how to reference a song in an essay

Generate accurate MLA citations for free

• Knowledge Base
• How to cite a song in MLA

How to Cite a Song in MLA | Format & Examples

Published on December 3, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on March 5, 2024.

The format for citing a song in MLA depends on the medium in which you listened to it.

To cite a song accessed through an online streaming service, list the performer (or group) as author, the song title in quotation marks, the name of the site in italics, and the URL where the song can be found. Omit “the” from a band name, e.g. “Beatles,” not “the Beatles.”

If relevant, use a timestamp to indicate a specific part of the song in the in-text citation.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

Citing songs in physical formats, quoting lyrics, optional details to include in an mla song citation, frequently asked questions about mla citations.

To cite a song you accessed in a physical format (e.g. CD, vinyl), include details about the album (or single, EP, etc.) it appears on: the title, distributor, year, and, optionally, the format (e.g. “CD”).

This format also applies to songs you downloaded and accessed through a media player (e.g. iTunes).

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:

• Academic style
• Vague sentences
• Style consistency

See an example

Quote lyrics from a song in a similar format to poetry : separate lines with a slash symbol, and format four or more lines quoted at once as a block quote .

If you’re quoting these lyrics from a transcript included alongside the song (e.g. in the description on YouTube, in the accompanying booklet to a CD), then you should clarify this at the end of the Works Cited entry.

MLA’s citation style is flexible; some details are not mandatory in a song citation but can be included when relevant.

For example, if your discussion focuses on the work of a particular musician, you can list them in the author position instead of the main artist, along with a description of their role. The main artist should still be listed later in the contributor slot.

Especially with classical music, it may be more relevant to cite the composer rather than the performer in the author position. You can then list the particular performer(s) and/or conductor after the title. If the particular performance is irrelevant, you might omit this information entirely.

When citing a song in MLA style , the author is usually the main artist or group that released the song.

However, if your discussion focuses on the contributions of a specific performer, e.g. a guitarist or singer, you may list them as author, even if they are not the main artist. If you’re discussing the lyrics or composition, you may cite the songwriter or composer rather than a performer.

In an MLA song citation , you need to give some sort of container to indicate how you accessed the song. If this is a physical or downloaded album, the Works Cited entry should list the album name, distributor, year, and format.

However, if you listened to the song on a streaming service, you can just list the site as a container, including a URL. In this case, including the album details is optional; you may add this information if it is relevant to your discussion or if it will help the reader access the song.

If a source has no author, start the MLA Works Cited entry with the source title . Use a shortened version of the title in your MLA in-text citation .

If a source has no page numbers, you can use an alternative locator (e.g. a chapter number, or a timestamp for a video or audio source) to identify the relevant passage in your in-text citation. If the source has no numbered divisions, cite only the author’s name (or the title).

If you already named the author or title in your sentence, and there is no locator available, you don’t need a parenthetical citation:

• Rajaram  argues that representations of migration are shaped by “cultural, political, and ideological interests.”
• The homepage of The Correspondent describes it as “a movement for radically different news.”

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2024, March 05). How to Cite a Song in MLA | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved August 12, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/mla/song-citation/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

Other students also liked, how to cite a youtube video in mla, how to cite a website in mla, how to cite a poem in mla, what is your plagiarism score.

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Happiness Hub Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• Happiness Hub
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Arts and Entertainment

How to Quote a Song in a Paper (with Formatting & Examples)

Last Updated: April 29, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Marissa Levis and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Marissa Levis is an English Teacher in the Morris County Vocational School District. She previously worked as an English director at a tutoring center that caters to students in elementary and middle school. She is an expert in creating a curriculum that helps students advance their skills in secondary-level English, focusing on MLA formatting, reading comprehension, writing skills, editing and proofreading, literary analysis, standardized test preparation, and journalism topics. Marissa received her Master of Arts in Teaching from Fairleigh Dickinson University. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 321,161 times.

Depending on the type of paper you're writing, you may need to use a song as a reference – either a specific recording, or the composition of the song itself. The format of your citation will be somewhat different depending on whether you are using Modern Language Association (MLA) style, American Psychological Association (APA) style, or the format in the Chicago Manual of Style. You'll also need a brief, in-text citation to point the reader to the more complete citation at the end of your work. [1] X Research source

• The performer could be a single individual or a band. If you're using the name of a single person, use "last name, first name" format.
• For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé.

• If there are multiple writers, list them all in the order they appear in the copyright information for the song. If the song has lyrics, there may be both a composer and a lyricist.
• For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé and James Blake.

• For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé and James Blake. "Freedom."

• For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé and James Blake. "Freedom." Lemonade , Parkwood Entertainment, 2016.

• For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé and James Blake. "Freedom." Lemonade , Parkwood Entertainment, 2016. Online, www.beyonce.com/album/lemonade-visual-album/, accessed January 9, 2017.

• Use the name you used in your full citation. Just use the first or primary name if there is more than one artist in the full citation. Include the title or a title phrase if you're citing more than one work by that artist.
• For example: (Knowles-Carter, "Freedom")

• For example: Knowles-Carter, B., & Blake, J.
• If there are multiple writers and their roles are identified, you can put these in parentheses after their names. For example: Knowles-Carter, B. (Lyricist), & Blake, J. (Composer).

• For example: Knowles-Carter, B., & Blake, J. (2016).

• You also may want to include the name of the performing artist if they are known by a stage name or are otherwise not immediately identifiable by their last name.
• For example: Knowles-Carter, B., & Blake, J. (2016). Freedom [Recorded by Beyoncé].

• For example: Knowles-Carter, B., & Blake, J. (2016). Freedom. On Lemonade [CD].

• Include state or country information if the city is not well-known. Otherwise, simply include the name of the city.
• For example: Knowles-Carter, B., & Blake, J. (2016). Freedom. On Lemonade [CD]. New York City: Parkwood Entertainment (2016).

• For example: (Knowles-Carter & Blake, 2016, track 10)

Using Chicago Style

• For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé, and James Blake.

• For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé, and James Blake. Freedom .
• If the performer of the song is someone different from the songwriters, include this information immediately after the title of the song or album by listing their first name and last name.
• If the performer is more important than the songwriter or composer, you may want to list their name first. Use your best judgment depending on the focus of your paper.

• If you can't find the recording number on the physical copy of the recording itself, look on www.discogs.com. Make sure you have the listing for the same recording as the one you're referencing.
• For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé, and James Blake. Freedom . On Lemonade . Parkwood Entertainment, 88985336822, 2016. [11] X Research source

• For example: For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé, and James Blake. Freedom . On Lemonade . Parkwood Entertainment, 88985336822, 2016, CD.

• For example: (Knowles-Carter 2016).
• To provide a pinpoint citation to a specific song, include the track number. For example: (Knowles-Carter 2016, track 10).

Community Q&A

• If you're using Chicago style, list audio recordings separately in a discography that is separate from your main bibliography. [14] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• When you access music online, you may have difficulty finding the information you need for your citation. Try looking up the song on a website such as www.discogs.com, which will have publication information. [15] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about citations, check out our in-depth interview with Marissa Levis .

• ↑ http://pitt.libguides.com/citationhelp
• ↑ https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/12/how-to-cite-recorded-music-in-apa-style.html
• ↑ http://www.ubishops.ca/wp-content/uploads/APAguide6thofficial.pdf
• ↑ http://libguides.depauw.edu/c.php?g=73436&p=472435
• ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Beyoncé-Lemonade/release/8486714
• ↑ http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html
• ↑ http://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides/chicago-turabian/how-to-cite-a-musical-recording-chicago-turabian/

About This Article

To cite a song using APA, start by putting the last name of the songwriter or composer, followed by their initials. Then, add the copyright year in parenthesis, and the title of the song. Next, start a new sentence with the word “on,” followed by the italicized name of the album and the medium you heard it on. End the citation with the location, the name of the recording company, and the recording year. For more information on citing songs, including in-text citations for MLA and Chicago style, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Jul 2, 2016

Did this article help you?

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

Don’t miss out! Sign up for

wikiHow’s newsletter

• Link to facebook
• Link to linkedin
• Link to twitter
• Link to youtube
• Writing Tips

How to Cite a Song or Album in MLA Referencing

• 3-minute read
• 7th April 2021

If you write about music in your work, you might have to cite a recording. But how do you cite a song or album in MLA referencing ? This post will explain the basics.

To cite a song or album in MLA referencing , simply give the artist’s last name or the band’s name in brackets in the relevant part of the text:

Her latest album has a strong environmental theme (Sturgeon).

“Wildlife in America” (Shearwater) comments on US culture.

And to cite a specific part of a song, you can add a timestamp :

The middle eight in “Air and Light” (Sturgeon 2:14–2:29) is truly haunting.

In the above citation, for example, we are citing a section that runs from 2 minutes 14 seconds to 2 minutes 29 seconds into the song.

Musical Recordings in an MLA Works Cited List

All references contain certain core elements in MLA style. And for a musical recording, each entry should include some or all of the following:

• Artist or band name – For individual artists, give their surname first, followed by their first name (e.g., Young, Neil). For artists who don’t follow this naming convention (e.g., U2 or Lady Gaga), just use the full name they are known by.
• Song title – If you are citing a specific song, give the title in quotation marks.
• Album title – Give the name of the album you are citing (or that the song you are citing comes from) in italics.
• Version – If relevant, include information on the version of the song next (e.g., if there are different versions of a song on different albums).
• Publication details – The name of the publisher (i.e., the record label that released the album or song) and the year the recording was released.
• URL – If you accessed the recording online, include the URL. For songs accessed via a streaming platform, give the platform name in italics.
• Format – If it is relevant to your work, you can optionally add the format of the recording at the end of your reference (e.g., CD, vinyl, MP3).

You won’t always need all of this! For many references, the artist’s name, song and/or album title, the publisher, and the year of publication will be enough. But whatever you cite, make sure to include enough information in the Works Cited list to guide readers to the exact version of the recording you have used.

Find this useful?

Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox.

Example References

Below, you can see example references for an album, a song on an album, an album accessed via a streaming platform, and a single song accessed online:

Talk Talk. The Colour of Spring , EMI, 1986.

Song on an Album

Shearwater. “Animals in America.” Jet Plane and Oxbow , Subpop, 2016.

Album on a Streaming Service

Sturgeon, Jenny. The Living Mountain , Hudson Records, 2020. Spotify , https://open.spotify.com/album/7Kt6kaJ8dGIo6cngVA7dcB

Single Song Online

Benin City. “Freaking You Out.” Bandcamp , https://benincity.bandcamp.com/track/freaking-you-out

Make sure to add a hanging indent for each line after the first in all references.

