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Why Taylor Swift's Father Figure isn't a cover but an 'interpolation'

Taylor Swift fans listen to a song during a listening event for Swift's new album 'The Life of a Showgirl' at the Astor Theatre in Melbourne on October 3, 2025. [AFP]

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 from a cover, or a song that uses sampling?

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