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Six Degrees of U of T: The U of T Alumni Playlist

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Natalie Ha
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Vanessa Wen
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Toronto chapter.

 

U of T has some famous alumni who have gone on to work with some of Hollywood’s most famous musicians but we’ll bet you didn’t know that the people behind some of these songs were U of T grads!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5aZJBLAu1E

“It’s Raining Men” – the Weather Girls

No, the Weather Girls did not attend U of T but the co-writer of this famous song, Paul Shaffer, did!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfrGZuFrJnE

“All You Did Was Save My Life”- Our Lady Peace  

Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace attended U of T’s criminology program before joining Our Lady Peace, one of Canada’s most famous bands. Aside from his music, Maida has also devoted a substantial amount of his time to working with War Child.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4kVoIlK50M

“Whatever it Takes”- the Degrassi Theme Song

Over the years, a number of the actors from Degrassi have attended U of T and so did executive producers Stephen Stohn and Linda Schuyler. There’s even a fictional Toronto University on Degrassi and anyone who has seen an episode of Degrassi over the years (and really, who hasn’t?) is familiar with the show’s catchy theme song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0cugZBLTw8

“Love, Pain and the Whole Damn Thing”- Amy Sky

Amy Sky graduated from U of T’s faculty of music and has since written music for everyone from Olivia Newton-John and Belinda Carlisle to Reba McEntire and Cyndi Lauper. Here is her 1998 song “Love, Pain and the Whole Damn Thing” which reached #23 on the Canadian charts that year.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avaSdC0QOUM

“I’m On a Boat”- the Lonely Island

Did you know that SNL creator and producer, Lorne Michaels, went to U of T? Well, he did. In addition to SNL, Michaels has also been an executive producer on shows like Portlandia, 30 Rock and the Kids in the Hall. He also produced Mean Girls, which coincidentally, was partially shot at U of T.

 
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Natalie has recently completed her second year at the University of Toronto with a double major in History and Ethics, Society, and Law. She is excited to bring Her Campus to U of T and seeing it expand its presence in Canada. She is also active in the school's Model United Nations circles and numerous organizations off campus and is best described as a political and pop culture junkie. Born and raised in Toronto, she is blindingly proud of everything the city has to offer including the best school in the country, no matter what Macleans says, and its sports teams, no matter how many times they may lose or miss the playoffs.
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Vanessa Wen

U Toronto

Vanessa is a third year student at the University of Toronto. She is majoring in Employment Relations with double minors in Sociology and Human Geography. She is excited to start the Fall 2012 year as the new Campus Correspondent after a year of being a contributing writer for the Chapter. She will be studying abroad at the University of Oxford during the summer of 2012, hoping to come back with many experiences to write about. Aside from her studies and Her Campus responsibilities, Vanessa has a great appreciation for style, health and fitness, travel, and the finest dining experiences Toronto has to offer.