Released in 1975, Carnes' self-titled second album primarily contained self-penned songs, including her first charting single "You're a Part of Me," which reached No.

In the following year, Carnes released Sailin', produced by the legendary Jerry Wexler, which featured "Love Comes from Unexpected Places".

In her breakthrough year, 1980, Carnes and her husband, David Ellingson, were commissioned by Kenny Rogers to co-write the songs for his concept album Gideon.

Carnes also had success with the singles "Draw of the Cards," "Does It Make You Remember," "Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes)," "Make No Mistake, He's Mine," with Barbra Streisand, "What About Me?," featuring Kenny Rogers and James Ingram, "I'll Be Here Where the Heart Is", from the Flashdance soundtrack, and the Grammy Award nominated singles "Voyeur" and "Invisible Hands".

During this period, she shared demo-recording time with Bowen's other writers, including Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and JD Souther.

[9] The film also featured Carnes' first cut as a songwriter, "Sing Out for Jesus", which was recorded by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton.

In the early 1970s, Carnes and husband Dave Ellingson co-wrote several songs with David Cassidy, who was then at the peak of his career as an international idol.

[3] Also recorded by both Rita Coolidge and Anne Murray, Carnes re-recorded this track with Gene Cotton three years later.

In spite of Streisand's endorsement of her material, Carnes's own Top 40 breakthrough did not occur until 1978 when Gene Cotton recruited her to record a duet version of "You're a Part of Me", which reached No.

[3] The song was culled from Rogers' concept album Gideon, written entirely by Carnes and her husband Dave Ellingson.

[15] In 1981, Carnes recorded the Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss song "Bette Davis Eyes", originally written and composed in 1974.

Carnes and her band rehearsed "Bette Davis Eyes" in the studio for three days to take the melody and overall sound of the record to a darker, more haunting place.

Produced by Val Garay, the song's signature instrumental lick was created by keyboard player Bill Cuomo.

In what she considers a career highlight,[16] Carnes performed the song live for Davis at a tribute to the legendary actress held just before her death.

In November 2015, the song was the set piece for the back-story of Liz Taylor in the TV anthology American Horror Story: Hotel.

In 1983, Carne's song "I'll Be Here Where the Heart Is" was included on the Flashdance soundtrack which received a Grammy for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture.

Carnes was also one of the singers invited to perform on USA for Africa's 1985 famine relief fundraising single "We Are the World" and can be seen in the music video and heard singing the last line of the song's bridge with Huey Lewis and Cyndi Lauper.

[21] In 1992, Diamond released a compilation album titled The Greatest Hits: 1966–1992 which featured a third duet with Carnes, a cover of "Heartbreak Hotel".

1 hit for Reba McEntire and Vince Gill, and was nominated for Single of the Year at the TNN Music City News Country Awards in 1994.

[25][26] In June 2004, Carnes released her thirteenth and latest studio album, Chasin' Wild Trains, featuring songs co-written with Angelo Petraglia, Matraca Berg, Kim Richey, Al Anderson, Jeffrey Steele, Marc Jordan, Anders Osborne, and Chuck Prophet.

The album was noted for its Americana and alt-country influences; it was compared to the musical styles of Stevie Nicks, Lucinda Williams and Melissa Etheridge.

[28] Throughout the 2000s Carnes continued to write and record songs for movie soundtracks, including "Ring of Fire" with Jeff Bridges for The Contender (2000),[29] "The Silver Cord" for Loggerheads (2005),[30] and "It's a Mighty Hand" for Chances: The Women of Magdalene (2006).

In October 2012, American label Culture Factory reissued Carnes' Mistaken Identity, Voyeur and Cafe Racers albums.

In May 2015, Carnes was interviewed by singer-songwriter Peter Cooper at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.

[33] In the same year, Carnes co-wrote and performed backing vocals on two tracks from Dana Cooper's album Building a Human Being.

[34] In 2021, Carnes performed at the Rheneypalooza Jam, an online concert and auction to raise funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis.

[36] In 1993, Keith Tuber of Orange Coast magazine referred to Carnes as "The Queen of Rasp 'n' Roll" in one of his articles.

[39] Collin co-wrote, with his mother, the songs "Divided Hearts", "Gypsy Honeymoon", "Don't Cry Now", and "River of Memories".