Richard Goldstein of "The New York Times" called the song "a deadly earnest excursion in emotive music with a chilling lyric" and said that it "stands as one of the most important Lennon-McCartney compositions … an historic Pop event". In his praise for the track, he drew comparisons between its lyrics and the work of T. S. Eliot and likened its music to Wagner. In a contemporary music critics' poll published by "Jazz & Pop" magazine, "A Day in the Life" won in the categories of Best Pop Song and Best Pop Arrangement.