Shawn Colvin is a respected American folk singer-songwriter whose place on this list is a clear case of measurement rather than judgement. With a long, acclaimed career and multiple Grammy awards, she is admired by critics and fellow musicians alike for her thoughtful songwriting. She is anything but a one-off.
But streaming gathers around one song. "Sunny Came Home", released in 1996, is a beautifully crafted folk-rock song with a dark, quietly dramatic story at its heart, and it became her breakthrough hit, winning Grammys for both Record and Song of the Year.
On streaming, "Sunny Came Home" sits near 57 million plays, while her next most-streamed track trails at around five million. That sends the ratio above 11, far past our 5.0 line.
So by our strict, numbers-only measure, Shawn Colvin registers as a certified one-hit wonder, and we flag the caveat firmly. This is a gifted, decorated artist with a deep and admired catalogue. It is only that one Grammy-winning folk song reached the wider public far beyond the rest of her work, and on streams it now stands well ahead.