That same year, Harrison and Dylan rehearsed the song for possible inclusion in the Concert for Bangladesh shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

He says that the lyrics favor "concise, economical descriptions" over "elegant poetry", a quality he finds most evident in the bridge lines "If not for you, my sky would fall / Rain would gather too / If not for you, I'd be nowhere at all / I'd be lost, if not for you.

[9] Charlie Daniels, who played bass at the session, with Russ Kunkel on drums, described it as "a day I'll never forget", adding: "It wasn't Bob Dylan and George Harrison.

"[10] News of the collaboration between Dylan and Harrison caused considerable excitement in the music press,[11] even though Columbia made a point of announcing that neither artist deemed the results worthy of release.

[22][23] Reviewing for Rolling Stone, Ed Ward described "If Not for You" as "a kind of invocation to the muse, if you will", and said that in contrast to Dylan's 1966 love song "I Want You", "He's celebrating the fact that not only has he found her, but they know each other well, and get strength from each other, depend on each other.

[27] Dylan considered following up the album's success with a series of concerts but chose to delay his return to live performance and continue to focus on his and Sara's family life.

[41] The May 1 version with Harrison, Daniels and Kunkel was released on the 1991 Dylan box set The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased).

[33] In 2016, Simon & Schuster's Atheneum imprint published the children's book If Not for You, containing artist David Walker's nature-themed illustrations inspired by the song's lyrics.

[50] He first taped a solo performance of the song when previewing potential material for his co-producer, Phil Spector, at EMI Studios in London.

[55] In author Simon Leng's view, Harrison created a characteristically melody-centric version of the song, which more clearly defines its verse and bridge sections and eschews Dylan's preference for spontaneity in favor of "aural pleasure".

[44] It was sequenced as the second track on side two of Harrison's triple album, before "Behind That Locked Door",[63] which he had written as a tribute to Dylan before the latter's performance at the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival.

[69] In his entry for All Things Must Pass in the book 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die, Tom Moon names it as one of the album's three "key tracks", along with "Beware of Darkness" and "Isn't It a Pity".

[74] Harrison's notes for a possible set list include the song, along with "Watching the River Flow" and "Blowin' in the Wind",[75] although only the last of these was performed by Dylan at the two benefit concerts that day.

[71] Leng describes the rehearsal footage as "remarkable" and, in light of Harrison's disdain for the limelight and Dylan's reluctance to return to it, "an intimate glimpse of the warm friendship between two major cultural figures at a point when both were emotionally vulnerable".

"[71][nb 5] In his 2005 review for Rolling Stone, David Fricke welcomed the DVD release as a reminder of how Harrison "invented the superstar benefit concert" by enlisting friends such as Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and Billy Preston, and he said of the "If Not for You" rehearsal: "they spend the entire song looking at each other, as if they're singing about their own relationship.

"[79] Jack Whatley of Far Out Magazine similarly views it as a document of "one of the more touching friendships to come out of the sixties", and comments on the "sense of care that Harrison affords his friend ... A few subtle glances, some shared moments and some body language cues show that their relationship went on far beyond their musical inclinations.

"[80] Harrison performed "If Not for You" live, again at Madison Square Garden, in October 1992 during the all-star concert celebrating Dylan's first three decades as a recording artist.

[88] Music historian Dave Thompson describes Newton-John's version as "superb" and, citing her readiness to acknowledge Harrison's influence, says that Dylan "never truly got to grips with what remains one of his most affecting love songs".

[4] These include Rod Stewart,[104] Bryan Ferry,[105] Richie Havens,[106] Sarah Vaughan,[107] Glen Campbell,[108] Barb Jungr,[109] Katie Buckhaven,[110] Susan McKeown,[111] Phil Keaggy,[112] Ed Kuepper,[113] and the Flatmates.