and 1982 respectively.
In recent years, Michael’s “Father Figure” has taken on a new life thanks to its use in Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson’s steamy 2024 thriller Babygirl, ibecoming a viral sound on TikTok. The track is often used over videos of celebrity men who fans have dubbed “daddies”, such as Pedro Pascal and, ironically, Swift’s fiancé and NFL player Travis Kelce.
Many Taylor Swift fans believe her version of the song will reference her love for and engagement to Kelce, who she has been in a relationship with since 2023.
Swifties have particularly noted the significance of the release date of Michael’s track, 1987, as Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs uniform is emblazoned with his player number, 87.
The Life of a Showgirl is out on 3 October.
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