Father Figure (song)
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| “Father Figure” | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by George Michael from the album Faith |
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| Released | 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format | CD single | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Pop, Contemporary R&B | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 5:40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Label | Columbia | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | George Michael | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Producer | George Michael | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| George Michael singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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"Father Figure" is a 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.
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[edit] History
"Father Figure" is a sharp and sensual tale of seduction which is more than five minutes long and epitomised 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 the snare drum was accidentally left out of the mix during recording, turning it into the slow and rather ethereal tune it is known for being.
The video starred Vogue model Tania Coleridge.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Peak positions
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Top 40[1] | 2 |
| United States Hot 100 | 1 |
| United States Hot Dance Club Play | 13 |
| United States Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 6 |
| United States Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 3 |
| UK Single Charts | 11 |
| United World Chart | 1 |
[edit] Music Video
The music video begins with a brief time-lapse scene of a city landscape. A well-dressed woman (model Tania Coleridge) hails a cab, driven by George Michael. As he drives her through the city, the shot is interrupted by images of George Michael cutting photographs of Coleridge from magazines. The remainder of the video alternates between scenes of Coleridge modeling (photo shoots, catwalks) and sex scenes with George Michael.
George Michael and Andy Morahan won "Best Direction of a Video" at the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards for "Father Figure."
[edit] Covers & cultural references
- "Father Figure" is also the name of a Degrassi: The Next Generation episode. The series frequently names its episodes after song titles. [1]
- 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.
[edit] Track listings
- U.S. single (CD/cassette):
- "Father Figure" – 5:40
- "Look at your Hands" – 6:43
- International single (CD/cassette Maxi single):
- "Father Figure" – 5:40
- "Father Figure (Deep Remix)" – 4:43
- "Father Figure (handrix verison)" – 3:13
- "Father Figure (Cinema Remix) " – 4:11
| Preceded by "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" by Belinda Carlisle |
United World Chart number one single February 20, 1988 - March 12, 1988 |
Succeeded by "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" by Billy Ocean |
| Preceded by "Seasons Change" by Exposé |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single February 27, 1988 |
Succeeded by "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley |
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