The song has been covered by R&B and jazz artists including D’Angelo, Roy Ayers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Lou Rawls, Isaac Hayes, George Benson, Jeffrey Osborne, Larry Coryell, Johnny Mathis, and Marlena Shaw.

Released nine months before the album of the same title, the song became one of the greatest musical successes of 1974, as well as of Roberta Flack's recording career.

[4] and two weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts of both Canada[5] and the U.S. Flack co-produced the record under the pseudonym Rubina Flake, with Eugene McDaniels.

[19] 7" Single American R&B and neo soul musician D'Angelo covered the song for his second studio album Voodoo (2000).

"[23] Mistakenly, some critics who later reviewed the album's track assumed that Lauryn Hill's vocals are present in the recording.