Tracy Chapman hit #1 on both the US & UK album charts. The album was critically acclaimed and helped to launch the 1990s female singer-songwriter movement, which included artists like Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan. The first single "Fast Car" was very popular, peaking at #5 in the US and #6 in the UK. The second single "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" was less successful reaching only #75, but received much airplay and also charted in the Adult Contemporary and Modern Rock charts amongst others.
In 1989, the album was rated number 10 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Albums of the 80's." In 2003, the album was ranked number 261 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.