All This Is That by The Beach Boys

Album: Carl and the Passions – "So Tough" (1972)

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"All This Is That" was inspired by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation teachings and the Robert Frost poem "The Road Not Taken." The song is a reminder that we are all connected and that we all have the power to choose our own path in life.
Al Jardine, Carl Wilson, and Mike Love wrote "All This Is That." "It came from the Frost poem and it diverged into a different song," Jardine explained to Uncut magazine. "I invited Mike to write some lyrics, and he wanted to go more of a spiritual route and that's what the title came from. We combined a few ideas then Carl put on a beautiful outro.

"Maharishi would have these wonderful enlightening meetings with us, he would give lectures and he would have this wonderful perspective all this is that - we're all connected in this universe," he added. "It's a pretty heavy statement and I kept expanding on it."
"The Road Not Taken" is one of American poet Robert Frost's most well-known and widely anthologized poems. It was first published in 1916 as part of Frost's collection titled Mountain Interval. The poem explores themes of choice, individuality, and the uncertainty of life's paths.

"It's a real moving poem about choices, taking gambles rather than going the safe route," Jardine told Rock Cellar magazine. "Someone turned me onto that poem, so I went up on a little road in Big Sur right above my house by the Big Sur River, read it and I really got inspired."

Later, Jardine and Love spent two-and-a-half months in New York studying with the Maharishi. During that time, they made a few songs, including "All This Is That."

"A lecture by Maharishi infused in me the wisdom of the ancient Veda scriptures, in particular the saying that we are all one," said Jardine.
The Beach Boys recorded "All This Is That" for the album Carl and the Passions – "So Tough", released May 15, 1972 on Brother/Reprise. At this point, Brian Wilson had reduced his contributions to the group, and the album sold poorly, peaking at #50 in the US. It was the band's worst-selling record on Reprise.

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