There’s so much talent in Canada, whether it’s comedy, acting or … any art form, really.
Over the past few decades, Canada has really emerged as a music powerhouse; it’s amazing how often a Canadian musician is topping the charts. Interestingly, eight of the top 10 best selling Canadian music albums of all time are by women (and four of those by the same woman!).
In honour of next week’s Canadian Music Week, we’ve compiled the Top 10 Canadian music albums. Take a gander — and perhaps a listen — below.
(Ed. Note: Nielsen Music Canada, in collaboration with Billboard, compiled a list of the top-selling Canadian albums from 1996-2016. The top overall Canadian albums list combines physical and digital album sales.)
1. Shania Twain – Come On Over
Shania Twain’s Come On Over was released on Nov. 4, 1997, and it is the best-selling studio album by a female artist and the best-selling album of the 1990s. It’s also the best-selling country music album of all time and the best selling album by a Canadian. Twain’s album was listed as no. 21 in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame’s Definitive 200. Her third studio album includes hits like Man! I Feel Like a Woman!, You’re Still The One and Don’t Be Stupid. It also includes her massive 1998 hit That Don’t Impress Me Much, which Twain recently revealed that Brad Pitt’s nude photos inspired the song. — KS
2. Céline Dion – Let’s Talk About Love
Céline Dion’s Let’s Talk About Love is the fifth English-language studio album by the singer, released on Nov. 14, 1997. This album features My Heart Will Go On, the main theme song from the film Titanic. The song became Dion’s biggest hit and one of the best-selling singles of all time. My Heart Will Go On won the 1997 Academy Award for Best Original Song. It also dominated the 1999 Grammy Awards, winning Record of the Year — marking the first time the honour was won by a Canadian — as well as Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television. — KS
3. Shania Twain – Up!
On the heels of 1997’s Come on Over, Twain’s Up! was released in 2002 to eager audiences. At this point, the country-music singer was a worldwide sensation, and this album made her the only female artist to ever have three back-to-back diamond albums. It sold a staggering 874,000 copies in its first week of release. — CJ
4. Sarah McLachlan – Surfacing
McLachlan was at her peak in the mid-1990s, and her songs were everywhere — featured on TV and in movies, and beyond. Surfacing, released in 1997, was McLachlan’s fourth album and arguably her most successful. Coinciding with the female-only Lilith Fair, McLachlan emerged as one of the most powerful musical voices of the era. To this day, singles Angel, Building a Mystery, Adia and Sweet Surrender are still part of the Canadian music lexicon. — CJ
5. Avril Lavigne – Let Go
Let Go is the debut album of the Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, released on June 4, 2002. This album is featured among the 200 Definitive Albums of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and it landed Lavigne eight Grammy nominations. Let Go features hit songs, such as Complicated, Sk8er Boi and I’m With You from the Napanee singer. — KS
6. Céline Dion – All The Way – A Decade Of Song
Of course, considering that so much of Dion’s discography is in the Top 10, it only makes sense that her greatest hits album from 1999 would be on here, too. (All the Way … actually contains seven brand-new recordings.) The well-known, upbeat That’s the Way It Is was the album’s first single, and went on to become one of Dion’s most recognized tunes. — CJ
7. Michael Bublé – Christmas
This is Michael Bublé’s second Christmas-themed release, following his five-track project, Let It Snow. Bublé won a Juno Award for Album of the Year, making it the first holiday album to win the award. As soon as it’s appropriate to listen to Christmas music, you can hear this album playing throughout the malls and on the radio. — KS
8. Our Lady Peace – Clumsy
The second studio album from the grunge rockers, 1997’s Clumsy was a defining collection of songs following the band’s debut album, Naveed. The very popular single Superman’s Dead (above) led the charge, and Our Lady Peace was one of a handful of Canadian bands to help define the 1990s rock sound in the country. It is their best-selling album to date. — CJ
9. Céline Dion – Falling Into You
This was an epic album upon its release in 1996, and took place at Dion’s height of fame. With immensely popular tracks, like It’s All Coming Back to Me Now and Because You Loved Me, it’s no surprise it won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and Best Pop Album. It also made it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Definitive 200 List. — CJ
10. Céline Dion – These Are Special Times
These Are Special Times is the sixth English-language studio album and the first English-language Christmas album by Dion. The album was released on Oct. 30, 1998, and it only took nine days for the Canadian singer to record the album in Miami. Dion worked with David Foster, Ric Wake, R. Kelly and Bryan Adams to produce the popular Christmas album. This album is one of the best-selling Christmas albums of all time. — KS