Father Figure by George Michael

Album: Faith (1987)

Charted: 11 1

License This Song

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

The song is about loving someone in every aspect; wanting to be that everything to his object of affection. The song contains haunting but very sensual lyrics.
Michael wrote this song before his homosexuality was public knowledge. The lyrics are ambiguous, and likely about a man. The video, which stars model Tania Coleridge as his love interest, portrays the song as being about a heterosexual relationship.
Michael directed the video with Andy Morahan, who also worked on the videos for "Faith," "I Want Your Sex" and "Monkey." Michael and Morahan won the award for Best Direction in a Video for "Father Figure" at the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards.
"Father Figure" was the third single from George Michael's debut solo album, Faith, released in 1987. His transition out of Wham! was "Careless Whisper," which was included on a Wham! album but released as a solo single in 1984. It was a #1 hit in the US, as was his 1986 duet with Aretha Franklin, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)."

Faith's first single was the very controversial "I Want Your Sex." The title track came next, giving him his third chart-topper. "Father Figure," with a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Love's In Need Of Love Today" on the B-side, made it four.

The next two singles, "One More Try" and "Monkey," hit the top spot as well, making Faith one of the successful and enduring albums of the '80s.
This was used in a pivotal fight scene in the 2017 movie Atomic Blonde, starring Charlize Theron as an MI6 agent. Producers wanted to use "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin in the scene, but couldn't clear it (perhaps it was too on-the-nose anyway - the scene is set in Berlin).

"Father Figure" was also used in the 2015 movie The Night Before, and in episodes of Glee ("The Hurt Locker: Part 2" - 2015), Nip/Tuck ("Benny Nilsson" - 2009), and Eli Stone ("Heartbeat" - 2008), where the main character often had visions of George Michael.
"Father Figure" plays a pivotal role in the erotic thriller Babygirl starring Nicole Kidman as a powerful CEO who indulges in a forbidden affair with her young intern, played by Harris Dickinson. We see Dickinson, shirtless, perform a seductive dance to the song in a hotel room, while Kidman watches from afar.

The film was released on Christmas Day 2024 and gave "Father Figure" a big bump. The song became a viral sensation on TikTok, with numerous users creating their own interpretations of Dickinson's dance moves, often incorporating the song into their videos.
Taylor Swift released her own song called "Father Figure" on her 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl. Her song, which deals with conflicts she had with her former record label, uses the line "I'll be your father figure," but otherwise bears little resemblance to Michael's song. Still, Swift got permission from his estate, and Michael is listed as a songwriter on the track.

"We were delighted when Taylor Swift and her team approached us earlier this year about incorporating an interpolation of George Michael's classic song 'Father Figure' into a brand new song of the same title," The George Michael team posted before the song was released. "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."

Comments: 21

Victoria Semenenko George Michael's Baby from UkraineA list of SEMIDOCUMENTARIES telling our with George story of a relationship between empathic woman and a narcissistic man
“Pretty woman” 1990
“50 first dates” 2002
“Sex. lies and videotapes” 1989
“Bridget Jones Diary” 2001
“Fifty Shades of Grey” trilogy 2015-2018 as Father Figure story despite I always prefer book like true realistic story depicting real facts of my biography as Real Life Victory
“Four weddings and a funeral” 1994
“In bed with the enemy” 1991 (a frontman of Australian rock band INXS Michael Hutchence story depicting his sinister assault by a taxi driver beginning August 1992 in Copenhagen, Denmark basically led to his suicide in 1997 as my college mate Natalie Bouznik referencing me real death at her just 18 in 1994)
“Victoria” 2016 (French film so another George is a judge actually there)
“My best friend wedding” 1997 (Michael Hutchence story as my love tribute to REAL as true man of honor who was the only light as love of my life I wished to support him with my love for the whole world feeling his close end)
“I want you” 1998
“Irreversible” 2002 (a hard to watch but high quality European movie as a violence story - French film starring Monica Belucci and Vincent Cassel)
“Ocean`s 11” 2001 basically narcissistic hoovering story under “I still love you, baby” cover
“Ocean`s 12” 2004
Victoria Semenenko George Michael's Baby from UkraineActualy an idea of "Father Figure" lyrics was largely inspired by classic British novel of Thomas Hardy "Tess from d'Urbervilles"
Josh from UsaCNN interview, April 10, 1998, listed on YouTube as "George Michael talks about his sexuality (1998)" by CNN's channel.

