Father Figure (George Michael song)

Last updated

"Father Figure"
Father Figure.jpg
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
Label Columbia
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.

Contents

Background

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

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

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

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

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

  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

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [41] Gold35,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [42] Silver200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Sampled in

Related Research Articles

<i>Faith</i> (George Michael album) 1987 studio album by George Michael

Faith is the debut solo studio album by the English singer George Michael, released on 2 November 1987 by Columbia Records and Epic Records. In addition to playing various instruments on the album, Michael wrote and produced every track on the recording except for one, "Look at Your Hands", which he co-wrote with David Austin. A pop album with influences of R&B, funk and soul music, Faith's songs include introspective lyrics, which generated controversies about Michael's personal relationships at that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Want Your Sex</span> 1987 single by George Michael

"I Want Your Sex" is a song by English singer and songwriter George Michael. Released as a single on 18 May 1987 (US) and 1 June 1987 (UK), it was the third hit from the soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop II and the first single from Michael's debut solo album Faith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Will Save the Day</span> 1988 single by Whitney Houston

"Love Will Save the Day" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston from her second multi-platinum studio album Whitney (1987). The song was released in May 1988 by Arista Records as the album's fifth single. The song did not have a music video but was still successful, climbing into the US top ten. Written by Toni C and produced by John "Jellybean" Benitez, it is one of the uptempo singles on the album that also includes "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" and "So Emotional".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom! '90</span> 1990 single by George Michael

"Freedom! '90" is a song written, produced, and performed by English singer-songwriter George Michael, and released by Columbia Records in October 1990. The "'90" added to the end of the title is to prevent confusion with a hit by Michael's former band Wham!, also entitled "Freedom". The song's backing beat is a sample from James Brown's song "Funky Drummer".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easy (Commodores song)</span> 1977 single by the Commodores

"Easy" is a song by American band Commodores from their fifth studio album, Commodores (1977), released on the Motown label. Group member Lionel Richie wrote "Easy" with the intention of it becoming another crossover hit for the group given the success of a previous single, "Just to Be Close to You", which spent two weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go</span> 1984 single by Wham!

"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" is a song by English pop duo Wham!, first released as a single in the UK on 14 May 1984. It became their first UK and US number one hit. It was written and produced by George Michael. The single was certified platinum in the US, which at the time commemorated sales of over two million copies. The music video features Michael and bandmate Andrew Ridgeley wearing oversized message T-shirts created by Katharine Hamnett, starting a craze covered in the 2002 VH1 series I Love the 80s. The song was ranked number 28 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Praying for Time</span> 1990 single by George Michael

"Praying for Time" is a song written, produced, and performed by English singer and songwriter George Michael, released on Epic Records in the United Kingdom and Columbia Records in the United States in 1990. It was the first single from his second studio album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1990), spending one week at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it Michael's eighth number one in the US and his last solo single to reach the top of the Hot 100. "Praying for Time" also reached number one in Canada for two weeks, becoming Michael's penultimate number-one solo hit there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith (George Michael song)</span> 1987 single by George Michael

"Faith" is a song by English singer and songwriter George Michael. Written and produced by Michael, it was released via Columbia Records as the second single from his 1987 debut solo album of the same name. It held the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks and, according to Billboard magazine, was the number-one single of the year in the United States in 1988. The song also reached number one in Australia and Canada and number two on the UK Singles Chart. In 2001, it placed at number 322 on the Songs of the Century list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fastlove</span> 1996 single by George Michael

"Fastlove" is a song by English singer-songwriter George Michael, released on 22 April 1996 by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom and by DreamWorks Records in the United States as the second single from his third album, Older (1996). Written by Michael, Patrice Rushen, Freddie Washington and Terri McFaddin and produced by Michael and Jon Douglas, the song interpolates Rushen's 1982 single "Forget Me Nots".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One More Try (George Michael song)</span> 1988 single by George Michael

"One More Try" is a song recorded by English singer and songwriter George Michael from his debut solo studio album, Faith (1987). It was released on 11 April 1988 as the album's fourth single by Columbia Records. The song hit number one on all of the US Billboard Hot 100, the Hot Black Singles and the Hot Adult Contemporary charts. Its music video was directed by Tony Scott and filmed in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Got It</span> 1989 single by Roy Orbison

