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Father Figure (George Michael song)

"Father Figure"
Single by George Michael
from the album Faith
B-side"Love's in Need of Love Today" (live at Wembley Arena)
Released28 December 1987 (1987-12-28)
Recorded1987
Genre
Length5:40
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)George Michael
Producer(s)George Michael
George Michael singles chronology
"Hard Day"
(1987) 		"Father Figure"
(1987) 		"One More Try"
(1988)
Music video
"Father Figure" on YouTube

"Father Figure" is a song by English singer and songwriter George Michael from his debut studio album, Faith (1987). It was released on 28 December 1987 as the album's fourth single by Columbia Records. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 11 on the UK singles chart. Additionally it was a top five hit in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain.

Background

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Michael had this to say on the genesis of "Father Figure":

The initial concept was totally different from the way the song turned out. In fact, the initial concept for 'Father Figure' was to make it a kind of mid-tempo dance track. And what happened was I wanted to hear something in my mix so I happened to cut out the snare on the board and suddenly it changed the whole entire mood of the track. Suddenly it seemed really dreamy. And this was halfway through writing it because I was writing the song as I was going along in the studio. And I just thought, well, hey, this is actually much better! So I worked the rest of the feel of the track around this spacey type sound. And it ended up, in my mind, being the most original-sounding thing on the album.[1]

Composition

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The song is an R&B ballad, and also features elements of Egyptian music and gospel.[2] On the tracks origins Michael said:

It started off with a rhythm track with a snare, and when you play it like that it sounds a bit like Prince. But 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.[3]

Chart performance

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Released in the United Kingdom in December 1987, "Father Figure" reached number eleven on the UK singles chart – the first time Michael had failed to reach the top ten in his home country.[4]

In the United States, "Father Figure" debuted on 16 January 1988 at number 49, while "Faith" was still prominent (at number nine) in the top ten of the chart. "Father Figure" reached number one on 27 February 1988, staying at the top for two weeks. Altogether, the single spent 17 weeks in the chart.[5]

Critical reception

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Sue Dando from Smash Hits wrote, "Once again, George unveils a blinding talent for wonderful sentiment and swoony lovesome lyrics, all elegantly swathed in pristine 'epic' production and the usual echoey voice-oice which trails-ails off almost every note-ote...It's in a similar 'vein' (though not nearly as good) as 'A Different Corner', it's perfect Radio Two fodder, and it will doubtless be a top ten hit."[6] In 2017, a Billboard article about the song described it as a "smoky ballad" which alluded to his status as a gay man who had not yet declared his sexuality and was operating during a homophobic time in the music industry and wider society, with journalist Barry Walters saying it "established Michael both as a nuanced grown-up and as a skilled singer-songwriter, able to intertwine racy innuendo and romantic steadfastness". He added that "on the surface, it's a traditional love ballad, the particularly passionate kind George mastered when he wrote 'Careless Whisper'", but that "like his idol and contemporary Prince, George searched for something 'sacred' in sexuality; a healing balm that will protect both him and his beloved. He aims to provide it, both with his reassuring words and steadfast delivery – whispery and intimate during the verses, commanding and declamatory during the chorus." He concluded that the song "allowed George to celebrate forbidden desires without drawing explicit attention to his own [...] Without the elements that nudge the lyric toward off-limits territory, 'Father Figure' would be a far more conventional and much less compelling song. They serve as crucial metaphors that brought George as close as he could to writing from the heart, without alienating much of his audience and the industry."[7]

Music video

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The accompanying music video for "Father Figure" depicts a relationship between a cab driver (Michael) and a high-fashion model (Tania Coleridge).[8][page needed] Various intercut flashbacks tell a backstory. Michael and Andy Morahan[9] won "Best Direction of a Video" at the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards for the video.[10]

Track listing

[edit]
  1. "Father Figure" – 5:40
  2. "Love's in Need of Love Today" (live at Wembley Arena, 1 Apr '87) – 4:42
  1. "Father Figure" – 5:40
  2. "Look at Your Hands" – 4:37
  1. "Father Figure" – 5:28
  2. "Love's in Need of Love Today" (live at Wembley Arena, 1 Apr '87) – 4:42
  3. "Father Figure" (instrumental version) – 5:28

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[41] Gold 35,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Sampled in

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References

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  1. ^ Bonson, Fred (1992). The Billboard book of number one hits. Billboard books. p. 692. ISBN 978-0823082988.
  2. ^ George Michael's Faith. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. 5 May 2022. ISBN 9781501377983.
  3. ^ "Faith: Legacy Edition (George Michael Interview Booklet, Part 3)". gmforever.com. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  4. ^ "George Michael | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  5. ^ "George Michael". Billboard. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  6. ^ Dando, Sue (30 December 1987). "Singles". Smash Hits. p. 53. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  7. ^ Walters, Barry (26 October 2017). "George Michael's 'Father Figure': When Love Meets Crime". Billboard. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  8. ^ Gavin, James (2022). George Michael: A Life. Abrams Press. ISBN 9781419747946.
  9. ^ Profile of Andy Morahan; www.andymorahan.com. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  10. ^ "MTV VMAs 1988 - MTV Video Music Awards 1988". www.awardsandshows.com. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Australian ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart – Week Ending 3rd April, 1988". ARIA, via Imgur.com. Retrieved 12 December 2019. N.B. ARIA licensed the Australian Music Report between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988.
  12. ^ "George Michael – Father Figure" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  13. ^ "George Michael – Father Figure" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  14. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0950." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  15. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8885." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  16. ^ Danish Singles Chart. 29 January 1988.
  17. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 20 February 1988. p. 69. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  18. ^ "Singlet 1988-01 tammikuu" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  19. ^ "George Michael – Father Figure" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  20. ^ "George Michael – Faith" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  21. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  22. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 10 (18. mars 1988)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir. Retrieved 26 July 2018. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  23. ^ "George Michael Chart History". RÚV. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  24. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Father Figure". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  25. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 6, 1988" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  26. ^ "George Michael – Father Figure" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  27. ^ "George Michael – Father Figure". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  28. ^ "George Michael – Father Figure". VG-lista. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  29. ^ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  30. ^ "George Michael – Father Figure". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  31. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  32. ^ "George Michael Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  33. ^ "George Michael Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  34. ^ "George Michael Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  35. ^ "George Michael Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  36. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  37. ^ Carolyn Hope. "Barry's Hits of All Decades Pop rock n roll Music Chart Hits". hitsofalldecades.com.
  38. ^ "1988 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 100, no. 52. 24 December 1988. p. Y-20.
  39. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1988". Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  40. ^ Top 50 Adult Contemporary Hits of 1988
  41. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  42. ^ "British single certifications – George Michael – Father Figure". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 December 2024.