[5] Along with other songs by Carlile, "The Story" received exposure to a wider audience by being played on the soundtrack to medical drama series Grey's Anatomy.

The song, and parts of the video, appeared in 2007 in a special recap episode titled "Every Moment Counts".

[4] The song was also used in a General Motors commercial that aired during television coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

[8][9][10][11] Tom Scanlon of The Seattle Times describes a live performance of "The Story" as "stunning" and "spine-chilling".

He notes the transition within the song between acoustic pop-rock and "scream-singing" that resembles Janis Joplin.

In the episode Sara Ramirez, in the role of Callie Torres, sings "The Story".

Country music artist LeAnn Rimes released a cover version of the song on June 24, 2016 in the UK as the first single from her thirteenth studio album Remnants and her first release after signing with RCA UK.

In an interview with Billboard, she said "I fully embrace the journey I am on and have a deeper understanding of how every piece of my story serves a purpose in my evolution as a woman and an artist.

"[27] A music video directed by Isaac Rentz premiered on Rimes' Vevo channel on August 9, 2016.

Parton enthusically accepted the offer to record the song and in her hand-written response she told Carlile, "Honey, do me a favor.