… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least four different artists who recorded under this name:
1. Sylvia Jane Hutton Kirby (born December 9, 1956), also known mononymously as Sylvia, is an American country music and country pop singer and songwriter. Her biggest hit (a crossover chart topper), was her single "Nobody" in 1982. It reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 5 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, number 9 on the Cashbox Top 100, and number 1 on the Billboard Country Singles chart. The song earned her a gold record certification and a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Her other country chart hits include "Drifter" (number one in 1981), "Fallin' in Love", "Tumbleweed" and "Snapshot". She was named Female Vocalist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music for 1982. She is also credited with making the first "concept" music video clip to air on Country Music Television (CMT), with "The Matador".
When her contract with RCA ended, Sylvia took a break from touring and recording to focus on developing as a songwriter. In 1988 and 1989, she guest-hosted TNN's Crook and Chase show and her own Holiday Gourmet cooking special. Sylvia's first independent album, The Real Story, was released in 1996 on her own label, Red Pony Records. In a May 1998 People magazine review, Ralph Novak wrote, "Sylvia always sang with more intensity and resonance than most country singers... and she can still sing a story song better than almost anyone around."
In 2002, she followed with Where in the World, a set that marked the culmination of an 11-year musical collaboration with John Mock. Songwriter Craig Bickhardt contributed the song "Crazy Nightingale". Bickhardt had previously performed with Sylvia from 1984, and wrote the title cut to One Step Closer. Also in 2002, Sylvia released, A Cradle in Bethlehem, her first Christmas album. In 2016, the album, It's All in the Family, was released on Red Pony Records. In 2018, Sylvia released Second Bloom: The Hits Re-Imagined, an album of some of her hits she re-recorded with a more acoustic yet fully produced approach and, in 2022, Sylvia's new album, Nature Child: A Dreamer's Journey, was released on February 22.
2. Sylvia Robinson Vanderpool (May 29, 1935 – September 29, 2011), known mononymously as Sylvia, was an American singer, record producer, and record label executive. Robinson achieved success as a performer on two R&B chart toppers: as half of Mickey & Sylvia with the 1957 single "Love Is Strange", and her solo record "Pillow Talk" (1973). She later became known for her work as founder and CEO of the hip hop label Sugar Hill Records.
Robinson is credited as the driving force behind two landmark singles in the hip hop genre: "Rapper's Delight" (1979) by the Sugarhill Gang, and "The Message" (1982) by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, both of which she produced. At the 11th Annual Rhythm and Blues Awards Gala in 2000, she received a Pioneer Award for her career in singing and for founding Sugarhill Records. Several publications have dubbed her the "Mother of Hip Hop". In 2022, she was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Ahmet Ertegun Award category for being a major influence on the creative development of hip-hop's early successes, and is the first woman to receive the award unaccompanied by another person.
3. Sylvia Vrethammar is a popular vocalist from Sweden who made a big success with an English version of "Y Viva España".
4. Sylvia is also a black/thrash metal band from somewhere around Portland, Oregon, United States. Their current line up is Candy, Andrew, Sean and Reuben. They released a demo entitled 'Lizard Birdman', which is available on their Bandcamp website.
5. Sylvia was a progressive experimental band from Southern California. The band consisted of lead singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer Riz Story, drummer Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), guitarist Sean Murphy and Jon "Juano" Davison (Yes), and dissolved when Hawkins joined Alanis Morissette's band. This led to Story's formation of Anyone in 1995.
6. Sylvia is also the name of a northern soul singer ('It's A Good Life', 1968), possibly the same singer as the one listed as #1 (?).
Didn't I
Sylvia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Didn't I tell you my mistake?
Didn't I?
Didn't I?
Didn't I tell you something
Each guy didn't listen?
Didn't I?
Didn't I love by you?
Would never burn high
Now that you feel it
And burning from here to feet
Come on
It's my turn to be on you
Didn't I take some?
Didn't I keep it coming from
The moment I had you?
Didn't?
Didn't I come to take you?
Didn't I keep it coming back some more.
The lyrics to Sylvia's song "Didn't I" appear to be a reflection on a failed relationship. The singer seems to be speaking to their former partner, asking them if they remember the things that they did to try and make the relationship work. The first few lines, "Didn't I turn you baby in? Didn't I tell you my mistake?" suggest that the singer possibly made a mistake that may have contributed to the downfall of the relationship, but they owned up to it and tried to make things right. However, despite their efforts, their partner didn't listen or pay attention to what they were saying.
The line "Didn't I love by you?" could be interpreted in a few different ways. It could be the singer asking if they loved their partner enough, or if their partner reciprocated their love. The line "Please start, would never burn high" could be interpreted as a plea for their partner to try and reignite the passion they once had, but it's not clear if this is too little too late.
The singer seems to be expressing a sense of frustration and a desire for their partner to understand their perspective. The line "Now that you feel it and burning from here to feet, come on, it's my turn to be on you" suggests that the singer may be feeling neglected or ignored in the relationship and wants their partner to acknowledge their feelings.
Overall, the lyrics to "Didn't I" suggest a sense of regret and longing for a failed relationship. The singer appears to be questioning whether they did enough to make things work and are possibly struggling with the aftermath of a breakup.
Line by Line Meaning
Didn't I turn you baby in?
Did I not change you, making you a better man?
Didn't I tell you my mistake?
Did I not admit my error and ask for your forgiveness?
Didn't I?
Is there anything I did wrong?
Didn't I?
Is there something I forgot to do?
Didn't I tell you something
Each guy didn't listen?
Did I not warn you about the men who don't listen to women's voices?
Didn't I?
Did I not do everything I could to make you happy?
Didn't I love by you?
Did I not show you how much I love you?
Please start
Would never burn high
Our love would never have burned as bright if you had not initiated this relationship.
Now that you feel it
And burning from here to feet
Come on
It's my turn to be on you
Now that you understand how much I love you, it's time for you to reciprocate those feelings.
Didn't I take some?
Did I not take a risk and give love a chance with you?
Didn't I keep it coming from
The moment I had you?
Did I not consistently make an effort to maintain our love from the moment we started dating?
Didn't?
Is there any doubt about the love I have for you?
Didn't I come to take you?
Did I not pursue you and take you as my lover?
Didn't I keep it coming back some more.
Did I not continue to try and improve our relationship every day?
Writer(s): Sylvia Robinson, B. Brown, Michael Burton, Al Covington
Contributed by Nathan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.