Father Figure

"Father Figure"
Single by George Michael
from the album Faith
Released	January 2, 1988
Format	CD single
Recorded	1987
Genre	Pop, R&B
Length	5:40
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	George Michael
Producer	George Michael
George Michael singles chronology
"Faith" (1987) "Father Figure" (1987) "One More Try" (1988) Faith track listing "Faith" (1) "Father Figure" (2) "I Want Your Sex" (3) Twenty Five track listing "A Different Corner" (3) "Father Figure" (4) "One More Try" (5)

"Father Figure" is the U.S. number-one song written and performed by George Michael and released on Epic Records in 1987 as the third single from the album Faith.

History

"Father Figure" is a sharp and sensual tale of seduction which is more than five minutes long and epitomized the sexual nature of Michael's writing which he had adopted since the latter years of Wham!.

The song was actually supposed to be an uptempo dance track, but whilst checking his mix of the song, Michael inadvertently turned off the snare track and realized he liked the song better without it.

The video starred Vogue model Tania Coleridge.

Chart performance

Released in 1987, "Father Figure" reached number eleven in the UK singles chart - the first time Michael had failed to reach the top ten in his home country. The song remained a live favourite at Michael's concerts for many years and is also one of his most frequently aired songs on the radio in the UK.

In the U.S., "Father Figure" became George Michael's sixth number one single (counting #1 singles garnered as half of Wham!). "Father Figure" debuted at #49 on January 16, 1988, while "Faith" was still prominent (at #9) in the top tier of the chart. In the subsequent weeks, "Father Figure" was a surefire hit, reaching #1 by its seventh week, February 27, 1988, staying at the top for two weeks. Altogether, the single spent 6 weeks in the Top 10, 9 weeks in the Top 20, and 14 weeks in the Top 40.

Peak positions

Music video

The music video depicts a relationship between a cab driver (George Michael) and a high fashion model (Tania Coleridge). Various intercut flashbacks tell a backstory that, like the song, can be interpreted in various ways.

One possible interpretation is that it depicts the breakdown of a relationship. At some point in the past a cab driver and model began an unlikely but passionate relationship. The model, however, had an affair with her photographer, which she quickly regretted. The cab driver suspected the affair, followed her, and discovered the truth. At some point in the future—perhaps the next day, perhaps months later—he appears at a runway show in which she is performing, either to forgive her or to let her know he is aware of the affair.

Another interpretation is similar to the first, except that the cab driver is the one with whom she is cheating, but he is unaware of it and his discovery of it ends the relationship.

A completely different interpretation is that the cab driver is a stalker. In this interpretation, there was never a relationship between the cab driver and model in the first place, except in the cab driver's imagination. The cab driver was obsessed with the model (cutting out pictures of her in magazines and putting them on his wall, following her, etc.) and discovered that she was in a relationship with her photographer. In his mind, the cab driver substituted himself in place of her real lover, and convinced himself that they were in love. The stress of this obsession took its toll on the model. The final scene with the cab driver in the audience thus takes on a far more disturbing connotation.

George Michael and Andy Morahan won "Best Direction of a Video" at the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards for "Father Figure".

Covers and cultural references

• Parts of the intro used by Madonna in her Blonde Ambition tour in 1990 during the performance of Like a Virgin.
• "Father Figure" is also the name of a Degrassi: The Next Generation episode. The series frequently names its episodes after song titles.^[2]
• In 1993, the song was prominently sampled by P.M. Dawn on their hit "Looking Through Patient Eyes".
• The backing music and hook of the song are also sampled in LL Cool J's song "Father", from his 1997 album, Phenomenon.
• In 1993, George Michael performed an acoustic version of this song for MTV Unplugged.
• In June 2005, Tori Amos covered the song at a live performance at the Hammersmith Apollo (London, UK) and it appears in her The Original Bootlegs Box Set.
• In February 2006, the song hit #37 on the U.S. iTunes Store chart shortly after American Idol (season 5) contestant Ace Young sang it during the first final round. Young later recorded a full studio version for American Idol Season 5: Encores. Young's version of the track peaked at #108 on U.S. Billboard.
• The Top 12 American Idol season 7 sang this song at the American Idol season 7 grand finale.

Track listings

• U.S. single (CD/cassette)

1. "Father Figure" – 5:40
2. "Look at Your Hands" – 6:43

• International single (CD/cassette maxi single)

1. "Father Figure" – 5:40
2. "Father Figure" (Deep Remix) – 4:43
3. "Father Figure" (Handrix version) – 3:13
4. "Father Figure" (Cinema Remix) – 4:11

References