It became a commercial success, being certified three-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

[2] In 1998, The Work Group was absorbed by Epic Records, which then released Apple's second album simply known as When the Pawn... in 1999.

[1] In 2002, Apple began recording for her third studio album, Extraordinary Machine, which was delayed for more than three years, eventually being bootlegged in 2004.

[1] In 2008, Apple went on a hiatus while secretly recording new material for her fourth studio album, The Idler Wheel....

Almost eight years passed until the release of her fifth studio album in 2020, Fetch the Bolt Cutters.