Expert MLA Referencing Proofreading

To ensure all your referencing is error free, get in touch with our expert proofreading team. You can even get your first 500 words checked for free !

Share this article:

Post A New Comment

Got content that needs a quick turnaround? Let us polish your work. Explore our editorial business services.

5-minute read

Free Email Newsletter Template (2024)

Promoting a brand means sharing valuable insights to connect more deeply with your audience, and...

6-minute read

How to Write a Nonprofit Grant Proposal

If you’re seeking funding to support your charitable endeavors as a nonprofit organization, you’ll need...

9-minute read

How to Use Infographics to Boost Your Presentation

Is your content getting noticed? Capturing and maintaining an audience’s attention is a challenge when...

8-minute read

Why Interactive PDFs Are Better for Engagement

Are you looking to enhance engagement and captivate your audience through your professional documents? Interactive...

7-minute read

Seven Key Strategies for Voice Search Optimization

Voice search optimization is rapidly shaping the digital landscape, requiring content professionals to adapt their...

4-minute read

Five Creative Ways to Showcase Your Digital Portfolio

Are you a creative freelancer looking to make a lasting impression on potential clients or...

Make sure your writing is the best it can be with our expert English proofreading and editing.

How to cite a music album reference

If you’re like me, during quarantine, you have discovered (or rediscovered) quite a few music albums that helped you through some tough times. Now, how do you share these treasures with others in an APA Style paper or manuscript? Seventh edition APA Style guidelines have made citing a music album easier for writers.

First, if the work you are citing is a nonclassical work (guidelines on how to cite a classical music album appear later in this post), in the author element of your reference, write the name of the recording artist or group. Be sure to spell their name exactly as it appears on the work. ( Read this post on how to cite a song or track for more on how to format artists’ name variations.)

Next, place the date the work was published in parentheses in the date element. Then include the title of the album in italic sentence case and describe the type of audio work in nonitalic sentence case in square brackets—for example, “[Album]”—in the title element of the reference.

Last, in the source element of the reference, provide the name(s) of the artist’s music label(s), separating multiple music labels with semicolons—as shown in the following example. (See the Elements of Reference List Entries topic page for more information on reference elements.)

Nonclassical music album, with multiple music labels

BTS. (2014). Dark & wild [Album]. BigHit Entertainment; LOEN Entertainment; Pony Canyon.

• Parenthetical citation: (BTS, 2014)
• Narrative citation: BTS (2014)

How do you cite a classical musical album?

To cite a classical music album, write the name of the composer as the author and use the publication date of the version of the work you used. Include the title of the album in italic sentence case. After the album title, in square brackets, write “Album recorded by” in nonitalic sentence case, followed by the individual or group who recorded the work. After the bracketed description and the ending period, provide the name(s) of the music label(s); again, separating multiple music labels with semicolons.

Credit the original source by providing the year the work was originally published at the end of the reference in parentheses, preceded by the words “Original work published.” Include both the original publication date and the publication date of the version of the work you used in the in-text citation, with the earlier year first, separated with a slash—as shown in the following reference and in-text citations.

Classical music album

Handel, G. F. (1966). Water music [Album recorded by The Hague Philharmonic Orchestra]. Nonesuch. (Original work published 1717)

• Parenthetical citation: (Handel, 1717/1966)
• Narrative citation: Handel (1717/1966)

How do you cite a music album that has been rerecorded or reissued?

If you want to cite a music album that has been rerecorded by an artist or reissued, use the template for a nonclassical music album. Include any additional details in parentheses after the album name (e.g., “Remastered” or “Remixed”). For reissued works, also include the original publication date in parentheses at the end of your reference and in your in-text citations—just as you would for a classical music album (as shown in the following example):

Reissued music album, remastered

Pink Floyd. (2016). The dark side of the moon (Remastered) [Album]. Pink Floyd Records. (Original work published 1973)

• Parenthetical citation: (Pink Floyd, 1973/2016)
• Narrative citation: Pink Floyd (1973/2016)

Usually, it is not necessary to specify how you listened to an album (e.g., streaming on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, Pandora, Tidal, etc.; on CD; on vinyl). However, the format or other descriptive information may be included—in square brackets, following the word “Album” and a semicolon—when you need to specify the version you used (e.g., when a version of an album includes additional or alternative tracks or features you accessed). Adjust the wording as needed to note specific details (e.g., “[Album; 5-CD set]”).

A URL is generally not needed, even if you retrieved the album online. Include the URL in the reference only when that is the only source (e.g., when an artist releases an album on SoundCloud exclusively).

More information on audio works can be found in Section 10.13 in the Publication Manual and Section 10.11 in the Concise Guide to APA Style .

Related and recent

Comments are disabled due to your privacy settings. To re-enable, please adjust your cookie preferences.

APA Style Monthly

Subscribe to the APA Style Monthly newsletter to get tips, updates, and resources delivered directly to your inbox.

Welcome! Thank you for subscribing.

APA Style Guidelines

Browse APA Style writing guidelines by category

• Abbreviations
• Bias-Free Language
• Capitalization
• In-Text Citations
• Italics and Quotation Marks
• Paper Format
• Punctuation
• Research and Publication
• Spelling and Hyphenation
• Tables and Figures

Full index of topics

Home / Guides / Citation Guides / MLA Format / How to Cite a Song in MLA

How to Cite a Song in MLA

Citing a song / musical recording.

Musical Recording – Any track or album from a compact disc, MP3 recording, MIDI, cassette, or vinyl recording.

MLA Album Citation Structure:

Group Name or Performer’s Last Name, First Name. Title of the Album. Edition if applicable, Publisher, Year of publication.

MLA Album Citation Examples:

BTS. Map of the Soul: 7.  Bighit Entertainment, 2020.

King, Carole. Tapestry. Remastered ed., Sony Legacy, 1999.

MLA Online Song Citation Structure:

Group Name or Performer’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Song.” Title of the Album , edition if applicable, Publisher, Year of publication. URL or App Name app.

MLA Online Song Citation Examples:

BTS. “Inner Child.” Map of the Soul: 7, Bighit Entertainment, 2020.  Spotify app.

Grannis, Kina. “When Will I Learn.” In the Waiting , KG Records, 2018, soundcloud.com/kina-grannis/when-will-i-learn?in=kina-grannis/sets/in-the-waiting.

MLA Song Citation Structure (for CD/MP3/MIDI/Cassette/Vinyl):

Last, First M. “Track Name.” Album Name , written/performed/conducted by First Name Last Name, album’s ed. (if applicable), Publisher, year of publication, track number. CD/MP3/MIDI/Cassette/Vinyl.

Note: There will not always be a separate writer, conductor, orchestra, or performer. If citing the entire album, do not fill out the track name.

MLA Song Citation Example:

Beethoven, Ludwig van. “Allegro Con Brio.” Piano Concertos Complete, performance by Friederich Gulda and Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted by Horst Stein, Decca Music Group, 1970, track 2. CD.

MLA Song In-text Citation Structure:

(Group Name or Performer’s Last Name)

MLA Song In-text Citation Example:

(Beethoven)

Other music citation examples:

• Citing a musical play
• Citing sheet music

Updated June 19, 2021.

MLA Formatting Guide

MLA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Sample Paper
• Works Cited
• MLA 8 Updates
• MLA 9 Updates
• View MLA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all MLA Examples

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

MLA Citation Examples

Writing Tools

Citation Generators

Other Citation Styles

Plagiarism Checker

Upload a paper to check for plagiarism against billions of sources and get advanced writing suggestions for clarity and style.

Get Started

How to Cite a Song in APA Style

Songs are significant sources in various academic disciplines, including music, cultural studies, and social sciences. Citing songs in APA style requires specific elements: songwriter’s name, song title, album name, record label, and release year. These details apply to both in-text citations and reference list entries.

Elements of a Song Citation

When citing a song in APA style, the song title should be in sentence case and italicized. For example:

“ Shape of you. “

Artist/Band

The artist or band should be credited by listing their last name followed by their initials. For instance,

“Sheeran, E.” ensures proper acknowledgment of the creator.

Year of Release

Including the year of release is essential for precision. This helps distinguish between different versions or recordings of the same song. For example,

“ Shape of you ” by Sheeran, E. (2017).

Album Title

If the song is part of an album, the album title should be italicized and placed after the song title. For example:

Sheeran, E. (2017) . Shape of you . On Divide .

Citing a Song from a Physical Album

Structure of the Citation

For a song from a physical album, the basic structure is: Artist, A. A. (Year). Title of song. On Title of album [Medium of recording]. Label.

Example of a Song Citation from a CD or Vinyl

An example would be:

Bowie, D. (1971). Life on Mars? On Hunky Dory [Vinyl]. RCA Records.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Common mistakes include wrong song title and album formatting, missing the recording medium, and not listing the correct release year. Paying attention to details is crucial.

Citing a Song from a Streaming Service

Differences between physical and digital citations.

Citing songs from streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music involves a slightly different approach. The key difference is the inclusion of the URL.

How to Cite from Spotify, Apple Music, and Others

For digital citations, the structure is: Artist, A. A. (Year). Title of song. On Title of album. Retrieved from URL. For example:

Grande, A. (2019). Thank U, Next. On Thank U, Next. Retrieved from https://www.spotify.com.

Streaming Service Citation Example

An example citation would be:

Swift, T. (2020). Cardigan. On Folklore. Retrieved from https://www.spotify.com.

Incorporating In-Text Citations for Songs

How to reference a song within your text.

In-text citations for songs follow the author-date format. For example,

(Sheeran, 2017) or if quoting directly, (Sheeran, 2017, track 3).

Examples of In-Text Citations

For a direct quote:

“In ‘Shape of You,’ Sheeran (2017) sings, ‘I’m in love with the shape of you’.” For a general reference: (Sheeran, 2017).

Ensuring Consistency in Your Paper

Consistency is key to maintaining the credibility of your paper. Ensure that all song titles, artist names, and dates are correctly cited and match the reference list.

Handling Special Cases

Live performances.

Citing live performances involves noting the date and venue of the performance. For example:

Bowie, D. (1973, July 3). Live performance at Hammersmith Odeon, London.

Cover Songs

For cover songs, cite both the original artist and the cover artist. For example:

Hendrix, J. (1968). All Along the Watchtower [Originally written by Bob Dylan]. On Electric Ladyland.

