Brenda Russell is an American singer and songwriter whose place on this list undersells a respected, Grammy-nominated career. A gifted writer admired by her peers, she penned songs recorded by many artists and later co-wrote the acclaimed musical The Color Purple. She is far more than a single song.
But streaming gathers around one hit. "Piano in the Dark", released in 1988, is a sophisticated, jazz-tinged pop ballad, and it became a top-ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, her most successful and best-known recording.
On streaming, "Piano in the Dark" sits near 60 million plays, while her next most-streamed track trails at around three million. That sends the ratio above 17, far past our 5.0 line.
So by our strict, numbers-only measure, Brenda Russell registers as a certified one-hit wonder, and we flag the caveat firmly. This is a skilled, respected artist and songwriter with a deep catalogue and a notable second act in musical theatre. It is only that one elegant pop ballad reached the wider public far beyond the rest of her work, and on streams it stands well ahead.