This Whole World
"This Whole World" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys, written by Brian Wilson, that was released on their 1970 album Sunflower. The song features Carl Wilson 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.
| "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 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 2:00 | |||
| Label | Brother/Reprise | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Brian Wilson | |||
| Producer(s) | The Beach Boys | |||
| The Beach Boys singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio sample | ||||
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Brian 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."[1] 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.'"[2]
Recording
The track was recorded in one session on November 13, 1969 at Beach Boys Studio.[3] 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.'"[2]
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."[4]
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."[5]
Personnel
Sourced from Craig Slowinski[6]
- 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
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
References
- Wilson, Brian (2002). Classics Selected by Brian Wilson (CD Liner). The Beach Boys. Capitol Records.
- Wilson, Brian; Greenman, Ben (2016). I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-82307-7.
- Doe, Andrew Grayham. "1969". Bellagio 10452. Endless Summer Quarterly.
- Greenwalk, Matthew. "This Whole World". AllMusic. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- Leaf 1978, p. 134.
- Slowinski, Craig (Summer 2020). "Sunflower: 50 Year Anniversary Special Edition (Issue 130, Volume 33, No. 3)". Endless Summer Quarterly Magazine (Magazine). Charlotte, North Carolina, USA: David Beard.
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