This Whole World

"This Whole World"
"This Whole World"
Single by the Beach Boys
from the album Sunflower
A-side	"Slip On Through"
Released	June 29, 1970
Recorded	November 13, 1969
Studio	Beach Boys Studio, Los Angeles
Length	2:00
Label	Brother/Reprise
Songwriter(s)	Brian Wilson
Producer(s)	The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys singles chronology
Music video
	"This Whole World" on YouTube
Audio sample
	Menu 0:00 file; help;

"This Whole World" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1970 album Sunflower. Written by Brian Wilson, the song features his brother Carl on lead vocals and is credited as a Beach Boys production. Earlier in the year, it had been included on the Warner Brothers promotional sampler album The Big Ball, and as a single, fronted with "Slip On Through", but did not make the US or UK pop charts.

Background[]

Brian recalled writing the song during one night at his Beverly Hills mansion when he was "stoned and confused".^[1] He said of the song: "A very special vocal by Carl, and the lyrics are very spiritual. The melody and chord pattern rambles but it comes back to where it started."^[2] On the lyrics, he says: "It’s about love in general. ... That song came from deep down in me, from the feeling I had that the whole world should be about love. When I wrote that song I wanted to capture that idea.'"^[3]

Composition[]

Biographer Mark Dillon characterized "This Whole World" as an "old-fashioned" rock song with "doo-wop trimmings" that contains an unorthodox structure and numerous key modulations.^[1] Musician Scott McCaughey said that the structure followed an A/B/C/A/B/C pattern, however, "it seems to never repeat itself once. Every section has something new and different going on."^[1] In 1978, Beach Boys supporting keyboardist Daryl Dragon commented on the song's various key changes: "From a harmony standpoint, I've never heard a song like that since I've been in pop music. I've never heard a song go through that many changes and come back."^[4]

Recording[]

The track was recorded in one session on November 13, 1969 at Beach Boys Studio.^[5] According to Brian: "I produced that record. I taught Carl the lead and the other guys the background vocal, especially the meditation part at the end: 'Om dot dit it.'"^[3] The track originally ran "far longer" but was trimmed down.^[6]

Critical reception[]

AllMusic wrote: "Brian reestablished his reputation as one of the most brilliant melody writers and arrangers. With a buoyant melody and an effervescent, classy vocal arrangement, Brian wipes away three years of artistic cobwebs."^[7]

Cover versions[]

A version of this song which incorporated "Star Light, Star Bright" in the bridge was produced by Wilson for the pop duo American Spring in 1971
Brian Wilson re-recorded the song for his 1995 soundtrack album I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
Dolour covered this on 2002's Brian tribute compilation, Making God Smile: An Artists' Tribute to the Songs of Beach Boy Brian Wilson

Personnel[]

Sourced from Craig Slowinski.^[8]

The Beach Boys

Brian Wilson – intro lead vocals, backing vocals, piano, production
Mike Love – intro lead vocals, backing vocals
Al Jardine – backing vocals
Carl Wilson – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, production
Dennis Wilson – backing vocals
Bruce Johnston – backing vocals

Additional musicians and production staff

Jerry Cole – rhythm/lead guitar
David Cohen – lead guitar
Jack Conrad – bass
Ray Pohlman – six-string bass
Daryl Dragon – electric harpsichord, chimes, tubular bells
Dennis Dragon – drums
Gene Estes – chimes, glockenspiel
Stephen Desper – engineer

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Dillon 2012, p. 183.
^ Wilson, Brian (2002). Classics Selected by Brian Wilson (CD Liner). The Beach Boys. Capitol Records.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Wilson, Brian; Greenman, Ben (2016). I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-82307-7.
^ Leaf, David (1978). The Beach Boys and the California Myth. New York: Grosset & Dunlap. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-448-14626-3.
^ Doe, Andrew Grayham. "1969". Bellagio 10452. Endless Summer Quarterly.
^ Dillon 2012, p. 184.
^ Greenwalk, Matthew. "This Whole World". AllMusic. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
^ Slowinski, Craig (Summer 2020). Beard, David (ed.). "Sunflower: 50 Year Anniversary Special Edition". Endless Summer Quarterly Magazine. Vol. 33 no. 130. Charlotte, North Carolina.