The song was recorded November 13, 1969 at Brian's home studio when he lived at 10452 Bellagio Road in Los Angeles. According to Craig Slowinski, the musicians were: Jerry Cole (rhythm guitar), David Cohen (lead guitar), Carl (acoustic guitar), Jack Conrad (bass), Ray Pohlman (6-string bass), Dennis Dragon (drums), Gene Estes (chimes & glockenspiel), Daryl Dragon (electric harpsichord, tubular bells, celeste), Brian (piano). In David Leaf's book, The Beach Boys, Daryl Dragon is quoted as saying "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." Timothy White called the song "the most ingenious of Brian's many mini-opuses."
We have some quotes from the guys courtesy of the Summer 2020 Edition of Endless Summer Quarterly. Al Jardine says, "That song is one of my favorites of all-time! That's a monster Beach Boys song right there! That's a favorite for all of us. It's a wonderful expansive mood with lots of great harmonies and chord changes. It's very, very Brian ... cutting edge." Bruce said, "There is Brian 'magic' all over 'This Whole World.'" In his autobiography, I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir, Brian said "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."
Brian would re-record "This Whole World" for the I Just Wasn't Made for These Times documentary and soundtrack that came out in 1995. He also included it on his Live at the Roxy Theatre album from 2000. Finally, an a cappella version was included on the 2013 Made In California box set. A song like this deserves better than being included on a list of deep cuts, but it's there waiting to be discovered. If you haven't played it in awhile, do so now. It's only 2-minutes, so you'll likely hit 'repeat.'