Songs with Multiple Artists

For songs with multiple artists, list all contributors. For example:

Harris, C., & Swift, T. (2015). This Is What You Came For. On This Is What You Came For.

Q1: How do I format the title of a song in APA Style?

To format the title of a song in APA Style, you should use sentence case and italicize the title. For example, “Shape of you.”

Q2: What is the difference between citing a song from a physical album and a streaming service?

When citing a song from a physical album, you need to include the medium of recording (e.g., CD, vinyl). For streaming services, you include the URL where the song can be found. For example, for a CD:

Bowie, D. (1971). Life on Mars? On Hunky Dory [Vinyl]. RCA Records For streaming: Swift, T. (2020). Cardigan. On Folklore. Retrieved from https://www.spotify.com.

Q3: How do I cite a live performance in APA Style?

To cite a live performance, include the artist’s name, the date of the performance, and the venue. For example: Bowie, D. (1973, July 3). Live performance at Hammersmith Odeon, London.

Q4: Can I use online tools to help with APA music citations?

Yes, you can use WriterBuddy (https://writerbuddy.ai/) to help with APA music citations. These tools provide templates and automated citation generation to ensure accuracy and consistency.

Final Tips for Perfect APA Citations

Accurate citation of songs in APA format is essential for academic credibility. The process involves including songwriter information, song title, album details, and publication information. Following these guidelines helps properly attribute musical works and provides readers with necessary information to locate the original source.

Stop Stressing, Start Writing

Join over 540,000+ happy users writing smarter with WriterBuddy. Try WriterBuddy for Free!

Advanced AI writing tool trained to write better content faster.

• Writing Tools
• Sentence Rewriter Tool
• Instagram Caption Generator
• LinkedIn Headline Generator
• Acronym Generator
• Title Generator
• Slogan Generator
• Brand Style Guide
• Affiliate Program
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Text Summarizer
• Essay Writer
• AI Content Detector
• Plagiarism Checker
• Character Counter
• Word Counter

Copyright © 2024 WriterBuddy. All rights reserved.

How to Cite a Song

Create citations for free.

Website Book Journal Song

If you’re working on an assignment that requires music—whether you’re analyzing lyrics or playing a clip—iTunes is a great place to find the right tune. After all, the site/app carries over 30 million songs, from smooth jazz to rollicking rock n’ roll to soaring pop anthems.

But while finding the perfect song clip on iTunes is easy, citing the work in your paper or presentation might seem a bit more difficult.

Luckily, we’ve got you covered.

Here, we’ve compiled a step-by-step guide on how to cite a song from iTunes, in MLA formatting , APA formatting, and Chicago style. If the only thing keeping you from including a song in that presentation is fear of citing, fear not—the process isn’t that difficult once you get the hang of it.

If you’ve ever cited a movie or other video before, you’ll find that the process for an audio recording is pretty similar—but even if your only citation work has been with text, you should be a pro at citing iTunes songs in no time!

To make the process even easier, we’ve created examples in MLA, APA, and Chicago for Pharrell Williams’s 2014 chart-topper “Happy,” a song with an infectious beat and a warm and fuzzy message that works just as well for a psychology assignment as it does for a dance party.

Our citation example is based on https://music.apple.com/us/album/happy-from-despicable-me-2/863835302?i=863835363.

• Name of the individual or band who performs the song
• Name of the songwriter (for APA style)
• Name of the album it is found on (if available)
• Version of the song, if available (such as an extended version or radio edit)
• Name of the publisher
• Date the song was published or recorded
• Track number
• Title of the website or app (iTunes)
• URL or DOI (if applicable)

Use the following structure to cite a song from iTunes in MLA 9:

Last name, First name (of the individual or the name of the band performing the song). “Title of the Song.” Name of the Album , Container (for example, iTunes app), Version (optional), Publisher, Date published.

Here’s how the above example would be cited in MLA 9 :

Williams, Pharrell. “Happy.” GIRL , iTunes app, Columbia Records, 2014.

If you need help with in-prose and parenthetical citations, CitationMachine.net, can help. Our MLA citation generator is simple and easy to use!

Use the following structure to cite a song from iTunes in APA format:

Last name, First initial. Middle initial. of the songwriter. (Year published). Title of song [Recorded by First initial. Middle initial. Last name of performer (only include if different than the name of the writer)]. On Title of album [Audio file]. Retrieved from URL

Here’s how the above example would be cited in APA citation :

Williams. P. (2014). Happy. On GIRL [Audio file]. Retrieved from https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/happy-from-despicable-me-2/id823593445?i=823593456

Use the following structure to cite a song from iTunes in Chicago:

*Note that audio recordings are generally not included in a bibliography. Create another list, titled “Discography.” If you decide to include audio recordings in your bibliography, place a heading over them in order for readers to distinguish the difference.

Last name, First name of the individual or band who performs the song. “Title of Song.” iTunes audio, length. Date published. URL.

Here’s how the above example would be cited in Chicago:

Williams, Pharrell. “Happy.” iTunes audio, 3:52. 2014. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/happy-from-despicable-me-2/id823593445?i=823593456.

Is the song you’re looking for not one of the 30 million-plus available tracks on iTunes? If so, fret not: The process for citing a tune from Spotify, SoundCloud, or any other website with available music doesn’t differ much from the process of citing an iTunes song.

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

To write an in-text citation that directly quotes from a song, cite the name of the recording artist or group as the author in APA style. Following are the templates and examples for writing an in-text citation that directly quotes a song in APA style.

Narrative: Recording Artist’s Surname (Publication Year)

Parenthetical: (Recording Artist’s Surname, Publication Year)

Narrative: Bowie (1971)

Parenthetical: (Bowie, 1971)

The information below follows the guidance given in section 14.263 in the Chicago Manual of Style, 17 th edition .

Note template:

“This is an example quote.” 1

———-

• Full name of the album’s main performer or composer, “ Song Title,” with song contributors, medium or streaming service, recorded Date if different from date published, track # on Album Title , Publisher or Recording Company, Date published.

“Don’t believe me, just watch.” 1

• Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk,” with Bruno Mars, Spotify, track 4 on Uptown Special , Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited, 2015.

Bibliography template & example:

Group name or Surname, First name of the main performer or composer. Album Title. Recorded Date if different from date published. Medium or streaming service. Publisher or Recording Company, Date published.

Ronson, Mark. Uptown Special . Spotify. Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited, 2015.

Citation Help for MLA, 8th Edition: Music Albums & Songs

• Book Review
• Email and Tweets
• Encyclopedia
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Master's Thesis or Project
• Music Albums & Songs
• Newspaper Article
• Formatting Your Paper
• Parenthetical Documentation
• Ethically Use Sources

Music Album Examples

Blue Man Group. How To Be a Megastar Live! Rhino Records, 2008.

Gershwin, G. Gershwin Greatest Hits . Performance by Boston Pops Orchestra, Earl Wild, and        Peter Nero. RCA, 2010.

Music Album Explanation

Artists Involved: Blue Man Group. or Gershwin, G. Either list the band name, lead performer, or composer, etc. If it is a person's name, list the last name followed by the first initial of first name. End with a period. Title & subtitle of the recording: How To Be a Megastar Live! or Gershwin Greatest Hits. The title & subtitle are separated by a colon. Capitalize the first and last words of the title and subtitle, and all proper nouns and important words. Place article title & subtitle in Italics and end with a period. If there is final punctuation like an exclamation point or a question mark, this will replace the final period.

Performers: Performance by Boston Pops Orchestra, Earl Wild, and Peter Nero. If listed, put the words Performance by and then give the names of the performers and end with a period. Publisher: Rhine Records or RCA, List the manufacturer or publisher of the sound recording. Place a comma after the publisher's name to separate it from the year of publication. Year of publication: 2008 or 2010. List the year of the publication of the recording. End citation with a period.

[The above information is based on p. 39 of the MLA Handbook  8th edition and Purdue OWL ].

Song Examples

Presley, E. "Jailhouse Rock."  Essential Elvis Presley,  BMG, 2007.

Song Explanation

Artists Involved: Presley, E. List either the band name, lead performer, or composer, etc. If it is a person's name, list the last name followed by the first initial of first name. End with a period.

Title & subtitle of the song: "Jailhouse Rock." The title & subtitle are separated by a colon. Capitalize the first and last words of the title and subtitle, and all proper nouns and important words. Place article title & subtitle in quotation marks and end with a period. Title & subtitle of the album: Essential Elvis Presley, The title & subtitle are separated by a colon. Capitalize the first and last words of the title and subtitle, and all proper nouns and important words. Place article title & subtitle in Italics and end with a comma.  Publisher: BMG, List the manufacturer or publisher of the sound recording. Place a comma after the publisher's name to separate it from the year of publication. Year of publication: 2007. List the year of the publication of the recording. End citation with a period.

[The above information is based on p. 39 of the  MLA Handbook  8th edition and  Purdue OWL ].

• << Previous: Master's Thesis or Project
• Next: Newspaper Article >>
• Last Updated: Feb 19, 2024 2:51 PM
• URL: https://libguides.css.edu/MLA8

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

23 How to Quote Song Lyrics in an Essay in APA Style

When writing essays in fields like music education, psychology, sociology, or other disciplines that may analyze song lyrics, you’ll often need to incorporate direct quotations or paraphrases to support your arguments and deepen your analysis. Understanding how to properly attribute these sources is essential to both academic integrity and effectively guiding your reader back to the original work. The American Psychological Association (APA) style provides the framework for formatting these citations while ensuring you give credit where credit is due.

Additionally, if you find yourself overwhelmed with the task of incorporating citations or formatting your paper according to APA guidelines, consider seeking assistance and ask professionals to do my paper on DoMyEssay to ensure accuracy and adherence to academic standards.

While there’s no single section in the APA manual devoted entirely to musical sources, you can intelligently adapt the principles for citing various source formats to fit this particular purpose. This involves a careful understanding of both APA’s conventions and the unique nature of musical works, where elements like composer, lyricist, performer, and the date of a particular release all contribute to the full picture.

In-Text Citations

Short Quotations : Integrate shorter lyrical excerpts directly into your text using quotation marks, providing a seamless flow within your writing and allowing the lyrics to speak directly to the reader. Separate line breaks with a single forward slash ( / ) and stanza breaks with two ( // ).

Joni Mitchell explores themes of freedom and constraint in her song “Big Yellow Taxi,” where she poignantly sings, “They paved paradise / And put up a parking lot” (Mitchell, 1970, track 4). 

