Father Figure by George Michael: Lyrics, meaning, Babygirl scene and more

9 January 2025, 10:00 | Updated: 9 January 2025, 10:09

It's one of the former Wham! singer's best ever songs, but dare we say... a little underrated?

George Michael's 'Father Figure' was one of his first solo releases, but what is the seductive single actually about?

The 1987 hit recently had a memorable starring role in a steamy scene in the new Nicole Kidman thriller Babygirl.

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Here's everything you need to know about 'Father Figure', from its lyrics' meaning to its music video secrets and much more...

1. Who wrote 'Father Figure'?

   George Michael wrote and produced 'Father Figure' by himself in 1987.

   Recorded for his debut solo album Faith, the vulnerable romantic ballad was released December 28, 1987.

   Speaking about the creation of the song in the special Faith: Legacy Edition album booklet, George said: "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.

   "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...

   "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."

2. 'Father Figure' meaning: What is the song about?

   

   George Michael didn't ever specifically reveal what 'Father Figure' was about, but a lot can be gleaned from its lyrics.

   A seductive love song, 'Father Figure' stars a narrator who wants to be in a close sexual relationship with someone that they admire.

   In the song, this narrator asks to become the person's "father figure". They want to look after and protect their partner, looking for a "sacred" sexual connection as well as close relationship.

   

   Father Figure (Remastered)

   The narrator also mentions something illegal, either literally or in the minds of others, singing: “I have had enough of crime," and: "Sometimes love can be mistaken for a crime.”

   These lines potentially allude to negative attitudes towards gay people in the 1980s, and to how gay relationships were still illegal in many parts of the world back then (and in some cases still are).

   George had yet to come out as a gay man when the song was released, but he later said that by this point in his life he was aware that he was attracted to men, both physically and emotionally.

   However, he still found himself to be the source of attraction to many women, including a certain Princess Diana.

   

   In 2009, the George opened up about this, telling Huffpost: “She was very like a lot of women that have been attracted to me in my life because they see something non-threatening.

   “I think we clicked in a way that was a little bit intangible, and it probably had probably more to do with our upbringing than anything else. Maybe because I take care of my sisters and I’m so protective of my sisters, women seem to smell that. So women who had a hard time growing up... when I was still sleeping with women, my God, it was absolutely all of the time.”

   The line: “Put your tiny hand in mine" is particularly controversial. George was only 24 at the time, but he had a masculine image that made him seem far more mature than he was.

   Whoever he was singing to in 'Father Figure', George wants to play the father or "teacher" role, to be the figure that Princess Diana and other young male and female fans wanted him to be. He wanted to be their protector.

3. How did 'Father Figure' perform in the charts?

   'Father Figure' became a number one hit on US' Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1988.

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   The sensual anthem's success in the States made it George's sixth US number one (including the three he had previously achieved with Wham!).

   In the UK, 'Father Figure' peaked at 11, making it the first time one of his singles didn't reach the top 10 there.

4. 'Father Figure' music video: Who starred in it?

   

   George Michael - Father Figure (Remastered) (Official Video)

   The 'Father Figure' video starred model Tania Coleridge as George's love interest, and portrayed the song as being about a heterosexual relationship.

   George played a taxi driver in the video, which was directed by George and Andy Morahan, and won 'Best Direction of a Video' at the 1988 MTV Music Video Awards.

   Morahan had previously directed videos for Wham!'s 'Last Christmas' and 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go' as well as the Pet Shop Boys' 'West End Girls' among others.

5. Who has covered the song?

   

   LL Cool J - Father

   The song has been covered by Tori Amos, Ace Young and the cast of Glee among others.

   It has also been sampled by a number of artists, including on LL Cool J's semi-autobiographical song 'Father'.

6. What movie is 'Father Figure' in? Babygirl scene explained

   George Michael's 'Father Figure' has recently seen a resurgence in popularity after it featured in a scene in the erotic 2024 thriller Babygirl.

   In Babygirl, Nicole Kidman stars as Romy, a woman who explores her sexuality through having an affair with her significantly younger intern, Samuel (Harris Dickinson).

   'Father Figure' plays during a scene in the film in which a topless Samuel dances around a hotel room to impress Romy, who sits and watches as he does.

   

   Babygirl | Official Trailer HD | A24

   Babygirl's director Harris Dickinson told Entertainment Weekly that it was essential to her that the film featured George's song in this scene, in order to emphasise the complex power dynamic shown between Romy and her younger boyfriend.

   "I wanted to use that song because I knew I wanted to make a comedy of manners about power and consent and sex and control. That song embodies, for me, the whole thing that I'm trying to do, which is put everything on its head and turn it inside out," Harris said.

   "I was like, 'If we don't get this song, I'm going to die,'" the director added, stressing how important the song was to her movie.