"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 U.S. or UK pop charts.
"This Whole World" | ||||
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Single by the Beach Boys | ||||
from the album Sunflower | ||||
A-side | "Slip On Through" | |||
Released | June 29, 1970 (1970-06-29) | |||
Recorded | November 13, 1969 (1969-11-13) | |||
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 | ||||
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Licensed audio | ||||
"This Whole World" on YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
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Brian recalled writing "This Whole World" during one night at his Beverly Hills mansion when he was "stoned and confused".[1] He stated that the song was written in approximately 90 minutes at around 2:00 a.m. "I got up and went to my white Baldwin organ and I was playing around and thinking about the love of this whole world and that’s what inspired me to write the song."[2]
He also 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."[3] Regarding the lyrics, he said, "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.'"[4]
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] Musicologist Philip Lambert offered a summary of the song's exceptional "tonal transience":
First, a C-major phrase ends on IV, which becomes ♭VI in A, and then an A-major phrase ends on iii, which becomes a new i in C♯. This new phrase then moves through a diatonic bass descent from 1̂ to 5̂, eventually arriving at the key of B♭ using the same pivot relationship heard earlier between C and A (IV = ♭VI). Finally, the phrase in B♭ concludes on V, which is reinterpreted as IV to return to C major ...[5]
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."[6]
The track was recorded in one session on November 13, 1969 at Beach Boys Studio.[7] 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.'"[4] The track originally ran "far longer" but was trimmed down.[8] Brian later commented, "I remember 'This Whole World' took a couple of days to record. It took a lot of hard work to get that one but I’m real happy with it."[9] Another version with an alternate ending was created for an Eastern Airlines commercial that the group briefly appeared in.[10]
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."[11]
Sourced from Craig Slowinski.[12]
Sources
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