In Thin Air—Back Story

The Chapel Model Hanging Upside Down—Natural Catenary Arches

The musical journey truly begins

The existing built Güell Chapel

This song is our heartfelt tribute to Spanish Architect Antoní Gaudí and his incredible hanging model of the Güell Colony Chapel. The small country church had been an inspiration for both of us, encouraging many visits to Barcelona and its environs. His idea of “designing in harmony with nature,” which he modeled in that Chapel, became our mantra for how we wanted to re-design our own relationship. We wanted to balance between dreams that keep us afloat and gravity that keeps us grounded—IN PERFECT HARMONY. And so the journey began.

This particular song was unique, in that it inspired some firsts:  Cheryl to decide to sing harmony (we then did every song from that day forward, in harmony); This was also the first song we ever sang for anyone else. We still recall what it took to do something so outrageous, for us. But, part of our goal was to take risks, stretching ourselves beyond our comfort zones.

The first “un-commanded performance” was for friends that we were visiting. We brought along our traveling guitar to sing this song for them—in harmony. We sang it that night as if we had been doing it for years.

The second “surprise concert” was for our friend and therapist Dr. Jean Moore. Em had been working to clean up his past so we could move more confidently into the future that we intended to create together. As they concluded their series of sessions, Em suggested an additional one for closure.

At the appointed hour, Em arrived with Cheryl and the traveling guitar. “In Thin Air” seemed to be the perfect song to share in harmony, since we felt ready to partner together in a new adventure. As we finished the “performance,” Jean offered warm wishes for our upcoming journey. We all knew that we were actually singing FOR US rather than for our kind audiences of innocent friends and bystanders.

And so with both feet on the ground, we leapt into our dreams!

Music – “In Thin Air”

Related Musical Story

Whether describing many strings and weights that balance to create architectural harmony, or working together on a jigsaw puzzle to create another kind of beautiful balanced image, RELATIONSHIP! You might also enjoy our story and sog called “Fitting Pieces.”