As the World is an album by the progressive rock band Echolyn, released in 1995. It features many complex arrangements and vocal harmonies, showing at times the influence of classic progrock bands such as Gentle Giant and Genesis.

Track 1, "All Ways The Same" is a short instrumental intro to the album, a string ensemble piece composed by echolyn keyboardist Christopher Buzby and performed by studio violinists and echolyn members (laying down the vocals) where it was recorded in Nashville.

Track 2, "As The World" begins in A minor with acoustic guitar and vocals with a simple percussion. As bass and drums are added, vocal harmonies come into play, as well as an organ continuo by Buzby. Toward the middle of the song, the syncopated vocals and contrapuntal instrumentation perhaps remind the listener of a Gentle Giant influence on this song more than most other echolyn pieces.

Tracks 7 through 11 make up a suite entitled "Letters." Track 9 ("My Dear Wormwood") is based on The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.

World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth.

In a philosophical context it may refer to: (1) the whole of the physical Universe, or (2) an ontological world (see world disclosure). In a theological context, world usually refers to the material or the profane sphere, as opposed to the celestial, spiritual, transcendent or sacred. The "end of the world" refers to scenarios of the final end of human history, often in religious contexts.

World history is commonly understood as spanning the major geopolitical developments of about five millennia, from the first civilizations to the present.

World population is the sum of all human populations at any time; similarly, world economy is the sum of the economies of all societies (all countries), especially in the context of globalization. Terms like world championship, gross world product, world flags etc. also imply the sum or combination of all current-day sovereign states.

David Bowie ( /ˈboʊ.i/ BOH-ee; born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s. He is known for his distinctive voice and the intellectual depth and eclecticism of his work.

Bowie first caught the eye and ear of the public in July 1969, when his song "Space Oddity" reached the top five of the UK Singles Chart. After a three-year period of experimentation he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with the flamboyant, androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust, spearheaded by the hit single "Starman" and the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Bowie's impact at that time, as described by biographer David Buckley, "challenged the core belief of the rock music of its day" and "created perhaps the biggest cult in popular culture." The relatively short-lived Ziggy persona proved merely one facet of a career marked by continual reinvention, musical innovation and striking visual presentation.