"You Got It" is a song from American singer Roy Orbison's 22nd studio album, Mystery Girl (1989). The song was released posthumously on January 3, 1989, after Orbison's death from a heart attack on December 6, 1988. The song was issued with "The Only One" as the B-side and was later released with "Crying". The single reached number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Adult Contemporary chart, returning Orbison to the top 10 for the first time in 25 years. "You Got It" also reached number three on the UK Singles Chart and entered the top five in 10 other countries. Although it is an Orbison solo single, Orbison's fellow Traveling Wilburys bandmates Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne co-wrote the song and played instruments on the record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Michael discography</span>

English singer-songwriter George Michael's releases consist of five studio albums, two compilation albums, one extended play, 44 singles, six promotional singles, 36 music videos, and five video albums. In his career, Michael sold an estimated 100 million to 125 million records worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling artists of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heartbreak Hotel (Whitney Houston song)</span> 1998 single by Whitney Houston featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price

"Heartbreak Hotel" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston. Originally written for inclusion on TLC's third studio album FanMail, it was later recorded by Houston after TLC rejected the song. The song was written by Carsten Schack, Kenneth Karlin and Tamara Savage, and produced by Soulshock & Karlin. It was released on December 15, 1998, by Arista Records, as the second single from Houston's 1998 album My Love Is Your Love. The song prominently features R&B singers Faith Evans and Kelly Price during the choruses and bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monkey (song)</span> 1988 single by George Michael

"Monkey" is a US number-one hit song by English singer and songwriter George Michael. It was released as a single in 1988 and reached number-one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. "Monkey" debuted at number 42 on 9 July 1988, reaching number-one for two weeks, beginning on 27 August 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Tear Us Apart</span> 1988 single by INXS

"Never Tear Us Apart" is a power ballad by Australian rock band INXS, released in June 1988 by WEA as the fourth single from their sixth studio album, Kick (1987). The music was written by keyboardist Andrew Farriss, and the lyrics were written by vocalist Michael Hutchence for his then-girlfriend, Michele Bennett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This Kiss (Faith Hill song)</span> 1998 song by Faith Hill

"This Kiss" is a song by American country music singer Faith Hill from her third studio album Faith. It was written by Beth Nielsen Chapman, Robin Lerner and Annie Roboff, and produced by Hill and Byron Gallimore. It was released on February 23, 1998, as the album's first single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith Hill discography</span>

American country music singer Faith Hill has released seven studio albums, four compilation albums, and 46 singles. All of Hill's studio albums have been certified Gold or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Said I Loved You... But I Lied</span> 1993 single by Michael Bolton

"Said I Loved You... But I Lied" is a song by American pop music singer Michael Bolton. The song was co-written and co-produced by Bolton and Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Released in October 1993 by Columbia Records as the first single from his ninth album, The One Thing (1993), the single topped the American and Canadian adult contemporary charts, reached the top 10 in the United States and in three other countries, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Greatest Love of All</span> Popular song by Michael Masser and Linda Creed

"The Greatest Love of All" is a song written by Michael Masser, who composed the music, and Linda Creed, who wrote the lyrics. It was originally recorded in 1977 by George Benson, who made the song a substantial hit, peaking at number two on the US Hot Soul Singles chart that year, the first R&B chart top-ten hit for Arista Records. The song was written and recorded to be the main theme of the 1977 film The Greatest, a biopic of the boxer Muhammad Ali, and is performed during the opening credits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitney Houston singles discography</span>

American singer Whitney Houston, known as "The Voice", released 57 singles as a leading artist and 4 as a featured artist. Houston is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 220 million records sold worldwide. In the United States, Houston amassed 11 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, all of whom have been certified either gold, platinum, multi-platinum or diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America and was one of a selected group of artists to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in four different decades. She is currently ranked in seventh place of the artists with the most number one singles in the history of the Billboard Hot 100. Prior to the introduction of digital singles, Houston sold 16.5 million physical singles in the country, the most ever by a female recording artist. In October 2012, the Official Charts Company claimed Houston was the fourth biggest-selling female singles artist of all time with a sales total of 8.5 million singles in that country.

References

  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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  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 22 July 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.