Before there were Zoom calls, before co-writing meant shared Google Docs, Lauren Passarelli’s “Hearts and Words” was there. Written across time zones, hand-penned and heartfelt, the track is a true love letter to the creative partnership between Lauren Passarelli and her high school lyricist-friend, Stefanie Badach-Mis, affectionately known as “Shakes.”
In a world where musical collaborations can feel fleeting or transactional, Hearts & Words is the complete opposite. Thus, this song is one born of old-school friendship and artistic synchronicity, of lyrics that travelled by mail and melodies played through a phone line. Stefanie, writing from New Jersey, mailed her lyrics to Lauren, who composed the music in a New Hampshire hotel room between gigs. The demo was recorded back in Massachusetts and played to Stefanie over the phone while she was in Delaware.
From Friendship Across Time, State Lines, and Staff Paper to Warmth, Memory, and Magic in Hearts & Words
Moreover, there’s something incredibly personal about this track, like flipping through someone’s cherished old letters. With Passarelli’s smooth guitar textures and reflective vocal delivery, “Hearts & Words” captures a kind of creative nostalgia that doesn’t age. It’s a melodic memory box of two artists shaping each other’s worlds from afar.
The line “Making art on paper wings and music on the wire / Hearts & Words repeat, hearts and words” lands as a mantra. It is a poetic refrain that celebrates what it means to make something real from a shared dream. This is the epitome of building and growing together without borders. Thinking outside the box, making you wonder what box.
A Modern-Day Elton & Bernie, Only More Remote
Meanwhile, Passarelli and Shakes always saw themselves like Elton John and Bernie Taupin, a songwriting duo working in separate rooms, yet speaking the same musical language. In their case, those rooms were in different states entirely. They weren’t just collaborating; they were translating one another’s souls from a distance.
Further, that decades-long bond now finds its permanent home on Passarelli’s upcoming album, Big Blue Machine, a project full of authenticity, warmth, and honesty. However, Hearts & Words isn’t just another track on the album’s track list. It’s the heart of it. The song carries the DNA of Passarelli’s story, her process, and the friendships that shaped her voice as an artist.
“Hearts & Words” is what happens when two artists grow up together, through letters, chords, and unwavering belief in each other. It’s not just a song about friendship. It’s a song that is of true friendship, as Passarelli herself says, “I loooove this song.” It’s easy to see why. If you’ve ever had a friend who helped you find your voice, then this song is perfectly made for you. The music will be released on August 1st, 2025; mark your calendars.
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