This technique lets the song’s imagery resonate clearly, strengthening your argument by using the artist’s own words as direct evidence. Furthermore, short quotations can be particularly impactful when they capture a powerful metaphor or a striking turn of phrase unique to the songwriter. 

The bitter irony of “Don’t it always seem to go / That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone” (Mitchell, 1970, track 4) underscores the song’s larger message about the fleeting nature of what we take for granted.

Block Quotations : For lengthier lyrical segments (typically four lines or more), set them apart as block quotations to emphasize their significance, help with visual clarity, and signify a deeper level of analysis. Indent the entire block from your main text. Consider this example:

They took all the trees

Put ’em in a tree museum

And they charged the people

A dollar and a half just to see ’em

(Mitchell, 1970, track 4)

By using a block quotation, you invite the reader to pause and carefully consider the extended lyrical passage, potentially uncovering deeper meanings, nuances, or its connection to the larger themes of your work. Block quotations can also highlight shifts in tone within a song or reveal the development of an idea across several verses. In Mitchell’s case, the block quote emphasizes the absurdity and commercialization of a world where nature is commodified, adding a layer of social commentary to the environmental focus of “Big Yellow Taxi.”

Citation Components : An in-text citation for song lyrics generally includes the songwriter(s) last name, copyright year, and either track number (for recordings) or page/line number (for printed scores). For example, a direct quotation from “Big Yellow Taxi” would be cited as (Mitchell, 1970, track 4). Paraphrases follow the regular APA pattern of (Author, Year), allowing you to rephrase the song’s message in your own words while still giving credit to the original idea. Remember that consistency in your citations adds a layer of professionalism and clarity to your essay writing , demonstrating your respect for intellectual property and guiding your reader effectively.

Reference List Entries

Your reference list, found at the end of your essay, provides a comprehensive and detailed guide to all the sources you’ve used. For song lyrics, this is where you meticulously list full publication information, allowing a reader to easily locate the exact music you analyzed. Here’s the basic structure, with examples and additional considerations:

Recorded Music : Start with the songwriter(s), copyright year, song title, and recording artist. Then, specify the album title, medium of the recording (vinyl, CD, digital, etc.), location of the record label, and the label itself.

Mitchell, J. (1970). Big Yellow Taxi [Recorded by Joni Mitchell]. On Ladies of the Canyon [LP record]. Burbank, CA: Reprise Records.

If the songwriter and recording artist are the same, you can omit the bracketed “[Recorded by…]” portion. Sometimes, you might need to differentiate between various editions or re-releases of an album, especially if bonus tracks or alternate versions are involved. Since different versions could contain lyrical changes, it’s important to be detailed to ensure a reader can locate the precise source you used. Also, be aware that original publication dates and recent re-releases can differ, so make sure to list the date relevant to the version you’re citing.

Printed Scores : For printed sheet music, whether it’s a full score or a simplified arrangement, focus on the publication details. List the songwriter(s), year of publication, song title, the type of score (vocal, instrumental, choral, etc. – if relevant), the city and state where the publisher is located, and the publisher’s name.

Dylan, B. (1963). Blowin’ in the Wind [Vocal score]. New York, NY: Warner Bros. Publications.

Printed scores can vary widely, from simple piano-and-vocal arrangements to comprehensive orchestral scores. Specifying the score type clarifies the exact version you used for analysis and can be particularly helpful if your arguments focus on instrumentation, harmonies, or other musical elements beyond just the lyrics themselves. Additionally, some scores include notes on historical context or performance practice relevant to specific genres or time periods, giving you additional insights for your analysis.

With a bit of careful attention and by understanding the core principles of APA, you can successfully integrate song lyrics into your academic writing, giving proper credit, strengthening your analysis, and enhancing the overall scholarly impact of your work!

Articles Blog Copyright © by mahmed. All Rights Reserved.

Share This Book

• All About the New Google Pixel 9!
• Get 'Em Now: 12 Student Discounts!

Proper Formatting of Song Titles in Written Documents

Learn when to use italics and quotation marks to write clearly

• Animation & Video

What to Know

• Refer to the style guide specified by your employer, client, or teacher.
• In the absence of a style guide, the general rule is to use quotation marks for song titles and italicize CD or album titles.
• Don't use underlining in place of italics unless you are using a typewriter or writing titles by hand.

This article explains the proper formatting of song titles in written documents and includes examples.

How to Format Song Titles in Written Documents

For matters of style when punctuating and formatting titles of any kind, turn first to the style guide prescribed by your employer, client, or teacher. In the absence of a style guide, use the following guidelines:

• Put quotation marks around song titles : For best appearance in professionally typeset material, use proper typographical quote marks and apostrophes ( curly quotes ).
• Set CD/album titles in italics : In typeset material, watch out for fake italics . That's not a grammar rule but it is a good design and printing rule.
• Do not use underlining (in place of italics) unless you're using a typewriter or writing titles by hand.

In desktop publishing and word processing software, create character styles to quickly format song titles and other types of titles used throughout a document.

Example References to Song Titles and Albums

Here are two examples of text that includes song titles and album titles:

• Trace Adkins' first #1 single “(This Ain’t) No Thinkin’ Thing” is from his 1997 CD  Dreamin’ Out Loud . 
• The title cut from Toby Keith’s How Do You Like Me Now? was the most-played country song of 2000. Other favorites from the same album include “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like That” and “Country Comes to Town.”

When the song/album is the same : In the second example, although “ How Do You Like Me Now? ” is the song title, it is also the album title and in that context is treated as the album title, using italics. It would be just as correct to write: My favorite song on the How Do You Like Me Now? album is “How Do You Like Me Now?”

Punctuation in titles : When a song title ends in a question mark, exclamation point, or other punctuation, that punctuation goes inside the quotation marks because it's part of the song title. The beginning portion of the Adkins song title in parentheses is contained in the quotation marks the same as the other part of the song title.

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

• The Correct Way to Use Bold Type Fonts Effectively in Design
• Why Is Desktop Publishing Important?
• 11 Parts of an Award Certificate
• How to Add a Watermark to a Photo in Corel Photo-Paint
• Best Free Desktop Publishing Software for Mac
• Graphics File Format Types and When to Use Each One
• What Is Desktop Publishing?
• Using Text as an Image Mask In Adobe InDesign
• How to Resize a Layer in Photoshop
• How to Copy Images or Text From a PDF File
• Centering the Contents of a Layer in a Photoshop Document
• Adobe Photoshop Menu Bar Options
• How to Simulate Bold and Italics in Photoshop
• How to Use Scribus Desktop Publishing Software
• How to Customize the Adobe InDesign Document Area
• How to Convert an Image to GIF Format

Do You Use Quotation Marks or Italics for Song and Album Titles?

by Liz Bureman | 40 comments

Start Your Story TODAY! We’re teaching a new LIVE workshop this week to help you start your next book. Learn more and sign up here.

Are you making any playlists for the new year? I love music, and when I write about a song or album, I know when to use quotation marks and when to use italics. Do you? Are song titles italicized? Let's discuss. 

I love music. I've been teaching myself to play guitar, and I can stumble my way through four or five songs without wanting to poke holes in my eardrums, but my main appreciation for music is when other people play it. I'm an avid Spotify user, and I take a lot of pride in my ability to make kickass playlists. One of my girlfriends has even given me the green light to create her hypothetical wedding reception playlist.

Not everyone writes out the titles of their favorite songs or music albums regularly, so it's no surprise I sometimes hear people ask, “Are song titles italicized?”

The answer is no.

Here's how it works:

Song Titles in Quotation Marks

Song titles are always surrounded by quotation marks, like *NSYNC's “Bye Bye Bye,” or “A Whole New World” from Disney's Aladdin .

Anytime you write out the title of a song, you'll put that song title in quotation marks according to standard grammar rules. Think of a song as a shorter work like a short story. Short story titles are always in quotation marks. 

Album Titles in Italics

Musical album titles, on the other hand, are always italicized. For example, while I will openly admit to loving Journey's power ballad song “Faithfully,” I think pretty much every song on their Greatest Hits album should be sung at karaoke nights across the country.

When you write out an album title, you'll put it in italics.

It may help to remember that the music album is a longer work, like a novel. Titles of books are also written in italics in most major style guides. 

Are Song Titles Italicized in Classical Music?

Classical music isn't typically arranged into an album, per se, but the general rule still applies. The shorter songs and movements would be in quotation marks. If it is a full length longer composition, like a full sonata, concerto, or opera then use italics for titles indicating the full work.

For example: The aria “Der Hölle Rache” is probably the most famous piece in Mozart's opera The Magic Flute . 

Other Italics Questions

Of course, lots more media have titles than just songs and albums. There are books , short stories, podcasts, TV shows, episodes . . . the list goes on and on. Want more italics advice? Check out our ultimate title-writing guide for answers to all your italics conundrums.

Do you have any tricks for remembering when to use quotes and when to use italics? Tell us in the comments .

Imagine your favorite musical artist or group is discussing the set list for an upcoming show that has the potential to go viral. What will they play to appeal to fans, old and new?

Take fifteen minutes and write about the hypothetical conversation the ladies of the group had in determining the songs they would play for the show. Post your conversation in the Pro Practice Workshop , and leave notes for other writers brave enough to publish as well. Not a part of a writing community yet? Join us !

Liz Bureman

Liz Bureman has a more-than-healthy interest in proper grammatical structure, accurate spelling, and the underappreciated semicolon. When she's not diagramming sentences and reading blogs about how terribly written the Twilight series is, she edits for the Write Practice, causes trouble in Denver, and plays guitar very slowly and poorly. You can follow her on Twitter (@epbure), where she tweets more about music of the mid-90s than writing.

40 Comments

It was blowing up a storm when we started to practice, but that don’t stop Effie.  He thinks you gotta play no matter what.  If the tornado sirens go off down in town and one of our old ladies calls to tell us so, he’ll say, “Ya’ll can go get in your fraidey holes if you want to.  Me, I’m playing my fiddle.”

Well, you can’t go to the storm cellar with your tail between your legs, so we stay, me and Vander and Larry, even though Larry, who plays the washtub, lost his house in the tornado of ’96 and he shakes when the sky rumbles.  And then Effie’ll start in on some song like “When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder,” just to put his spin on how things might turn out if a twister does find us.

So we’re playing, me on the bass, and we’re looking out the window, where you can see the sky turning the color of a two-day bruise, and Larry’s sweating and Vander’s got his eyes shut like he does when he plays mandolin, and Effie, truth be told, is a flat-out bully.  So he’s getting the show list together and acting like everything’s business as usual.

