Taylor Swift revives George Michael’s ‘Father Figure’: Explore details about the surprise collab

Taylor Swift’s usage of George Michal’s Father Figure has now been confirmed, following the discovery of the late artist’s credit when the pop star dropped her track list in August.

Notably, Billboard has reported that instead of sampling the swoonworthy tune, the multiple time Grammy winner will “interpolate” the song “in her version” — a reimagining of Michael’s original recording.

George Michael’s ‘Father Figure’

Released as part of his solo debut album Faith, Father Figure by George Michael was a universal hit and reached the top spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 while being number 11 on the UK singles chart.

The song, which focuses on the idea of a romantic relationship bearing the warmth of a parental dynamic, was left to the listeners’ interpretation by the late musician.

However, he did open up about the 1987 number’s composition and how Prince accidentally became the inspiration behind it.

“It started off with a rhythm track with a snare, and when you play it like that it sounds a bit like Prince. But I must have been listening to it without the snare and gone, ‘Oh my God, that totally changes the record!’ It suddenly becomes a gospel record,” he told journalist Mark Goodier in 2010.

Taylor Swift’s Homage

Swift’s tribute to Father Figure will not be the first time that the songstress has honoured an endearing melody from the English singer-songwriter’s renowned oeuvre.

In 2008, the Life of a Showgirl creator covered the holiday hit Last Christmas, released by Michael when he was still part of the pop duo Wham!.

Previously, the legendary artist’s ex partner Kenny Goss issued an enthusiastic endorsement for Taylor’s revival of the track.

According to TMZ, “Kenny’s personally a fan of Taylor’s music, and while he had no idea she was interpolating the song, it was a welcome surprise — and he’s glad she’s doing this for George, who had a big hit with ‘Father Figure’.”

Father Figure’s Resurgence

Notably, George Michael’s 80s hit has experienced a bit of newfound fame in pop culture recently.

The Nicole Kidman starrer Babygirl prominently featured the song in one memorable scene from the film, which paired Kidman and her co-star Harrison Dickinson, both of whom played a couple with considerable age gap and its related connotations.

Following the film’s release, the song also became a popular TikTok sound, where many of the videos recreated Dickinson’s dance to Father Figure from the film while other users created edits for their favourite older stars using the song.