Taylor Swift announced today her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl“, due this fall. But rumors have it that she samples, English-Cypriot George Michael on the album, and no other song than ‘Father Figure’ from his 1987 album ‘Faith’. The release year is relevant for Swifties, as Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce, tight end for Kansas City Chiefs, number (87).
Father Figure was Michael’s first number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while in the UK it only peaked at 11. The lyrics of the song have been discussed as hinting toward the stigma of same-sex relationships at the time. The music video has a noir style (prominent in 1940s and 1950s American film making), where Michael played a taxi driver who had a passionate relationship with a passenger. Live versions of the song were often longer, and Michael often included gospel inspirations in them. Whether any of this hints at what Swift has up her sleeve for her 12th studio record we won’t know until the release!
What do you think? Has Swift sampled George Michael, or is she going in a completely different direction?