“I think we should start with “Sitting On The Front Porch,” he says.  Crowd pleaser, every time.  And then, “Baby’s Little Shoes.” And then “Walking With Clementine” for the old folks.  We’ll finish with “God Bless the U.S.A,” since the veteran’s home is bringing a bus.

Lightning is hitting closer, the sky like the Fourth of July.  Larry’s done sat down, turned all pale as fresh milk.  Larry’s a big man.  He can’t button his overalls up all the way on the side, so when he doubles over and then falls out of the fold-up chair, none of us knows what to do.

“I ain’t doing mouth-to-mouth,” Effie says, while the rest of us are trying to right him. 

Larry comes to soon enough, just as the hail starts.

“My new truck,” he says, and shakes his head. You know when people say you’re green at the gills? Well, Larry is.

All our trucks are parked outside, and all of ‘em are getting blasted.  I see my old Dodge, the one I’ve had since May left me, the hail, big as cotton bols hitting it, and it makes me sick.

And then I remember Effie’s truck.  His is in the carport.  Well, sure it is, I think.

Vander, who preaches every other Sunday over in the Cavanaugh bottoms, says, “Shit fire,” and hits the wall.  We are in the town hall of Rudy, a little Craftsman house donated by Mayor Giles Walker’s family when he passed, and the photos of the veterans shake when he does it.

The rain flashes down.  Pounding everything, soaking through my back windshield that was shattered by the hail.

“Mercy sakes,” is all I can say.

Larry stands up, grabbing my arm to do it.  He’s about as wide as he is tall, and he’s near about pulls me down.

“I’m off like a prom dress,” he says, “so don’t try to stop me.”  And then he turns to Effie.

“You’re about as helpful as a boar with teats,” he says, you know that? You act like you’re the bread and butter of The Frog Bayou Boys.”  He points to me.  “But Columbus here, he might not play as good as you like, but he’s the one got the news folks out here to do that story calling us the best band in the River Valley.  And he books every show, and when you get drunk, let’s just be honest here, when you get drunk, you can’t play worth shit.”

Effie came after Larry.  Effie’s a little action figure of a man, but he fights mean, and it took Vander and me to stop him.

We were holding Effie by his scrawny arms, and he was kicking, his cowboy boots flying off the wood floor, so that we were mostly holding him up.

“You are a liar and a snake,” Larry Brammel.  “A liar and a snake.  You’re going to go straight to hell with gasoline drawers on, and when you do, I’ll play my fiddle on your grave.”

Vander stepped in.  “Ya’ll cut it out.  Nobody’s dying,” he said.  “Effie,” he said, and pointed, “you and Larry need to quit showing your butts. That show on Saturday pays $100, plus they feed us.  We ain’t had a show like that since we played that Red, White and Bluegrass gig for the rich ladies who wanted to dress up in thousand dollar boots and wear tight jeans and drink beer in front of their husbands.”

And then Vander bowed up, like I never seen him do before.  “And Effie, we ain’t playing “Walking With Clementine.” The old folks can do without it for one dang night.  I wrote my own song and I want to sing it.  It’s called “She Broke My Heart And Stole My Wallet.” That’ll get ‘em going,” Vander said. 

I’d known Vander thirty-two years, and that was the first I’d heard of his songwriting.  His new girlfriend, the one who brought over the Mexican casserole when Vander’s wife died, was likely the inspiration for this new tune.

Word was, she was over in Branson now, hooked up with a cowboy singer who wore a Bolo tie and colored his hair.

Effie face was red.  He looked hotter than blue blazes, like he might catch fire at any minute.  And then he backed down, his shoulders falling.  He looked at all of us, me and Larry and Vander, and then he said, “Fine, that’s fine with me.  I been carrying you ya-hoos for way too long.”

Larry cuffed him on the arm, and then they shook hands, and the rain fell, and the thunder roared, but nobody moved for a minute. 

Effie had a bottle in his fiddle case, and he went to get it.  “Ain’t nobody driving till the rain stops,” he said.  “And that includes you, Larry.”

And then we sat down, and passed the bottle until Vander started singing.  “I loved a girl from Minnesota.  Loved her with a passion true.  And then stole my dad burn wallet, took it out and followed you.  You must be a handsome cowboy.  You must look like Johnny Cash.  But when I find my little Cindy, I will tell her that she’s trash.”

We were laughing then.  And Effie brought out his fiddle, and I picked up my bass, and Vander his mandolin.  Larry drug out the washtub, and we got back at it, the Frog Bayou Boys, just as good as new.

Wow, Marla, if you’re not from those parts then you’ve got one wild imagination, girl! Well done, and then some. The phrasing, the way you used the anarchic terminology, and even the names were spot on, perfect. Beautiful!

 Thank you, Yvette.  I can’t take credit.  I live with these people and these voices.  It’s like music to me.  We get teased A LOT but I wouldn’t trade the dialect or the cadence for anything. 

I love this!!!  The gig, the music, the attitudes.  And the dialogue is genuine county-folk!  Good work, Marla!

You’re so nice.  I love the music we have in the South, the twangy, ball-your-eyes-out stuff that connects us all and makes us feel less alone.  And I know men like these, I’ve heard them play, so writing this was easy.

Great writing Marla. I agree with the others you really have that dialect (which I’m also familiar with) down pat.  

Thank you, Mariaanne. Where are you from?

I live in Lynchburg Va now but was originally from Norfolk.  The accent you are writing sounds like an Appalachian accent to me. Where are you from?

Mariaanne, I live in Lynchburg, too! We have two crit groups here and would love for you to join us. Email me at charmainetdavis at yahoo dot com.

Charmaine – I can’t believe it.  Will you please email me?  [email protected].  I’d love to join you.  When and where do you meet?  

I had a playlist for my wedding that included  “One Day My Prince Will Come” and “If You Wish Upon a Star.”  Since I’m still single, it’s “The Impossible Dream.”

It depends if you’re writing for American or British publications. In the US, song titles are always “Jumping Jack Flash” but in the UK they’re often ‘Midnight Rambler’. It’s caused me no end of headaches writing for both.

They punctuate dialogue differently in the UK too don’t they?  I think the way they do it makes more sense actually but I don’t like to think about it too much or I get confused. I imagine it’s hard to write both ways.  

Agreed. The UK punctuates more logically. I had points knocked off of college papers for employing that punctuation, & tried to defend it with no success. Ha! Punctuation Wars – my kind of rebellion!

I’m in the US. In high school, I got marked off for spelling aluminum as “aluminium.” The teacher actually asked if I was British.

Ten years later, I’d still argue I was technically correct.

sorry so long to reply. Yet, after recent happenings, I can only hope that we can just get back to debating language. God Bless us All. Thanks for replying Eric Foster!!

Does also apply to other works that have a part/whole relationship? I’m thinking specifically of “short stories” and The Collection They Come in or “poems” and Chap Books.

I can’t make any italics work in this application, so I’ll indicate italics with [i] at the beginning and at the end of each title I intend to be italicized.

My practice:

The state-of-the-art bus pitched only slightly with the dips and rolls of Interstate 35 — not like those death-traps they used to ride in the ’40s and ’50s — on the way up to Fort Worth and Billy Bob’s.  He walked down the aisle toward his stateroom with the practiced sea-legs of an old salt, noticing that his harp-player, Mickey, had gone to sleep and was droolin’ in his lap. 

“HEY MICK YOUR FLY’S OPEN!”  he barked in that sargeant’s voice he could assume on a moment’s notice.  Mickey jumped awake and then amiably shot him the bird.  He laughed in his baritone voice and walked on into his quarters. 

Billy Bob’s.  Let’s see — that crowd likes the ’70s stuff off the concept albums, sprinkled ’round the edges with the early Nashville songs.  Let’s do, let’s do — he got his legal pad and licked the point of his stubby pencil — Let’s do “Bloody Mary Mornin'” and “Walkin'” from [i]Phases and Stages[i].  Follow that with “Hello Walls” from [i]And then I Wrote[i].  He sat before the big window and watched the country roll by, remembering.  Remembering. 

The world was a different place when I got started.  I’m an extrememly lucky man, he thought.  All the close shaves — I could easily have gone the way of Hank.  All  the little one-horse planes I’ve flown in, I also could have had the same end as Jim Reeves, or Patsy, God love ‘er. 

Gotta do “Crazy” tonight in honor of Patsy.  That’s another’un offa [i]And Then I Wrote[i].  Sold that’un for fifty dollars when my kids needed shoes, and I’d do it again too. 

He picked up the old spanish guitar with the hole in it where his right hand had worn through the wood over the decades, and began to strum it.  Key of E.  Began to sing just a little bit, soft and low:  “In___ the twighlight glow I see__ her . . .”  And then stopped.  All those years.  All those songs.  All those changes.  Phases and stages.

Yes, I’m lucky, it’s still hard to believe just how lucky.

Gotta find a spot for “Blue Eyes” tonight too.  [i]Red-Headed Stranger[i].  

Sometimes, he realized, I look in the mirror and that’s who I see.

Wow!  I love this.  The part about the hole in the guitar is gold.  And I love your main character.  I’d go hear him, in a heartbeat. 

Thank you all for your kind comments.   The piece is about Willie Nelson, I just didn’t name him.  All of the album and song titles are real, as is the hole in his guitar;  just look closely the next time you see him playing on tv and you’ll see it.  I had a lot of fun writing this!

I’ve always been amused by Willie’s “holy” guitar. He’s such a kook.

I forgot DISQUS doesn’t allow italics. Sorry about that John. Way to make it work 🙂

That was really well done John.  It’s kind of sad to hear him thinking about old times but he seems to be a pretty happy guy overall.  I like the hole in the guitar too as well as the guy drooling in his sleep.  Gross but probably about right.  

Good article. Quick and to the point. Thanks!

Not kickass playlists if they have Journey in them lol…

It will really depend on how are you going to use those kind of quotations in your writing but I what I have observed, this kind of thing was being used by most writing especially if when they emphasized a title on their writing.

I was going to ask about the title of a composition and the movements but after reading the program magazine I realized that italics are used for both.

I think I have been doing that correctly. I was worried.

Her hand twisted the edge of her shirt as the smell of sawdust filled the air. The crowd’s noises dimmed, her heart beat louder in her ears and her palms dampened as she climbed the stage stairs. Though she had practiced long hours she was nervous anticipating singing “China Girl” from John Cougar Mellancamp’s, (italics American Fool italics), album.

