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".

In 1983, Sylvia's album Snapshot was released;[1] its title song climbed to number 5 on the country chart and became her second-highest selling single.

In 1985, Sylvia released One Step Closer,[1] produced by Brent Maher, who brought a more guitar-driven feel.

RCA put together a Greatest Hits compilation and issued a new single titled "Straight from My Heart", written with Jimmy Fortune of the Statler Brothers.

When her contract with RCA ended, Sylvia took a break from touring and recording to focus on developing as a songwriter.

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."

Bickhardt had previously performed with Sylvia from 1984, and wrote the title cut to One Step Closer.