George Michael’s ‘Father Figure’ reimagined by Taylor Swift – listen here

3 October 2025, 09:44

An interpolation of George’s famous Faith single appears on Taylor’s 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl.

George Michael’s ‘Father Figure’ has been reimagined by one of the world’s biggest artists.

On her latest album The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift takes the much-loved 1987 hit and flips it on its head, turning the once romantic song into a cynical look at power within the music industry.

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As an interpolation of George’s original song, Taylor’s ‘Father Figure’ features some of the same melody and a familiar chorus line from George’s original song, while mostly creating something new for the track.

Listen to Taylor's 'Father Figure' here:

Taylor Swift - Father Figure (Visualizer)

The collaboration of sorts has the firm approval of George Michael’s estate, who shared in a statement published via social media ahead of the album’s release that they “were delighted” when approached by Taylor and her team earlier this year about the interpolation.

“When we heard the track we had no hesitation in agreeing to this association between two great artists and we know George would have felt the same” the statement continued.

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“George Michael Entertainment wishes Taylor every success with The Life of a Showgirl and ‘Father Figure’,” it ended, although they added in the post’s caption: “Thank you @taylorswift for including George in such a special moment.”

Alongside The Life of a Showgirl’s title track, which is a collaboration between Taylor and Sabrina Carpenter, ‘Father Figure’ is the only other track on the album which sees the 35-year-old working with another artist, albeit from beyond the grave.

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George Michael - Father Figure (Official Video)

Since the album’s release at midnight EST (5am BST) today (October 3), Taylor’s dedicated fanbase has been listening carefully to each of its twelve tracks to discern how they all fit into Taylor’s life story.

The consensus on ‘Father Figure’ is that the song is a critique of people within the music industry who pose as ‘father figure’ mentors to young artists when all they’re really interested in is the money and power that will come from their artists’ success.

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“I’ll be your father figure... this love is pure profit,” Taylor sings in the chorus, from the perspective of one of these power-hungry individuals. “I can make deals with the devil because my dick’s bigger... Just step into my office, I'll dry your tears with my sleeve.”

Fans believe the song was written about Taylor’s much-documented fight with the record executive who first signed her, Scott Borchetta, who kept control of her first six albums’ masters when she left his label in 2018.

He eventually sold the label, Big Machine Records, and with it Taylor’s masters, to Scooter Braun in 2019.

At first, Taylor believed she would never get to recover ownership of her masters, leading to her re-recording several of those albums so that she had full ownership of those versions of the songs.

But earlier this year, she revealed the happy news that she had been able to buy back all of her old masters.

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This win is seemingly referenced by a change of perspective (and key) in the bridge of ‘Father Figure’, as Taylor appears to become the “father figure” who now has the upper hand through the power she’s gained from her success.

“I was your father figure, you pulled the wrong trigger, this empire belongs to me,” she sings.