"My sexuality was not cut and dried"

"I spent the first half of my career being accused of being gay, when I hadn't had anything like a gay relationship, in fact I was 27 [1990] before that happened to me. So I spent my years growing up being told what my sexuality was, *really* which was kind of confusing"

"The songs I wrote when I was with women were [up until 1990] really about women and the song I have written since have been fairly obviously about men."

He goes into more detail, but these quotes capture the essence of his statements. Stop trying to interpret, he explicitly states that it's plain to see. I think people want to claim him as part of their "camp", whether it's straight or gay, but you're twisting who he really was and he had some animosity about that control that people tried to put over him. Stop treating him like an object to serve your life and world view.
April from DannetteVictoria Semenko this song is not about you nor are any of his songs and its not about underage girls either it is about love maybe a little bit obsessive but he is telling the woman that he will be her everything and he won't leave her crying like men have done in the past read the damn lyrics it's all right there plain and simple stop trying to make George sound like he lusted after kids love can be mistaken for a crime could mean he could be taken as a stalker George did say the original concept for the video was a bit darker but it did not fit the song its a love song and if it were about a man which it does not sound like it is because of some of the wording like put your tiny hand in mine if it were so what for all we know it could be about his relationship with Kathy Jeung in some way his only legit female relationship the only one who knows is George and he preferred to let people draw their conclusions because he wrote about life and we all experience things some of his songs were about his life and things in his life maybe this was too but it was NOT ABOUT AN UNDERAGE GIRL! the part where he says when you think of the ones who have lied said they cared but laughed as you cried beautiful darling don't think of me he means I will never do that to you.
Helena from United KingdomThis reminds me of a young gay man who is in love with an older man, & vice versa it's kind of an obsessive relationship, but not a perverted one. This underage girl crap is just silly. I'm 32 now and even I have a "father figure" in my life.
Tony Velizio from Seattlein response to Jesse and Dave-- the video shows a cab driver and a young model-- there would be an age difference yes? Maybe he doesn't know her age and so he is concerned but that doesn't deter him from loving her-- The song is about an older man (the cab driver) making love to a much less sexually experienced younger woman. Like Lolita, the common link is obsession- which leads some say to art and perversion.
Daisy from IllinoisLearn about BDSM and D/s relationships, then the song will make sense... Nothing perverted about it.
Sandy from Adelaide, SaI think that GM was looking for a father figure in his own life. His own father did not make much time for family as he was growing up - he was a very hardworking immigrant. George tended to choose older guys for serious relationships. So I don't interpret it as being about someone underage. The gospel layers in a song that is so sensual are interesting but they blend and sound natural. It's a meeting of the sacred with the profane elements of a relationship.
Wendi from DoesitmatterI have always thought it had heavy religious references. He has a religious background and sings about faith in this and other songs. As you know religion is not very accepting of certain lifestyles. Maybe the person he is with also struggles with religion and he is saying that I will be the religious substitute. It's a relationship that is overcoming the judgment of religion. Something like that.
Guest from TexasThis is not about a man in love with someone underage. It's obvious that he is obsessed with this woman. He has pics up all over his room follows her to her model shoots and fashion show. Love can be mistaken for a crime...STALKING is a crime. Father figure.. basically he is telling her I will be whatever you want me to be if she will just come back to him. Preacher teacher etc etc.. He loves her that much,but she realizes he is a little obsessive over her. Smh lol now take your hand slap yourself and say DUH. I love this song. :)
Marc from -, MdFirst-ever interview with the girl in this video, including what she's doing now and never-published pics: bit.ly/41pGGit