You should try djing. It’s easy if you can already make a good playlist. If you’re already a good selector, all you have to do is pre-cue the next song in your headphones then drop it on the 1. Really easy stuff. You can buy the app, djay, for ios devices and log in with your spotify account for access to your playlists and stuff. We need more female djs.

My first concert experience was of one that I would not easily forget, it was Summer Jam hosted by Hot 97. The concert had a majority of middle class rappers playing their hot singles. I came there for a select few: 50 Cent, Fabolous and Young Thug. The other performing artists were mainly for the female demographic, like Fetty Wap and Ty Dolla $ign. What I really enjoyed about this concert is they did not only play songs from this current generation, they reached out to other generations as well. The biggest example of this is seeing 50 Cent preform. He played hits from his Get Rich or Die Tryin’ album all the way up to his recent The Kanan Mixtape. I was going ballistic when I heard him preform a new track “I’m the Man” and decided to take us back to 2003 with “In da Club” immediately after. The artists I came for did not disappoint.

And if you are writing dialogue, I do not recall seeing two double quotation marks at end of dialogue. Maybe I am wrong. For instance, “Baby, you know I love Ted’s “Stranglehold,”” he fired back. I have seen a single followed by a double quotation at end of dialogue after the comma or period. So maybe that’s why the King’s English prefers single over double?

This saved my essay. Thanks Liz!

Dear Liz, I was looking for some advice about quote/italics for song/movie/book titles and got totally side-tracked by your Journey reference. When I rule the world, I promise you will get your wish. Journey will be piped directly into people’s heads so they can all become happier and more well rounded. Tee Hee. Keep up the good work. 😉

The Excavators play Brady Wilkenson’s 8th Birthday Bash!

This past Saturday afternoon was Brady Wilkensen’s birthday party, and he could think of no better live entertainment than his father’s heavy metal band, The Excavators. When Brady suggested the idea, his dad felt honored, albeit unsure whether the mothers of his son’s 8-year-old classmates and friends would appreciate the lyrical content of his band’s hits, especially “Rotting Flesh” and “Glory Hole” off their latest album (i) In it for the Lingue Hall. (i)

Instead of becoming the third grade parents’ worst nightmare, Mr. Wilkensen figured he’d tone things down quite a bit to become more palatable to the kids and their discerning parents. He got the members of the Excavators together, sure, but instead of “Rock My Grave,” the afternoon’s selections included “Punk Rock Teacher” and “All My Friends Headbang” off their pseudo EP (i) Songs for the Peanut Gallery (i).

The party was to be held at Bringadown Hall, in a posh country club in the suburb where Brady and his family resided. Mr. Wilkenson figured that his band had better revamp their look for this gig as well. Instead of their usual studs and leather, the Excavators came to the party dressed in red t-shirts, jeans, and letter jackets that evoked high school in the ’70s.

The band decided to even craft some improv tunes on the subject of the party’s goings-on and present them to Brady and his guests at the end of the show. “Pizza on my Face, What a Disgrace!” did so well among Brady’s friends that the Excavators decided to include it on their upcoming album, (i) Smells like Burnt Crust (i).

Rather than the utter disgust that would have been sure to follow had the band performed its signature material, (i) Songs for the Peanut Gallery (i) was lauded by parents and children alike as a “too-cool-for-school crowd pleaser.”

Brady bragged from that day forward that he had the coolest dad in town, and his 8th birthday party became the epitome of birthday bash success in the eyes of the entirety of Willten Elementary School’s student body, whether they’d attended the party or heard about it from a friend-of-a-friend’s brother.

“Whew,” Mr. Wilkenson said to his wife when the party was over, “that was a good call!”

Thanks Liz, good info!

Here’s my sentence in question: “They just ran out the back door singing it to the tune of ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’.” It is dialog, and according to what I’m reading, I should use double quotes around the song and at the end of the sentence. Correct?

thanks for the help!

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Submit Comment

Join over 450,000 readers who are saying YES to practice. You’ll also get a free copy of our eBook 14 Prompts :

Popular Resources

Best Resources for Writers Book Writing Tips & Guides Creativity & Inspiration Tips Writing Prompts Grammar & Vocab Resources Best Book Writing Software ProWritingAid Review Writing Teacher Resources Publisher Rocket Review Scrivener Review Gifts for Writers

Books By Our Writers

You've got it! Just us where to send your guide.

Enter your email to get our free 10-step guide to becoming a writer.

You've got it! Just us where to send your book.

Enter your first name and email to get our free book, 14 Prompts.

Want to Get Published?

Enter your email to get our free interactive checklist to writing and publishing a book.

How to Cite Song Lyrics in Different Formats With Examples

• Icon Calendar 16 May 2024
• Icon Page 1776 words
• Icon Clock 8 min read

Songs contain lyrics that can support arguments made in scholarly papers. Basically, MLA 9, APA 7, Chicago/Turabian, and Harvard referencing styles rely on different rules for in-text citations and bibliographic entries. In this case, significant differences include orders or names, use of capital letters and sentence cases, and sequence of bibliographic details. For example, bibliographic entries in MLA 7 and Chicago/Turabian formats should have a song’s titles in a title case. However, song’s titles must appear in a sentence case for APA 7 and Harvard format styles. In all referencing styles, writers may use parenthetical or narrative in-text citations. Also, parenthetical in-text citations should appear inside rounded brackets. In turn, only the MLA 9 style does not require an author-date format for in-text citations. Besides, the MLA referencing style requires students to use the artist’s name and the section cited. In particular, parts of songs refer to the duration of time that contains quoted lyrics. Also, a prudent writer includes the production date inside the essay’s body. Finally, one should include URL links for songs located in online databases. Hence, students need to learn how to cite song lyrics in MLA 9, APA 7, Chicago/Turabian, and Harvard formats.

General Guidelines for Using Music Lyrics in MLA 9, APA 7, Chicago/Turabian, and Harvard Styles

Songs are suitable sources of information used in scholarly papers. For example, students in literature write papers analyzing specific song lyrics. In most cases, instructions require them to use different referencing styles to cite song lyrics. Basically, MLA 9, APA 7, Chicago/Turabian, and Harvard referencing styles rely on different rules for in-text citations and bibliographic entries. Also, the most significant differences include orders or names, use of capital letters and sentence cases, and sequence of bibliographic details. However, credible papers must follow the necessary guidelines to avoid possible cases of plagiarism. Hence, this guide provides key steps that a writer must follow when citing song lyrics MLA 9, APA 7, Chicago/Turabian, and Harvard styles.   

How to Cite Song Lyrics in MLA 9

1. in-text citation rules for citing music lyrics in mla 9.

MLA citation requires writers to use the artist’s name and the section cited. Basically, parts of songs refer to the duration of time that contains the quoted lyrics. In this case, one can use both parenthetical and narrative in-text citations when writing scholarly papers. In practice, parenthetical in-text citations should include the artist’s name and the time containing the cited lyric. Also, these details should appear inside rounded brackets at the end of a sentence. Hence, writers should separate the name and time using a black space.

Citation scheme for song lyrics in MLA 9:

• (Name Time)

In-text citation example for citing music lyrics in MLA 9:

• (Knowles-Carter 2:00-3:01)

Narrative in-text citations contain similar details as parenthetical ones. However, only the time should appear in rounded brackets at the end of the sentence.

Example of a narrative in-text citation for song lyrics in MLA 9:

• According to Knowles-Carter, … (2:00-3:01).

2. Full Bibliographic Entry on Works Cited for Song Lyrics in MLA 9

Music exists in multiple ways, which depends on the container that a writer may access. For example, music citations in MLA 9 begin with last names of artists. In some instances, writers may opt to use composers or performers in the absence of the artist’s surnames. Otherwise, one must note composers and performers after the album’s title. In turn, the song’s title must appear inside double quotation marks, while the album’s entry should look as italicized. Besides, one must use the title case for the song’s entry. Then, other essential details include the recording manufacturer and the publication date where applicable.

Example of a bibliographic entry on Works Cited for song lyrics in MLA 9:

• Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé Giselle. “Irreplaceable.” Lemonade, Parkwood Entertainment, 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EwViQxSJJQ.  

The bibliographic entry should begin with the artist’s surname followed by the first and second names. Periods should support the artist’s names, title, and URL link for music available online. However, a comma should follow the album, producer, and publication year.

3. MLA Footnote for Song Lyrics

MLA referencing style requires writers to use references when providing long explanations. In this case, MLA footnotes contain details that may distract readers. As a rule, one should use numerical footnote callouts inside the body text. Moreover, footnote callouts should appear as a suffix. In turn, actual footnotes must look at the bottom of the page containing the callout. Hence, the following is an example of a possible note: 

Footnote example for song lyrics in MLA 9:

• 1 For more relevant lyrics, listen to the section between the second and third minutes.

How to Cite Song Lyrics in APA 7

1. in-text citation rules for citing music lyrics in apa 7.

APA style requires writers to use parenthetical or narrative in-text citations. Basically, writers should use the artist’s surname and production date. In some cases, one may include the truck number in the in-text citation where applicable.

Citation schemes for song lyrics in APA 7:

• (Surname, Date)
• According to Surname (date), … .

Parenthetical citation sample for song lyrics in APA 7:

• (Knowles-Carter, 2009)

Narrative in-text citation example for citing music lyrics in APA 7:

• Knowles-Carter (2009) sang about the value of a romantic partner… .

2. Reference Entry for Song Lyrics in APA 7

Bibliographic entries in APA 7 should appear on the last page of any essay or research paper. As a rule, reference entries should contain the artist’s surname, song’s title, medium, and producer and URL link where applicable. Also, bibliographic entries must appear in the sentence case. Hence, the following is an example of the reference entry.

Example of a reference entry for song lyrics in APA 7:

• Knowles-Carter, B. G. (2009). Irreplaceable [CD]. Parkwood Entertainment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EwViQxSJJQ

3. APA Footnote for Song Lyrics

The following is an example of a possible footnote.

Footnote example for song lyrics in APA 7:

• 1 For more details about the importance of love, listen to the section between the second and third minutes.

How to Cite Song Lyrics in Chicago/Turabian

1. in-text citation rules for citing music lyrics in chicago/turabian.

The Chicago/Turabian citation style requires writers to use music lyrics to support their central arguments. As a rule, all citations must contain an accurate date. Besides, students should use the recording date as opposed to the release year. In turn, the Chicago/Turabian style requires one to use two in-text citation types, which include parenthetical citations or footnotes.

