Top 10 Most Creative Music Videos Filmed in Paris

Top 10 Most Creative Music Videos Filmed in Paris

Paris is a city that inspires so much art and creatives flock here for all types of inspiration. It’s no wonder many musicians choose the city of light as the filming location for their music videos. Here are 10 of the most creative music videos filmed in Paris. Check them out and see if you recognize any of the the streets and landmarks!

10. Lizzo- Paris

Courtesy of YouTube

This isn’t one of Lizzo’s most well known songs, however it’s fun to see the pop sensation running through the neighborhoods of Paris in black and white.

“Have you ever been to Paris? Me neither,” Lizzo says while running freely through the Parisian streets.

It’s fun to watch because it wasactually  filmed back in 2014 before the singer became a worldwide sensation. It’s a modest representation of an artist on tour in Paris.

We get shots of Lizzo looking stylish walking around some locations in Paris including a shot of her waiting at the Bir Hakeim Metro station!

She heads to the Eiffel Tower, makes Parisian friends on the metro, and drinks a bottle of champagne at the Pont Neuf riverbank. It’s a lot of drinking and enjoying life which is what the French capital is known for!

9. Migos- Cross the Country

courtesy of YouTube

This video is basically just Migos living the luxurious life in Paris’s fanciest neighborhoods, the 16th and 7th districts.

There’s bling, stacks of cash, and the sparkling Eiffel Tower behind some pretty fashionable and talented rappers. They’re living their best lives taking in the sites and sounds, playing at various nightclubs. They don’t stray far from the Arc de Triomphe as that is likely where they played most of their sets!

The production value isn’t even anything out of control which is why I’ve added it to the list. Though flashy, it’s still a bit humble, simply featuring Migos having a grand ol’ time around Paris at night, doing whatever it is successful artists do (party!). Not to mention the song is upbeat! I like the video for it’s casual fun vibe showing musicians just enjoying themselves while featuring a nighttime Paris and club life, a part of the city often not portrayed on video.

8. Lily Allen- F*** You

Pardon my French, but this is one of Lily Allen’s most popular songs off of her 2009 album, It’s Not Me, It’s You. I remember being in France that summer and this video was on repeat on some of France’s music television channels.

Though you might not know the song, it’s extremely catchy and if it sounds familiar that’s because it was featured in the 2014 film Love, Rosie and in the 2016 film Bridget Jones’s Baby. 

The video is filmed throughout Paris and is presented from Lily’s point of view as she walks through the streets, altering reality. It’s artistic, quirky, and representative of the feelings the artist feels towards a hateful society.

She starts by stepping out of her hotel room and walking the streets of Paris, in an indistinguishable arrondissement. Throughout the video, Allen warps the shape and size of her surroundings using her hands and it’s all shot from her own perspective. 

It’s entertaining to watch how she distorts people’s heads and bodies who pass her on the streets, which sounds bizarre out of context.

She walks through a park that appears to be in Saint Germain, through the streets of Le Marais, and in the most memorable scene, she alters the Eiffel Tower’s and Lady Liberty’s shape from the Pont de Grenelle bridge.

The song is fun and the video is a creative take on what could have beena  typical video of Paris. While most music videos showcase Paris in a romantic, fairy tale light, this one offers a more unconventional point of view, which is why it is so memorable.

7. Indilia- La Dernière Danse

courtesy of YouTube

Dernière Danse is a song from French singer-songwriter Indilia, and is extremely well known in France. The video came out in 2014 and features the singer throughout Paris. It made waves in French entertainment and was often played on music video channels, garnering a staggering 576 million views on YouTube since its release.

The video starts with Indilia being kicked out of her own home by her mother. With a single suitcase in hand, she beautifully captures the pain of being alone in the city. Being Paris, it starts raining and she’s left wandering without an umbrella, looking awfully sad. We see her around the city streets and most notably the Montmartre neighborhood looking over Paris.

There are some cool special effects with bursts of storm clouds hovering over the city, acting as a symbol for the dark period she is experiencing in her life. She sings about abandoning herself in Paris and longing for what seems like a lost love. It’s miserable and full of sorrow, but also beautiful.

At the end the lyrics take a turn for the better, as she sings about leaving her fears behind and dancing with the wind and rain, embracing the storm that is life.

If you haven’t heard the song, go ahead and give it a listen!

6. Ben Rector- Paris

Courtesy of YouTube

For those of you that don’t know Ben Rector, I highly recommend listening to his romantic song Paris while walking around somewhere charming like the Jardin de Tuileries.  This beautiful song comes off his 2015 album, Brand New. The music video is in the style of an old film, with the antique static crackle sound present in the intro. You know you’re about to watch something really romantic as soon as you see the couple pack their bags for a sweet French getaway.

The song is about just that. Two young lovers discovering their love in the city of light. They arrive to their charming Parisian apartment, walk through the cobblestone streets admiring every store they pass. They get all the most sought after tourist pictures, too. The one standing in the middle of the Champs Elysees, walking up the stairs of the Love Lock Bridge. It’s summer in Paris as Ben cracks open a bottle of wine on the Seine, then takes his lady to the Tuileries carnival.

We get the duo standing in front of the Eiffel Tower as it sparkles, then fireworks light up the sky for Bastille day.

The best part of this video is that this is real  footage of Ben Rector’s runaway vacation to Paris with his real wife!