Mavis from Bloomberg, IlIt is a very beautiful song...But it reminds me more of a Dom/Sub relationship. He wants to be her focus and only him. I'm not sure it's an under aged person necessarily, insomuch as this is a May/December relationship and she is being ridiculed for the HUGE difference in their ages. Because he is the more sexually experienced, and she perhaps, a novice, it is possible that those in her inner circle consider him to be "robbing the cradle" - hence the 'crime' reference, as well as the 'father figure' reference. So often, many May/December relationships involving younger women are judged through the Electra Complex lens, instead of through the lens of those living the relationship. Just like in "Try," there is certainly a teacher/student dynamic, but if the players are consenting adults, is it inappropriate, even if there is sexual "training" happening (as is so often the case in May/December) relationships?
Chris from Toms River, NjAnother idea it seems is being overlooked here is that this was also back closer to a time where, when a girl thought her ideal mate would be a guy that was comparable to her father.
Susan from Airdrie, -I used to love this song and had bought the cassette of Faith, listening to it over & over as a teenager. I looooved it then, but as an adult, I am sad to say I find it creepy. It does sound like he's having feelings for an underage person.
Mare Soir from Oceanside, CaMethinks this song is multilayered. The song seems to be written from the perspective of the third party. It seems that perhaps the artist or protagonist of the song's object of affection was already in love with an older man when they met. They may have met and fallen in love really fast. It probably hit them both like a tidal wave. Then one day the writer of the song was driving down the road and saw his friend with an older man. Thing is; then he disguised himself as a cab driver but the woman was so pre-occupied with the fact she fell in love with one of the most famous men/popstars in the world and realized that she had some shameful facts about her past. So instead of following her heart she spiraled deeper into her vices and fear and went back to the older man to spare her real love; love after all is eternal even if it happens in a second. And her love was so pure that she sacrificed her happiness to save the only man she ever loved from bad publicity, shame and the wrath of him maybe even when he found out about her past X amounts of mistakes. He is writing about a rival. That rival maybe in my imagination old enough to be a father figure. So he is telling her that he can be a better "Father Figure" It's a convoluted tale that can only be heard in the tone of a loved one's voice. Noone will ever really know. I believe the artist is way too private to ever let the world know. Only the artist knows the facts about the song. George Michael is a non-conformist and brilliant.
Dave from Saint Louis, MoRead the lyrics. I agree with Jesse. It's about how he's wanting to make love to an underage female. "Love can be mistaken for a crime"; "I will be your father figure / I have had enough of crime"
Eric from Beaverton, OrI like this song, but I don't really understand why someone would want to be a father figure to their significant other. It seems to me that a relationship with a significant other would work best if both people are equal in the relationship. If someone wants to be a father figure, then they should have children.
Jesse from Madison, WiI love this song for many reasons, it's EXCELLENT! But when I listen intently to the words I feel he's struggling with the desire to love or make love to an underage female, which is very heavily frowned upon in modern American society. I've listened to it dozens of times, and that's basically what I've concluded. Read between the lines on this one.
Eric from Bend, OrWhen he sings "I will be your father figure", I used to think he said "I will be your Butterfinger." :)
Bender from East West Virginia, VaIf you look close enough at, well, I cant remember when , but the model mouths the word "f@#*" my brother and I thought that was the coolest thing and we would sit and stop and rewind the vid that we taped off of MTV.
Danny from Kiev, Otherbeautiful song, I heard it yesterday on the show (25 live stadium tour)

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Hangin' ToughNew Kids On The Block

"Hangin' Tough" came at the peak of New Kids On The Block mania (1988). Their writer/producer Maurice Starr wrote it about the struggles the band faced early on. It was a #1 hit in both America and the UK.

Man In The BoxAlice in Chains

Jerry Cantrell used a talkbox to create the warbling vocal effect on the Alice in Chains song "Man In The Box."

One Tree HillU2

The TV show One Tree Hill got it's name from a song of the same name on U2's Joshua Tree album.

Pump Up The JamTechnotronic

The first Eurodance hit in America was "Pump Up The Jam" by Technotronic in 1989. It led to a wave of Eurodance hits from the likes of Black Box, Snap! and C+C Music Factory in the early '90s.

Le FreakChic

The guys from Chic wrote "Le Freak" as a message to a doorman who wouldn't let them into a club. Originally, it was "F--- Off."

LaylaDerek & the Dominos

Eric Clapton wrote "Layla" about his love for Pattie Harrison, who was married to George Harrison at the time. He eventually married Pattie, and managed to stay friends with George.