Parenthetical in-text citation for song lyrics in Chicago/Turabian:

Parenthetical citations in Chicago/Turabian should include the artist’s surname and production date. Basically, writers should separate these details with space, which must appear inside rounded brackets at the end of a sentence. Hence, the following is an example that one should use:

In-text citation scheme:

• (Artist Date)

Actual in-text citation:

• (Knowles-Carter 2009)

2. Bibliography Entry for Song Lyrics in Chicago/Turabian

Chicago/Turabian bibliographic entries should appear on the essay’s last page. Basically, a credible bibliographic entry should contain the artist, the song’s title, recording data, producers, and medium. However, one may include the URL link of the song where necessary. Also, the song’s title must appear as italicized for the bibliographic entry. Hence, the following is the scheme required and actual example.

Bibliography scheme for song lyrics in Chicago/Turabian:

• Name of group or composer or performer.  Title . Contributing personnel. Recording date. Recording Company or Publisher, medium.

Example of a bibliography entry for song lyrics in Chicago/Turabian:

• Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé Giselle. Irreplaceable . 2009. Parkwood Entertainment, CD. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EwViQxSJJQ.

3. Chicago/Turabian Footnote for Song Lyrics

Writers should use footnote callouts in the text body. Basically, numerical callouts should follow ending punctuation marks, like periods and question and exclamation marks. In this case, Chicago/Turabian footnote containing the bibliographic entry should appear at the bottom of the page. Also, each note should have a binary number that corresponds to the one used in the callout. However, a period should follow the numeral used. Besides, the artist’s name should appear in the standard form, which begins with the first name for the first in-text citation. Hence, the following is the scheme and actual in-text citation.

Footnote scheme for song lyrics in Chicago/Turabian:

• 1. Name of group/composer/performer, “Title,” contributing personnel, recording date, Recording Company or Publisher, track number on Name of Album , year of release, medium.

Example of a Chicago/Turabian footnote for song lyrics:

• 1. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, “Irreplaceable,” recorded February 2009, on Lemonade , Parkwood Entertainment, CD, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EwViQxSJJQ.

How to Cite Song Lyrics in Harvard

1. in-text citation rules for citing music lyrics in harvard.

The Harvard referencing style requires writers to use parenthetical or narrative in-text citations. As a rule, in-text citations must include the artist’s surname and production date. For parenthetical in-text citations, students should separate the artist’s surname and production date with space.

Citation schemes for song lyrics in Harvard:

• (Surname Date)
• Surname (Date) sang … .

Parenthetical citation sample for song lyrics in Harvard:

Narrative in-text citation example for citing music lyrics in Harvard:

• Knowles-Carter (2009) sang about the importance of valuing romantic love.

2. Reference Entry for Song Lyrics in Harvard

Bibliographic entries in Harvard should appear on the last page of essays and research papers. As a rule, Harvard references should contain the artist’s surname, song’s title, medium, and producer. Moreover, the song’s title must appear in sentence case and be italicized. In this case, a prudent writer must use commas to separate all the details in the entry. Besides, reference entries should begin with the author’s surname followed by the initials of other names. Hence, the following is an example of a reference entry for song lyrics in Harvard.

• Knowles-Carter, BG 2009, Irreplaceable , CD, Parkwood Entertainment.

3. Harvard Footnote for Song Lyrics

The following is an example of a possible note.

• 1 For more details about valuing one’s romantic partner, listen to the section between the first and third minutes.

Songs contain lyrics that can support the main arguments presented in scholarly articles. In this case, MLA 9, APA 7, Chicago/Turabian, and Harvard referencing styles rely on different rules. Also, one should consider the following guidelines on how to cite song lyrics in MLA 9, APA 7, Chicago/Turabian, and Harvard when using such sources in essays and research papers.

• Bibliographic entries in MLA 9 and Chicago/Turabian should have song titles in a title case.
• Song’s title must appear in sentence cases for APA 7 and Harvard styles.
• In all referencing styles, writers may use parenthetical or narrative in-text citations.
• Only the MLA style does not require an author-date format for the in-text citation.

To Learn More, Read Relevant Articles

Essay Title: Definition, Format, & Examples

• Icon Calendar 31 August 2020
• Icon Page 4122 words

Critical Analysis Essay: Steps to Achieving an A+

• Icon Calendar 28 August 2020
• Icon Page 6530 words

• Formatting Guides

How to Cite Songs in MLA Style: A Complete Citation Guide

• Speech Topics
• Basics of Essay Writing
• Essay Topics
• Other Essays
• Main Academic Essays
• Research Paper Topics
• Basics of Research Paper Writing
• Miscellaneous
• Chicago/ Turabian
• Data & Statistics
• Methodology
• Admission Writing Tips
• Admission Advice
• Other Guides
• Student Life
• Studying Tips
• Understanding Plagiarism
• Academic Writing Tips
• Basics of Dissertation & Thesis Writing

• Essay Guides
• Research Paper Guides
• Basics of Research Process
• Admission Guides
• Dissertation & Thesis Guides

Table of contents

Use our free Readability checker

Are you writing an essay and want to cite a song but are unsure how to do it properly? This article will show you how to cite a song in MLA style so that your article will have an appropriate format. Whether you wish to list some track, mention its composer or performer, or if you are quoting lyrics in your essay, we want you to know the correct way to do it. This article will demonstrate how to do it with helpful examples.  Dealing with lengthy research? Don’t have time for in-depth topic exploration? Delegate all the job to top-rated experts! Buy research paper online at StudyCrumb and leave all worries behind.

MLA Song Citation

There are times when you wish to use MLA citation for a song in your essay or article. You want to do this because quoting some melody or lyrics adds quality to what you are writing abou. Still,  it is important to cite people's work properly to avoid unwanted plagiarism. Remember to check plagiarism upon paper completion for outstanding results. The way you use MLA citation for some track will vary based on how you accessed the song. The basic MLA song citation format for a source retrieved from a streaming service is:

• performer's last name, performer's first name
• title of song (using quotation marks)
• website or database name( in italics)

When listing its URL, omit http:// and https:// information. If your source has a brand name with an article, you should also skip it. For example, you will go for "Rolling Stones" not "The Rolling Stones." So here is a general structure for your better understanding of how it looks:

Here’s how the above example would be cited:

However, there may be some additional information that you should include, e.g., an album. Let's learn how to format such citation below. You even can cite TED talks in your work. Just follow how to cite a TED talk MLA  guide. You will find it and many other useful blogs in our database.

How to Cite a Song From an Album in MLA

Are you citing something from an album in MLA style ? In this case, you would use some basic format above without its URL information. This will work when you are referring to some particular piece from a vinyl album.  When citing an MLA song from an album you should include some general information  such as: artist’s name, song title (using quotation marks), album title (in italics), record label, publication year. If some information about an album is unavailable, such as the record label or album name, it is acceptable not to list it. Here is a general format that applies if you want to cite a song from an album in MLA.

This is how it would be cited.

MLA in-Text Citation of a Song

When integrating in text citation mla song in your article, you would list the last name of the performer in parenthesis. If necessary, provide timestamps for lyrics you are quoting with its performer's name. In a general format It will look like this.

Here is how the above example would be cited:

Proper MLA Citation for a Song on a CD

How to cite a song from a CD in MLA style? When referencing some track from a CD, you should use a similar format as you would for any reference from an online source. Include such information as author's last name, first name, song title (using quotation marks), album name (in italics), distributor, publication year, and CD. Check a general format of citing songs of physical format here.

Here is also an example of how it will look like.

In-Text Citation for a Song From a CD in MLA

Are you citing some song in-text? When referencing some melody or lyrics from any CD, you would use the same format as you would from a vinyl album, only in the works cited section, use letters “CD” in the reference. MLA in-text citation for song should include the last name of a performer in parenthesis. Also, add timestamps of where these quoted lyrics appear. In the Works Cited section, integrate such information: performer last name, first name. Then, mention track name (using quotation marks), CD album title (in italics), publisher, publication year, CD. Check a general format of citing songs from a CD in MLA for in-text citation.

Check out our example of in-text citation:

How to Cite Song Lyrics MLA

There may be occasions when you want to know how to cite song lyrics in MLA in your article. When citing lyrics, you would put quotation marks on each side of the quoted lyrics. If necessary, use timestamps (see above) to indicate where these lyrics are within the track. It is also important to use a poetic format if you are quoting more than a few words or one line. When quoting multiple lines, use a forward slash to indicate breaks in those lyrics. Here is how it looks:

Here is an example of the above formula of how to cite song lyrics in MLA.

But do not use this guide for an interview citation. It is another source and should be cited another way. Find and read a special blog about  MLA in text citation interview .

Core Elements for MLA Song Citation

As we can see, all references in MLA style we have mentioned above contain their core elements that should be included in almost every citation. Here are essential pieces of information that are likely to be incorporated into your quotation:

• Artist or band name
• Title of a song
• Title of an album
• Album’s version
• Track number
• Publication details (name of the publisher of record label, year this record was released)
• Website or database where you got this record
• Format (e.g., CD, MP3 , vinyl.)

Final Thoughts on Citing a Song in MLA

We have looked at MLA style on how to cite a song. Referencing some track is similar to the citation format of citing an article in a periodical. Remember to include the general information such as: performer's last name, first name, a period, title in quotations, an album title italicized, publisher, and year. If you are quoting from an online source, include URL at the end of the reference. If you are quoting from any CD, put the letters “CD” at the end. If you are quoting lyrics from any record, CD, or online source, use a timestamp. When quoting lyrics, put quotation marks. Also, use the poetic style for multiple line lyric quotations.

We can help you meet it. Contact our college paper writing services today and get proficient help with academic papers. Like you, we want your writing to shine above the rest!

How to Cite a Song in MLA Style: FAQ

1. are song titles italicized in mla.

No. When MLA citing a song, titles are listed with quotation marks. Songs that you reference need to be accompanied by the source where they can be found. It is an album title that is listed in italics.

2. How to cite a song in MLA with a different writer and performer?

If you cite a song in MLA, the performer is listed as an author in most cases. If you are referencing songs from some streaming service, the performer or group is listed as an author as if you are citing some written source.

3. How do you in-text cite an audio clip in MLA?

When you cite an audio clip in MLA within your text, the performer's last name and timestamp are placed within your text in parenthesis. At the end of your article, proper MLA citation should be made of the song's origin.

4. How do you reference a concert in MLA?

When citing a live concert using MLA style, you would list the name of the performer, name of the concert (or concert tour), full date of this concert, concert venue, and city and state (and perhaps country) where this concert was performed.

