In the past 35 years, hundreds of music videos have been filmed here in Canada.
Many fans remember seeing an aerial view of Toronto’s downtown core in the opening seconds of 1982’s “Subdivisions” or watching Barenaked Ladies roll through the city’s suburbs in the dead of winter for their 1991 cover of “Lovers in a Dangerous Time”?
Across the country, the Stanley Theatre on Vancouver’s Granville St. had a starring role in the first video for Bryan Adams’ 1985 single “Heaven”.
Drake has come home to make several music videos — including “Started From the Bottom” (Shoppers Drug Mart!) and “Work” with Rihanna (The Real Jerk!) — and earlier this year The Weeknd was at the University of Toronto to shoot the video for his upcoming single “Secrets.”
But it's not only homegrown artists who have made music videos in Canada. Thanks to talented crews, favourable exchange rates and generous tax incentives, record companies have brought in their artists from all over the world to make videos.
Here are 10 music videos by international acts that were shot in Canada. All tolled, they’ve racked up an astonishing 2.7 billion views on YouTube.
Adele – “Hello” (2015)
The video for the British singer’s smash hit was directed by Quebec filmmaker Xavier Dolan on a property outside Montreal. It was shot over five days in September 2015 and features both Adele and actor Tristan Wilds. The video debuted on Oct. 22, 2015 and has gone on to have nearly 2 billion views on YouTube.
Kelly Clarkson – “Already Gone” (2009)
The video for this track from her album All I Ever Wanted was shot in June 2009 inside The Carlu, a historic special event venue located in Toronto’s College Park. It was directed by Joseph Khan, who also did the video for Clarkson’s “Behind These Hazel Eyes” in Toronto in 2005. The video has topped 51.6 million views on YouTube.
Blink-182 – “First Date” (2001)
Set in California in the ‘70s, the video for “First Date” was actually made in British Columbia. Blink-182 worked for three days with The Malloys in Tsawwassen and Burnaby. The water park in the video is now known as Big Splash. It’s been seen nearly 94 million times.
Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now” (2009)
Lady Antebellum’s biggest hit has ties to Toronto, where the video was shot. Nashville photographer David McClister used the King Edward Hotel and the Patrician Grill restaurant on King Street East as locations — and filmed Hillary Scott in the back of one of the city’s Beck taxis. The video’s been viewed almost 189 million times.
Marilyn Manson – “The Beautiful People”
Shock rocker Marilyn Manson was inside a historic building at what is now Toronto’s Distillery District to make this 1996 video, which earned an MTV VMAs nomination for Best Rock Video. Directed by Toronto’s Floria Sigismondi, it’s had almost 90 million views on YouTube.
Elton John – “Blue Wonderful” (2016)
Elton John doesn’t appear at all in the video for his single “Blue Wonderful,” which was filmed on the night of Dec. 20, 2015 on Carré Richard in Châteauguay, about 25 km southeast of Montréal. Directed by Montreal’s Thibault Duverneix, it features two dancers soaring above the residential street — thanks to wires suspended from cranes that were later digitally erased. The video has been viewed more than 846,000 times.
Fall Out Boy – “Centuries” (2014)
The video for the lead single from Fall Out Boy’s album American Beauty/American Psycho was shot at the Fort Henry National Historic Site in Kingston, Ont. Seen nearly 139 million times on YouTube, the video features Toronto actor-stuntman Jon Ambrose as “the giant.”
Tears For Fears – “Head Over Heels” (1985)
UK duo Tears For Fears shot the video for “Head Over Heels” in May 1985 inside the Emmanuel College Library at the University of Toronto. Directed by Nigel Dick, it features Canadian then-model Joan Densmore as the librarian – and a chimp.
Thirty Seconds to Mars – “The Kill (Bury Me)” (2006)
For this video, the Carlu event space at Toronto’s College Park doubled as a hotel lobby (you’ll recognize the Lalique fountain from Kelly Clarkson’s “Already Gone” video). The band also shot inside an actual hotel. Reportedly inspired by The Shining, the video has had more than 90 million views on YouTube.
I Want Candy — Aaron Carter (2000)
Toronto’s Andrew MacNaughtan, who died in 2012 at only 47, directed a young Aaron Carter in the video for his cover of the 1965 song “I Want Candy.” That’s the Kingsway Theatre on Toronto’s Bloor Street West where Candy waits for Carter — and the pedal boats at Centreville near the end of the video which has garnered 1.4 million views.