What's in a Song

About What's in a Song

This is a weekly podcast about the craft of songwriting hosted by Berklee College of Music Professor Scarlet Keys. She takes deep dive into the craft, technique and art of songwriting in conversations with eminent songwriters, producers, and other creatives asking questions only a songwriting professor would ask so listeners can walk away inspired and armed with clear and actionable tools and techniques they can apply to their songwriting.

Publisher

Scarlet Keys

Category

music · music · music

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

31 Oct 2021

Latest episode

26 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

3 of 92 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   26 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Writing for film and t.v. with Kari Kimmel at Glow music group

   Host Kari Kimmel, owner of Glow Music Group, shares her journey and insights on music licensing for film and TV.

2. 

   26 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Part 2 Taylor Swift "Ruin the Friendship" The music, Nashville tunings, copy right infringement

   Send us Fan Mail In this episode Scarlet Keys is joined with Forensic Musicologist Dr. Joe Bennett. Joe breaks down the chords in this song and shares Nashville tunings for the guitar. Joe gets granular in this discussion as he compares Lenny Kravit's "It Ain't over 'til it's over" with "Ruin the friendship" and clarify's what constitutes copyright infringement. He talks about copyrighting your songs and how to protect your original work while still finding inspiration from song...

3. 

   12 Jun 2026

   Part 1 Taylor Swift "Ruin the Friendship" - lyric techniques and the power of a great bridge

   Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we talk about Taylor Swift's narrative and lyric techniques. We break down the bridge in the song "Ruin the Friendship" with a focus on lyrical techniques and a touch on melody. We talk about the power of a bridge and the alchemy this bridge has on the rest of the narrative. Support this podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/scarlet.keys Venmo: @scarlet-keys What members are saying: "I've been in Scarlet's songwriting group since it be...

Inside a recent episode

Writing for film and t.v. with Kari Kimmel at Glow music group

Published 26 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Um, And so, yeah, I think but I it's it's been a minute since I've written just for fun. But I imagine that when I do again, it'll I'll probably I'll probably have that in the back of my mind just by default. What are some of the aspects of writing for film and TV that you think people should keep in mind if they really wanted to get into this full time? You know, I think. This is probably advice that many people give, but really staying true to what you are great at. and not trying to necessarily fit into a specific mold. You know, there's, there are certain artists that we've signed and they do something that, you know, a very specific thing really well. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

98,346

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

98 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

40 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 60 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

52

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

92

Contact What's in a Song

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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Questions about What's in a Song