… 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 (?).
You
Sylvia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Had a couple of hours to spare.
I wanted to see the hometown again
It'd been years since I was there.
A taxi took me by the old grade school
But on the playground there was no sound
Windows boarded up, a rusty sign laying on the ground.
They say you can't go back
Anymore than you can stop the wind from blowing,
You can't change the changes going on (going on)
They say you can't go back anymore than you can stop the door from closing.
Once you're gone, you can't go back home
Drove in front of the movie house where I spent my Saturdays
Quarter got ya in back then, costed three and a half today.
And he stopped by Shipleys bakery,
But Mr. Shipley had passed away.
I got back in the cab, I saw that everything had changed.
[Chorus]
Taxi pulled up in front of your house,
I started to get out,
Then I, I saw a little boy open the door
I quickly turned around.
I told the driver, guess there's no one home,
I think he understood, you've got a plane to catch he said, the drive will do you good.
They say you can't go back anymore than you can stop the wind from blowing,
You can't change the changes going on, going on,
They say you can't go back anymore than you can stop the door from closing,
Once you're gone, you can't go back home
Once you're gone, you can't go back home
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home
The song "You" by Sylvia is a heart-wrenching tale of returning to one's hometown after many years away only to find that everything has been changed. The lyrics chronicle the experience of someone who has flown in from out of town and decided to take a cab ride through their old stomping grounds. The verses paint a picture of their hometown that is no longer the same as the one the singer remembers. The playground at their old grade school is now silent; the windows boarded up with a rusty sign lying on the ground. The movie theater has gone up in price, now costing three and a half dollars compared to the quarter it used to be. And Shipley's bakery, once a place filled with memories, now feels empty and desolate because Mr. Shipley has passed away. However, the final verse of the song is the most poignant. The singer arrives at your, presumably an old flame or lost love, house only to see a little boy open the door. They quickly turn around and tell the driver there is no one home, realizing that there isn't anything left in their hometown for them anymore.
The chorus is a consistent reminder that you can't go back home. The lyrics say that "you can't go back anymore than you can stop the wind from blowing." The idea of not being able to return to a familiar place is something that many people can relate to, particularly if that place holds fond memories or personal significance. The song is a poignant reminder that the things that we cherish most from our past may no longer exist in the same way.
Line by Line Meaning
Flew in this morning on the 8-0-5
I arrived this morning on flight 805
Had a couple of hours to spare.
I had a few extra hours before my next flight
I wanted to see the hometown again
I had a desire to revisit the place where I used to live
It'd been years since I was there.
It had been many years since my last visit
A taxi took me by the old grade school
The taxi drove me past my old elementary school
But on the playground there was no sound
There were no children playing on the playground
Windows boarded up, a rusty sign laying on the ground.
The school was abandoned with boarded up windows and a neglected sign lying on the ground.
They say you can't go back
Anymore than you can stop the wind from blowing,
You can't change the changes going on (going on)
They say you can't go back anymore than you can stop the door from closing.
Once you're gone, you can't go back home
It's commonly believed that you can't go back to your past any more than you can stop the wind or the changes happening in the world. Once you leave, you can't return to your previous life.
Drove in front of the movie house where I spent my Saturdays
Quarter got ya in back then, costed three and a half today.
I drove past the movie theater where I used to spend my Saturdays, and remember when it only cost a quarter for a ticket, but now it costs three and a half times as much.
And he stopped by Shipleys bakery,
But Mr. Shipley had passed away.
The taxi driver stopped by a bakery I used to know, but I was saddened to hear that the owner had passed away.
I got back in the cab, I saw that everything had changed.
I got back in the taxi and saw that everything had changed, it was no longer the same place I remembered.
Taxi pulled up in front of your house,
I started to get out,
Then I, I saw a little boy open the door
I quickly turned around.
The taxi stopped in front of your house and I was about to get out, but then a little boy opened the door and I realized that it wasn't the same as before so I quickly changed my mind.
I told the driver, guess there's no one home,
I think he understood, you've got a plane to catch he said, the drive will do you good.
I told the driver that no one was home, and he understood. He advised me that it was time to leave and that the drive would be good for me.
Once you're gone, you can't go back home
Once you're gone, you can't go back home
This repeated refrain emphasizes the idea that once you leave your home, physically or metaphorically, you can never fully go back to the way things were.
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home
Despite the difficulties of returning to one's past, this phrase reminds us that home is still a special and unique place that we hold dear, regardless of its imperfections.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Thelonious Coltrane
Sylvia Jane Hutton (née Kirby, born December 9, 1956), known
professionally by her first name Sylvia during the 1980s, 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 1 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".
cindy mock
I was in a band when this came out. I got so sick of singing this song every Friday and Saturday nights. All of my bandmates have passed due to stupid lifestyle choices. What I would give to sing this again with them. Good memories never fade.
Travis Bickle
One of my favorite one hit wonders ever.
Sylvia Ross
I'm so sorry about your bandmates. :>( I was in a classic rock band or 2 in the 80's & 90's. My then-boyfriend/later husband played drums. We also had a lead guitarist, bass player, rhythm guitarist/backup keyboardist. I sang some lead, but mostly backup vocals & played keyboard & percussion. You develop a camaraderie - especially when you go on the road with each other. Sadly, after I divorced, I lost contact with the others as well. I'd forgotten about this song - lots of 1980's country music sounded more 80's pop than traditional country, & that's what I liked about it. I liked her, not only because we have the same 1st name, but I liked her voice as well. I miss performing with my bandmates as well. I miss the applause. Don't know where they are. :<(
stormy gonzales
What Band was it…?
Sugrm Sugrj
Good f
Trini Benavides
Memories Never Fade Away you still can in your heart turn it up and jam and sing
David Irby
This song is infectious. The lyrics are easy to learn, and you can't help but sing along.
cornbreadthedog
Plus, the lying and cheating that she's singing about is still going on strong.
gg bird
All these years later and this song still hits home.
Thelonious Coltrane
Sylvia Jane Hutton (née Kirby, born December 9, 1956), known
professionally by her first name Sylvia during the 1980s, 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 1 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".