There are at least four different artists who recorded under this name:
… 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 (?).

Sweet Yesterday
Sylvia Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A room full of memories
I still feel your touch
Everywhere I turn I see you
Pictures on my dresser
Reminders of us
Time goes by
But I still love you

Sweet yesterday
Feelings that tomorrow cannot fade
Sweet yesterday
Years can't take away sweet yesterday

Pressed between pages
I find a faded rose
Words say I love you forever
Lasting impressions
That no one else could know
In memory we'll always be together

Sweet yesterday
Feelings that tomorrow cannot fade
Sweet yesterday
Years can't take away sweet yesterday

Sweet yesterday
Feelings that tomorrow cannot fade

Sweet yesterday
Years can't take away sweet yesterday

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sylvia's song "Sweet Yesterday" are a poignant reflection on lost love, and the lingering memories that remain. The first verse, "A room full of memories, I still feel your touch, Everywhere I turn I see you, Pictures on my dresser, Reminders of us," sets the somber tone of the song. The singer is surrounded by physical reminders of her past relationship, and as she moves through her life, she cannot escape the shadow of her lost love.

The second verse, "Pressed between pages, I find a faded rose, Words say I love you forever, Lasting impressions, That no one else could know, In memory we'll always be together," takes on a more introspective tone, as the singer reflects on the ways in which she has preserved her memories of this relationship. The faded rose, pressed between pages, is a tangible reminder of the love that once was, but is now lost. The words "I love you forever" are a reminder of what once was, and what can never be again. The singer acknowledges that these memories are hers alone, that no one else could ever understand the depth of feeling that she experienced.

The chorus, "Sweet yesterday, Feelings that tomorrow cannot fade, Sweet yesterday, Years can't take away sweet yesterday," reinforces the idea that memories of lost love can never truly be erased. The singer acknowledges that the past is the past, and that time will continue to move forward, but she also recognizes that the memories of this love will always be a part of her, and that they are an important part of who she is.

Line by Line Meaning

A room full of memories
I am in a room filled with memories of you.

I still feel your touch
I still feel your touch even though you are not physically present.

Everywhere I turn I see you
Everywhere I look, I am reminded of you.

Pictures on my dresser
There are pictures of you on my dresser.

Reminders of us
These things serve as reminders of our time together.

Time goes by
Although time has passed,

But I still love you
I still love you just as much as I did before.

Sweet yesterday
The sweet memories of our past.

Feelings that tomorrow cannot fade
The love and happiness we felt in the past cannot be erased by time.

Years can't take away sweet yesterday
No matter how much time passes, our memories will always be special to me.

Pressed between pages
A faded rose that was once a symbol of our love is now pressed between the pages of a book.