It’s a love song you can tell was inspired by a true experience and its tangible through the beautiful lyrics and melody.  It’s such a feel good song you will likely want to listen to over and over again, and the video is just as great!

5. Shawn Mendes- There’s Nothing Holding Me Back

Courtesy of YouTube

Shawn Mendes is a mega pop sensation, and did you know he chose Paris as the filming location for one of his most popular songs?  The video features Mendes and British actress Ellie Bamber gallivanting around Europe young and in love. As of October 2019, the music video has received over 840 million views!

The pair dances around the Bir Hakeim bridge, frolicking near the sparkling Eiffel Tower at night, and hopping on and off the metro without keeping their young hands off each other. It’s cliché but cute, and fun to see one of the biggest stars in pop music enjoying the landmarks we Parisians experience every day.

4. Lana Del Rey- Born To Die

Courtesy of Youtube

Lana Del Rey is one of the most creative female artists of today’s music scene, so it’s no surprise Paris made the cut for one of her videos! Though the video came out during the release of her first studio album back in 2012, the songstress had a pretty high budget for this video. She shot it at none other than the Chateau Fontainebleau right outside of Paris!

The music video depicts Lana with her lover in an embrace in front of the American flag, then directly cuts to her alone in the castle throne room with a couple of tigers at her feet. And yes, those are real tigers!

Lana and her man are seen outside the chateau getting steamy in her old fashioned Mustang. The throne room represents a “heaven” for the singer, while the other scenes are a bit more raw, showing the reality of her messy love affair.

The video turns dark, which might be anticipated given the title. Towards the end of the video, the man is shown holding a bloody corpse of Del Rey while the car is on fire behind them. Not exactly what most people expect from a castle date, but this is Lana Del Rey we’re talking about! We love her macabre aesthetic and this video is one of her best.

3. Adele- Someone Like You

courtesy of YouTube

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This one is pretty iconic. Besides Adele’s Someone Like You being the breakup song of the decade, the video itself was a work of art and completely captured the heartbreaking but beautiful sadness in the lyrics.

In the video, completely shot in black and white, our favorite ballad queen Adele strolls down the famous Quai D’Orsay and the Pont Alexandre III.

Using Paris as a background in this context provokes a sense of loneliness and departed romance.

During the second chorus, Adele stops singing and starts longingly over the Seine river. Once she crosses the bridge, she continues walking alone through the streets, clearly heartbroken in the city of love.

At the end of the video, Adele enters a café, in which she sees her ex-lover. After he sees her, he starts to walk away while Adele looks on in sadness.

It’s simple yet stunning, and every time I cross this bridge I find myself singing the chorus to myself. And let’s face it, Adele’s music is so gorgeous it can make you fall in love with someone you walk past on the street.

2. The Carters- Apes**t

Photo courtesy of Rolling Stone

It’s common knowledge that Beyonce goes above and beyond with everything she creates. So it was no surprise that the most influential entertainment figure in the world shut down the Louvre museum to film the video for Apes**t, along with her husband, Jay-Z.

The 6 minute long music video is an artistic gem, opening with sounds of Parisian ambulances and images of the delicate Louvre painted murals. Of course we get the Mona Lisa, as the camera pans out on Beyonce and Jay-Z standing right in front of her.

They got the star treatment, as the crowds surrounding the Mona Lisa are usually packed and catching a glimpse up close requires some serious patience.

We get shots of familiar exhibits in the museum. It’s an interesting concoction of juxtapositions, with nude women dancing in front of these ancient works of art, which is part of the video’s statement and what makes it so iconic . Jay Z also raps outside the famous pyramid while Beyonce dances inside. It was one of 2018’s most memorable videos, and and the duo helped boost the Louvre to a record number of visitors!

1. Taylor Swift- Begin Again

Photo courtesy of Billboard.com

Taylor Swift’s music is the epitome of young romance, so it’s no surprised she filmed the video for one of her best songs in the heart of Paris.

Begin Again is from Taylor’s 2012 album Red, and opens with Taylor alone on the love lock bridge. It’s early in the morning, and there’s a sense of calm in the air as Taylor looks onto the Seine, probably thinking about all the cute French boys who might sweep her off her feet.

There’s no one around, which is pretty unrealistic for a morning in one of the most populated cities in the world, but we’ll let it slide because it’s Taylor Swift. She rides her bike through the streets of Saint Germain, and then we see her sitting at a cute Parisian cafe.

She’s got a pen in hand drawing little Eiffel Towers and is sipping a macchiato looking so chic. The handsome French man at the table nearby takes notice and approaches, thus begining Taylor Swift’s romantic Parisian montage.

If only finding love here was as easy as sitting at a cafe with a pen, paper and pretty chiffon blouse!

We then see Taylor sitting on the rooftop of what seems to be the Galleries Lafayette at sunset, wearing a dreamy purple gown as the Eiffel Tower sparkles in the distance behind her. Throughout the video, Taylor explores Paris with her newfound love, crossing Invalides, and strolling hand in hand down some cute narrow streets.

This music video shows the artist in a state of euphoria, and the Parisian backdrop helps bring out these emotions that one feels when they are in love. It’s picturesque videos like these that give Paris such a big romantic legacy to live up to! If only real life were like the Begin Again music video…