Songoftheday 11/6/15 - That's all I wanted, something special something sacred in your eyes...

"Father Figure" - George Michael
from the album Faith (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 13

Today's song of the day is by George Michael, whose first solo album after dismantling Wham!, Faith, had already spun off a #2 hit with "I Want Your Sex" as well as the chart-topping title track. The third single from the record pushed his musical boundaries way farther than his "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" days.

"Father Figure", written and produced by George, was a seductive come-on track that explored a side of sex that few mainstream pop stars had dared to tread, let alone one who was deep in the closet at the time. The video continued him streak of including gorgeous models in his clips...

"Father Figure" became the second #1 pop hit in America from Faith in February of 1988. The single also climbed to #6 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart, as well as #3 on their Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio list. The 12" single peaked at #13 on the magazine's Dance Club Play chart as well. Internationally, the single climbed to #2 in Canada, Ireland, and the Netherlands, #4 in Spain, #5 in Australia, and surprisingly his first to miss the top-10 in his native England at #11 (and #13 in Germany).

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Here's George performing the song at the Prince's Trust concert in 1988...

...and again at Rock At Rio in 1991...

Alt-hip-hop duo PM Dawn interpolated the melody of the song into their single "Looking Through Patient Eyes", which went to #6 on the pop chart in America in 1993...

 George included "Father Figure" in his MTV Unplugged appearance in 1996...

In 1997, rapper LL Cool J sampled "Father Figure" in his single "Father", which peaked at #18 on the Hot 100, #12 on the R&B chart, and #1 on Billboard's Rap Singles Chart...

In the mid-00's, Tori Amos covered the song live on tour...

and lastly, here he is in 2008...

Up tomorrow: a British band is doing some dialing.