While comparing the song to Dylan's "epoch-making 'Masters of War'", Leng notes that the "political essence" of "The Day the World Gets 'Round" is often overlooked due to the lyrics' "framework of spiritual redemption". Dale Allison similarly labels it "a passionate protest song of deep disillusionment", reflecting "the broken utopian dreams of the 1960s". Allison groups "The Day the World Gets 'Round" with "Bangla Desh" and "Far East Man" as obvious examples of Harrison's "humanitarian impulse, his concern for the world and its people". Elliot Huntley views the song as a "strong candidate" for the album's best track, thanks to its "stunning structure and melody twists". Barham's orchestration complements the message "perfectly", according to Huntley, who praises also the middle eight, where Harrison "lets rip with his vocals". Less impressed with the composition, Ian Inglis acknowledges the importance of Barham's contribution – the ascending string arrangement being "the most startling facet" of the song musically. Robert Rodriguez describes the track as an "earnest counterpart" to Lennon's song "Imagine". An avowed fan of the "Material World" album, and a vocal supporter of Harrison's humanitarian legacy, Klaus Voormann had established himself as an in-demand session musician during the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s before recording his first solo album in 2008. Titled "A Sideman's Journey", it included cover versions of Harrison's "The Day the World Gets 'Round" and "All Things Must Pass", both recorded in London with singer Yusuf Islam and credited to Yusuf & Klaus. Islam said that he came across the song while looking through albums by Harrison, whom he described as being "more responsible than any other artist for initiating Pop music's movement to aid people and countries stricken by wars and calamities". Besides Voormann and Islam, the musicians on the recording include Luke Potashnick and Cassiano De Sa (guitars), Nikolaj Torp (keyboards) and Kristoffer Soone (drums). In January 2009, Voormann issued "The Day the World Gets 'Round" as an advance single from the album. Proceeds from the single were donated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and Save the Children, to alleviate the suffering in war-torn Gaza. To serve as artwork for the release, Voormann incorporated part of his Grammy Award-winning design for the Beatles' "Revolver" album (1966), combining the image of Harrison from that album cover with a similar-styled drawing of Islam and a 1966-era photo of himself.