Taylor Swift doesn't mind doing covers, though those normally take place live and not on albums. That will somewhat change on her new album, The Life of a Showgirl. The track will not be a true cover, though, but instead she borrows the idea of another iconic music artist.
The tune (literally) that Swifties will hear on "Father Figure," the fourth track on the new record, will borrow from George Michael's 1987 hit song of the same name. Swift won't be singing the same lyrics, but will interpolate Michael's song into hers.
In other words, the song will basically be "Father Figure (Taylor's Version)." The melody from the original song will be heard in Swift's track, but won't be sampled. This should create a seamless and clean addition of Michael's idea into Swift's.
How Taylor Swift's "Father Figure" might compare to George Michael's version
George Michael, who died on Christmas Day in 2016, never stated exactly what his lyrics were about. He chose to let fans interpret his songs in their own way, and this meant a more personal experience for the listener. Instead of having to like Michael's song his way, one finds their own meaning.
What appears clear is that "Father Figure" is about being in a relationship and the narrator wanting to care for the other person in a way a father might protect a child. Who Michael was singing about at the time can be debated, and maybe no one in particular. The theme was what mattered.
We don't yet know the full lyrics of the Taylor Swift version (we will find those out on October 3 when The Life of a Showgirl is released), but we can assume (maybe not correctly) that they won't be weird or detract too much from Michael's idea. Swift is borrowing the melody, but the name of the song is the same, too.
As far as the music that George Michael used, he said in the Faith: Legacy Edition album booklet, he found some inspiration from Prince. He said, "It started off with a rhythm track with a snare, and when you play it like that it sounds a bit like Prince. I must have been listening to it without the snare and gone, 'Oh my God, that totally changes the record!' It suddenly becomes a gospel record."