Taylor Swift’s Father Figure isn’t a cover, but an ‘interpolation’. What that means – and why it matters
- Written by Timothy McKenry, Professor of Music, Australian Catholic University
On Taylor Swift’s highly-anticipated new album The Life of a Showgirl, track four, Father Figure, includes the late George Michael as one of the credited songwriters.
But Swift’s song is not a cover of Michael’s 1987 hit of the same name. Rather, it is an “interpolation”. What does this mean, and how is it different...




