- - Everything to Know About George Michael's 1987 Hit 'Father Figure' as Taylor Swift Unveils New “Showgirl ”Version of Iconic Song

Angela AndaloroOctober 2, 2025 at 3:44 AM

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Michael Putland/Getty; Gareth Cattermole/Getty

George Michael (left), Taylor Swift -

Taylor Swift will incorporate the melody of George Michael's 1987 hit "Father Figure" into her own track of the same name

"Father Figure" was Michael's 6th number one hit in the US and one of his biggest tracks of the 1980s

The interpolation will be featured on Swift's upcoming 12th original studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, out Oct. 3

Taylor Swift is tapping one of the biggest hits of the 1980s in a track on her new album.

Instead of sampling George Michael's "Father Figure," the pop star, 35, plans to interpolate the track with her own version by the same name. It will be featured on her upcoming 12th original studio album, The Life of a Showgirl.

Michael, who died on Christmas Day in 2016 at age 53, wrote and produced "Father Figure" himself in 1987 for his debut solo album, Faith. The following year, the song topped the Billboard charts.

PEOPLE is looking back at the single ahead of the highly-anticipated release of Taylor's version.

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What is "Father Figure" About?

Michael Putland/Getty

George Michael in 1987

The lyrics seem to be a promise from the singer to his lover that he would care for and protect them like a father would their child. While Michael never commented directly on the lyrics or elaborated on the inspiration there, he did speak of the song's musical composition and how the song's sound originally reminded him of Prince.

"It started off with a rhythm track with a snare, and when you play it like that it sounds a bit like Prince. 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," the singer shared in the Faith: Legacy Edition album booklet.

"A couple of things in my career have been a complete accident, where I stumbled upon the sound. I know when something resonates, and one of my saving graces is that I can hear something when I stumble upon it," he continued, adding, "I have the ability to stop and say: 'No. Actually, that’s much better.' It’s tiny little things like that that make a record, I think."

Who else has sampled or referenced "Father Figure"?

The song has been covered countless times, and it has also been sampled by many artists. Hip-hop group Jungle Brothers sampled "Father Figure" in their 1989 single 'J. Beez Comin' Through." R&B singer P.M. Dawn also sampled the track in 1993 with his song "Looking Through Patient Eye."

But the most recognizable example to date has been LL Cool J's "Father" in 1997, which transformed the track into a hip-hop song, complete with choir. Later, Destiny’s Child would also sample the track with their 2001 release, "Winter Paradise." Swift's interpolation is sure to join the ranks of memorable uses of the song.

"Father Figure" in Babygirl

"Father Figure" recently enjoyed a reentrance to the public conversation after it was used in A24's Babygirl. The film stars Nicole Kidman as a powerful CEO, Romy, who puts her marriage and career on the line when she begins an illicit affair with a new intern, Samuel (Harris Dickinson).

The scene features a shirtless Samuel dancing to the track while Romy watches from her seat. Director Halina Reijn appeared on IndieWire's Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, she explained why this was an important choice for the scene.

"It’s also about freedom for me,” Reijn shared. “George Michael has a very famous song called ‘Freedom,’ but it’s his whole life, and how he slowly dared to become who he really was is very important for my life and a big inspiration."Of the song, she continued, "Harris dancing to that song was funny to me and amazing and moving because, of course, he’s younger, so he’s not her father, he’s not the daddy, she’s the daddy, but still he is carrying her around. And to me, why that is so important is because we all have that."

"We all, men, women, any human being, any person, has a young child inside of them that needs to be taken care of. Whether we are 80 years old or 6 years old, it’s still there. And that is what it taps into for me.”

"Father Figure" viral TikTok sound

Following it's use in the film, the song began to enjoy popularity as a TikTok sound. While many videos simply showed or recreated Samuel's dance from the movie, other fan edits featured steamy celebrities like Pedro Pascal and Glen Powell who fans have deemed as "daddies."

The sound was also used with the "i hate attention x" overlay, with TikTok users performing attention-grabbing activities as the sound plays.

What has George Michael's estate said about Taylor's track?

Nathan Shanahan/WireImage

Kenny Goss and George Michael

TMZ has reported that Kenny Goss, Michael's partner of 13 years, believes the singer would have been happy with Swift putting her own artistry to the song. Further, he believes Michael would be flattered to have one of the biggest names in music reworking his hit. There has been no official statement from Michael's estate on the song.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”