"Piano in the Dark" is a song by American singer-songwriter Brenda Russell (featuring backing vocals by Joe Esposito). It was the first single to be taken from Russell's 1988 album, '' Get Here''.

Song information

Russell, believing "that in every title there's a song somewhere," made a habit of "collecting" interesting phrases she heard and placing them in a notebook for potential song titles. It was through this process that she wrote the lyrics to "Piano in the Dark" as the title seemed to fit with the music her co-writers sent her. In the early stages Russell did not understand what the title would refer to, eventually deciding it was about Initially "Gravity" was planned to be released as the first single, however

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pushed to have "Piano" released instead, feeling that it better represented her as an artist. "Piano in the Dark" was released in early 1988, nine years after Russell's previous charting single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (1979's "So Good, So Right"). The song gained heavy airplay and became Russell's biggest hit, peaking at number 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 8 on the

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and number 3 on the

Adult Contemporary Chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

. The song was also a moderate hit in the UK, peaking at number 23. The song earned Russell two

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nominations in 1989, including one for Song of the Year.

Music video

There are two music videos. The first version, filmed in black-and-white, shows Brenda looking depressed in her apartment as she tosses cards in a derby and thinks about her lover, a long-haired blond man playing on the piano. The second video was filmed in color and mostly shown in the US where a smiling Brenda is shown performing with her band (including Joe Esposito) in a dimly lit nightclub with many people during a thunderstorm at night.

Charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control Songs about musicians Songs about pianos 1988 singles Brenda Russell songs Pop ballads Contemporary R&B ballads Soul ballads Songs written by Scott Cutler Songs written by Brenda Russell Black-and-white music videos 1987 songs A&M Records singles Quiet storm songs 1980s ballads