Taylor Swift pays tribute to one of the fathers of modern pop on her forthcoming new song “Father Figure,” which Billboard has learned will tribute George Michael’s 1988 hit of the same name.
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After weeks of rumors that the late icon’s fingerprints would be on the fourth track of the pop star’s upcoming The Life of a Showgirl album, Billboard can confirm that to be the case. As opposed to sampling Michael’s “Father Figure,” however, Swift will interpolate the evergreen smash in her version.
The news comes just three days ahead of the release of The Life of a Showgirl on Oct. 3. This week, Swifties have been flooding social media with excitement over the possibility that Michael is credited as a songwriter on “Father Figure,” though it hadn’t been confirmed until now.
Michael’s ex partner Kenny Goss, however, told TMZ in August that he had heard about a possible interpolation, and that he thought Michael would have loved for Swift to use “Father Figure” in her music.
“Father Figure” is one of several enduring hits from Michael’s 1987 debut album, Faith. The track spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988, and in the past year or so, it has experienced a resurgence thanks to its popularity on TikTok.
Swift’s song featuring Michael’s work comes nearly two decades after she first paid homage to the Wham! star. In 2008, the Eras Tour headliner covered the duo’s “Last Christmas” for her Christmas album.
Not counting the “Father Figure” interpolation, Sabrina Carpenter is the only feature set to appear on The Life of a Showgirl, guesting on the title track.
