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Taylor Swift<\/strong><\/a> may finally be addressing her rumored fallout with Olivia Rodrigo<\/strong><\/a>. On her new album The Life of a Showgirl<\/em><\/a>, one song in particular, \u201cFather Figure,\u201d<\/a> has fans buzzing over whether it\u2019s a pointed message to her former prot\u00e9g\u00e9.<\/p>\n The track interpolates George Michael<\/strong>\u2019s 1987 hit of the same name, but Swift gives it a sharp, sinister twist. Instead of a romantic dynamic, Swift steps into the role of a powerful industry mentor, likening herself to a mafia boss who takes a young artist under her wing. \u201cYou remind me of a younger me \/ I saw potential,\u201d she sings, establishing a bond built on loyalty \u2014 and power.<\/p>\n Like Michael\u2019s original, which featured lines about being a \u201cpreacher\u201d and \u201cteacher,\u201d Swift\u2019s version borrows the melody and some structure, earning Michael a songwriting credit alongside Swift, Max Martin<\/strong>\u00a0and Shellback<\/strong>. But this time, the \u201clove\u201d between the mentor and prot\u00e9g\u00e9 is \u201cpure profit,\u201d with Swift dropping mafia-coded threats like, \u201cYou\u2019ll be sleeping with the fishes.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout the song, Swift layers in Easter eggs. One lyric, \u201cThey don\u2019t make loyalty like they used to,\u201d mirrors a phrase fans recently decoded on Apple Music tied to her Reputation era. There are also nods to her own history of industry battles \u2014 Swift famously re-recorded her albums after losing her masters to Scooter Braun<\/strong><\/a>, eventually buying them back in May. The George Michael interpolation may also be a wink to his own legal fight with Sony in the \u201990s, when he claimed the company treated him like \u201ca piece of software.\u201d<\/p>\n Fans immediately connected \u201cFather Figure\u201d to Swift\u2019s real-life history with Rodrigo. The pair were close in early 2021, with Rodrigo often referring to Swift as her idol. But later that year, Rodrigo retroactively gave Swift and Jack Antonoff<\/strong> songwriting credits \u2014 and hundreds of thousands in royalties \u2014 for two interpolations on her debut album Sour.<\/em> After that, their friendship seemingly fizzled, and the two have not interacted publicly since.<\/p>\n Many believe Rodrigo\u2019s 2023 track \u201cthe grudge\u201d offered her perspective, with the lyric, \u201cYou built me up to watch me fall \/ You have everything and you still want more.\u201d Now, Swift\u2019s \u201cFather Figure\u201d seems to return the serve. She ends the track with a chilling finale: \u201cYou made a deal with this devil, turns out my d*ck\u2019s bigger \/ You want a fight, you\u2019ve found it \/ I\u2019ve got the place surrounded \/ You\u2019ll be sleeping with the fishes before you know you\u2019re drowning.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n