Is Taylor Swift's "Father Figure" About Olivia Rodrigo? Here's The Theory
"You remind me of a younger me. I saw potential."
It seems Taylor Swift is no longer staying quiet about her rumored fallout with Olivia Rodrigo. On one of her new The Life of a Showgirl songs, the pop star sings about a former protégé who betrayed her trust. Naturally, the lyrics quickly caught the attention of anyone familiar with Swift and Rodrigo’s backstory.
On “Father Figure,” Swift interpolates George Michael’s 1987 love song of the same name, turning it into an ode to a more professional relationship. Swift imagines herself as a mafia-like boss, who offers her protection to a young talent. She’s drawn to this newbie after recognizing something similar in her: “You remind me of a younger me / I saw potential.”
As Swift takes this pupil under her wing, she helps her thrive in the predatory music business: “I can make deals with the devil because my d*ck’s bigger.” Swift also warns her mini-me that they need to stick together against a system trying to tear them apart: “Said they wanna see you rise, but they don’t want you to reign / I showed you all the tricks of the trade / All I asked for is your loyalty / My dear protégé.”
However, the young star ends up turning on Swift. “I saw a change in you / They don’t make loyalty like they used to ... To fulfill your dreams / You had to get rid of me.”
The story seems to mirror what fans believe happened between Swift and Rodrigo in 2021. At the beginning of that year, the two singers had developed a quick friendship, a connection so strong that Swifties still refer to Rodrigo as the original “Taydaughter.” But towards the end of the year, Rodrigo was forced to pay Swift hundreds of thousands in royalties for two interpolations of her songs.
After that, Rodrigo and Swift suddenly stopped interacting with one another. They haven’t spoken publicly about their relationship, although fans believe Rodrigo’s 2023 song “the grudge” represents her take on what happened, with lyrics like: “You built me up to watch me fall / You have everything and you still want more.”
Swift ends “Father Figure” by taking out her once-loyal follower without mercy: “You made a deal with this devil, turns out my d*ck’s bigger / You want a fight, you’ve found it / I’ve got the place surrounded / You’ll be sleeping with the fishes before you know you’re drowning.”
Sound like Swift could only be a father figure for so long.
