This is the only song I know that she co-wrote. Cheryl had wanted to co-write a song with someone. (Which was a change of heart from a previous experience. See Nerves of Steel.)
Here is Cheryl's description of the experience:
This is the only song I ever co- wrote and what fun. At some point in the early '90s Janis Ian and I had made a co-write date, so there I was at Janis Ian's house with absolutely no idea how co-writing worked. I confessed my ignorance and, ever gracious, Janis asked if there was anything I'd been working on and couldn't finish. Well, there was this one weird little space song I'd been fiddling with for years but... I played what I had for her (first verse and "I Wanna See the World Through Other Eyes" bridge) and before I could even finish sighing that I just had nothing else, Janis sat down at the piano and came out with that beautiful "There's Comfort in Starlight" chorus. It was just unreal and added such a human element to the song. I'd been only looking out of my imaginary spaceship, but Janis looked in. Perfect. Then we fiddled with a 2nd verse and got most of it. Soon after that, inspired by her beautiful chorus, I found a last line or two and there was my space song I'd always wanted to write. Thank you Janis Ian.
- Orbiting Jupiter
- Words And Music By:
- Cheryl Wheeler and Janis Ian
- Orbiting Jupiter with telescopic eyes
- Floating in the wonder of the weightless world
- Watching all the planets rise
- Gazing through the asteroid belt
- Out beyond night and day
- Seeing with my own eyes
- The cosmic ballet
- Ganymede and Io rising
- Talk about a haloed moon
- I am drifting wide-eyed listening
- To the static in the solar tune
- There's comfort in starlight
- In moonlight guiding my way home
- I'm falling for midnight
- For lovely worlds of ice and stone
- And I am alone tonight
- Orbiting Jupiter
- Sailing on my own
- Headed for the heavens of the blue green world
- I'm dreaming of home
- Witness to the miracle
- I could testify all night
- Rolling in the blue tide
- Howling in the moonlight
- Gazing on the gift we're given
- A mystery from a magic storm
- Turning to secret rhythm
- Nestled in the spiral arm
- There's comfort in starlight
- In moonlight guiding my way home
- I'm falling for midnight
- For lovely worlds of ice and stone
- And I am alone tonight
- I want to see the world through other eyes
- Some electron in the Milky Way.
- I want to meet a man Orion's size
- I want to hear the giant lyre play
- And Canis bay
- There's comfort in starlight
- In moonlight guiding my way home
- I'm falling for midnight
- For lovely worlds of ice and stone
- And I am alone tonight
- 4/1/92
- (P) May 27, 2003
- Penrod And Higgins Music / Amachrist Music
- ACF Music Group
- International Copyright Reserved