Emma Flores knows all about formatting standards. She shares with StudyCrumb readers tips on creating academic papers that will meet high-quality standards.

You may also like

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Guidelines for referring to the works of others in your text using MLA style are covered throughout the  MLA Handbook  and in chapter 7 of the  MLA Style Manual . Both books provide extensive examples, so it's a good idea to consult them if you want to become even more familiar with MLA guidelines or if you have a particular reference question.

Basic in-text citation rules

In MLA Style, referring to the works of others in your text is done using parenthetical citations . This method involves providing relevant source information in parentheses whenever a sentence uses a quotation or paraphrase. Usually, the simplest way to do this is to put all of the source information in parentheses at the end of the sentence (i.e., just before the period). However, as the examples below will illustrate, there are situations where it makes sense to put the parenthetical elsewhere in the sentence, or even to leave information out.

General Guidelines

• The source information required in a parenthetical citation depends (1) upon the source medium (e.g. print, web, DVD) and (2) upon the source’s entry on the Works Cited page.
• Any source information that you provide in-text must correspond to the source information on the Works Cited page. More specifically, whatever signal word or phrase you provide to your readers in the text must be the first thing that appears on the left-hand margin of the corresponding entry on the Works Cited page.

In-text citations: Author-page style

MLA format follows the author-page method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear on your Works Cited page. The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase, but the page number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence. For example:

Both citations in the examples above, (263) and (Wordsworth 263), tell readers that the information in the sentence can be located on page 263 of a work by an author named Wordsworth. If readers want more information about this source, they can turn to the Works Cited page, where, under the name of Wordsworth, they would find the following information:

Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads . Oxford UP, 1967.

In-text citations for print sources with known author

For print sources like books, magazines, scholarly journal articles, and newspapers, provide a signal word or phrase (usually the author’s last name) and a page number. If you provide the signal word/phrase in the sentence, you do not need to include it in the parenthetical citation.

These examples must correspond to an entry that begins with Burke, which will be the first thing that appears on the left-hand margin of an entry on the Works Cited page:

Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature, and Method . University of California Press, 1966.

In-text citations for print sources by a corporate author

When a source has a corporate author, it is acceptable to use the name of the corporation followed by the page number for the in-text citation. You should also use abbreviations (e.g., nat'l for national) where appropriate, so as to avoid interrupting the flow of reading with overly long parenthetical citations.

In-text citations for sources with non-standard labeling systems

If a source uses a labeling or numbering system other than page numbers, such as a script or poetry, precede the citation with said label. When citing a poem, for instance, the parenthetical would begin with the word “line”, and then the line number or range. For example, the examination of William Blake’s poem “The Tyger” would be cited as such:

The speaker makes an ardent call for the exploration of the connection between the violence of nature and the divinity of creation. “In what distant deeps or skies. / Burnt the fire of thine eyes," they ask in reference to the tiger as they attempt to reconcile their intimidation with their relationship to creationism (lines 5-6).

Longer labels, such as chapters (ch.) and scenes (sc.), should be abbreviated.

In-text citations for print sources with no known author

When a source has no known author, use a shortened title of the work instead of an author name, following these guidelines.

Place the title in quotation marks if it's a short work (such as an article) or italicize it if it's a longer work (e.g. plays, books, television shows, entire Web sites) and provide a page number if it is available.

Titles longer than a standard noun phrase should be shortened into a noun phrase by excluding articles. For example, To the Lighthouse would be shortened to Lighthouse .

If the title cannot be easily shortened into a noun phrase, the title should be cut after the first clause, phrase, or punctuation:

In this example, since the reader does not know the author of the article, an abbreviated title appears in the parenthetical citation, and the full title of the article appears first at the left-hand margin of its respective entry on the Works Cited page. Thus, the writer includes the title in quotation marks as the signal phrase in the parenthetical citation in order to lead the reader directly to the source on the Works Cited page. The Works Cited entry appears as follows:

"The Impact of Global Warming in North America." Global Warming: Early Signs . 1999. www.climatehotmap.org/. Accessed 23 Mar. 2009.

If the title of the work begins with a quotation mark, such as a title that refers to another work, that quote or quoted title can be used as the shortened title. The single quotation marks must be included in the parenthetical, rather than the double quotation.

Parenthetical citations and Works Cited pages, used in conjunction, allow readers to know which sources you consulted in writing your essay, so that they can either verify your interpretation of the sources or use them in their own scholarly work.

Author-page citation for classic and literary works with multiple editions

Page numbers are always required, but additional citation information can help literary scholars, who may have a different edition of a classic work, like Marx and Engels's  The Communist Manifesto . In such cases, give the page number of your edition (making sure the edition is listed in your Works Cited page, of course) followed by a semicolon, and then the appropriate abbreviations for volume (vol.), book (bk.), part (pt.), chapter (ch.), section (sec.), or paragraph (par.). For example:

Author-page citation for works in an anthology, periodical, or collection

When you cite a work that appears inside a larger source (for instance, an article in a periodical or an essay in a collection), cite the author of the  internal source (i.e., the article or essay). For example, to cite Albert Einstein's article "A Brief Outline of the Theory of Relativity," which was published in  Nature  in 1921, you might write something like this:

See also our page on documenting periodicals in the Works Cited .

Citing authors with same last names

Sometimes more information is necessary to identify the source from which a quotation is taken. For instance, if two or more authors have the same last name, provide both authors' first initials (or even the authors' full name if different authors share initials) in your citation. For example:

Citing a work by multiple authors

For a source with two authors, list the authors’ last names in the text or in the parenthetical citation:

Corresponding Works Cited entry:

Best, David, and Sharon Marcus. “Surface Reading: An Introduction.” Representations , vol. 108, no. 1, Fall 2009, pp. 1-21. JSTOR, doi:10.1525/rep.2009.108.1.1

For a source with three or more authors, list only the first author’s last name, and replace the additional names with et al.

Franck, Caroline, et al. “Agricultural Subsidies and the American Obesity Epidemic.” American Journal of Preventative Medicine , vol. 45, no. 3, Sept. 2013, pp. 327-333.

Citing multiple works by the same author

If you cite more than one work by an author, include a shortened title for the particular work from which you are quoting to distinguish it from the others. Put short titles of books in italics and short titles of articles in quotation marks.

Citing two articles by the same author :

Citing two books by the same author :

Additionally, if the author's name is not mentioned in the sentence, format your citation with the author's name followed by a comma, followed by a shortened title of the work, and, when appropriate, the page number(s):

Citing multivolume works

If you cite from different volumes of a multivolume work, always include the volume number followed by a colon. Put a space after the colon, then provide the page number(s). (If you only cite from one volume, provide only the page number in parentheses.)

Citing the Bible

In your first parenthetical citation, you want to make clear which Bible you're using (and underline or italicize the title), as each version varies in its translation, followed by book (do not italicize or underline), chapter, and verse. For example:

If future references employ the same edition of the Bible you’re using, list only the book, chapter, and verse in the parenthetical citation:

John of Patmos echoes this passage when describing his vision (Rev. 4.6-8).

Citing indirect sources

Sometimes you may have to use an indirect source. An indirect source is a source cited within another source. For such indirect quotations, use "qtd. in" to indicate the source you actually consulted. For example:

Note that, in most cases, a responsible researcher will attempt to find the original source, rather than citing an indirect source.

Citing transcripts, plays, or screenplays

Sources that take the form of a dialogue involving two or more participants have special guidelines for their quotation and citation. Each line of dialogue should begin with the speaker's name written in all capitals and indented half an inch. A period follows the name (e.g., JAMES.) . After the period, write the dialogue. Each successive line after the first should receive an additional indentation. When another person begins speaking, start a new line with that person's name indented only half an inch. Repeat this pattern each time the speaker changes. You can include stage directions in the quote if they appear in the original source.

Conclude with a parenthetical that explains where to find the excerpt in the source. Usually, the author and title of the source can be given in a signal phrase before quoting the excerpt, so the concluding parenthetical will often just contain location information like page numbers or act/scene indicators.

Here is an example from O'Neill's  The Iceman Cometh.

WILLIE. (Pleadingly) Give me a drink, Rocky. Harry said it was all right. God, I need a drink.

ROCKY. Den grab it. It's right under your nose.

WILLIE. (Avidly) Thanks. (He takes the bottle with both twitching hands and tilts it to his lips and gulps down the whiskey in big swallows.) (1.1)

Citing non-print or sources from the Internet

With more and more scholarly work published on the Internet, you may have to cite sources you found in digital environments. While many sources on the Internet should not be used for scholarly work (reference the OWL's  Evaluating Sources of Information  resource), some Web sources are perfectly acceptable for research. When creating in-text citations for electronic, film, or Internet sources, remember that your citation must reference the source on your Works Cited page.

Sometimes writers are confused with how to craft parenthetical citations for electronic sources because of the absence of page numbers. However, these sorts of entries often do not require a page number in the parenthetical citation. For electronic and Internet sources, follow the following guidelines:

• Include in the text the first item that appears in the Work Cited entry that corresponds to the citation (e.g. author name, article name, website name, film name).
• Do not provide paragraph numbers or page numbers based on your Web browser’s print preview function.
• Unless you must list the Web site name in the signal phrase in order to get the reader to the appropriate entry, do not include URLs in-text. Only provide partial URLs such as when the name of the site includes, for example, a domain name, like  CNN.com  or  Forbes.com,  as opposed to writing out http://www.cnn.com or http://www.forbes.com.

Miscellaneous non-print sources

Two types of non-print sources you may encounter are films and lectures/presentations:

In the two examples above “Herzog” (a film’s director) and “Yates” (a presentor) lead the reader to the first item in each citation’s respective entry on the Works Cited page:

Herzog, Werner, dir. Fitzcarraldo . Perf. Klaus Kinski. Filmverlag der Autoren, 1982.

Yates, Jane. "Invention in Rhetoric and Composition." Gaps Addressed: Future Work in Rhetoric and Composition, CCCC, Palmer House Hilton, 2002. Address.

Electronic sources

Electronic sources may include web pages and online news or magazine articles:

In the first example (an online magazine article), the writer has chosen not to include the author name in-text; however, two entries from the same author appear in the Works Cited. Thus, the writer includes both the author’s last name and the article title in the parenthetical citation in order to lead the reader to the appropriate entry on the Works Cited page (see below).

In the second example (a web page), a parenthetical citation is not necessary because the page does not list an author, and the title of the article, “MLA Formatting and Style Guide,” is used as a signal phrase within the sentence. If the title of the article was not named in the sentence, an abbreviated version would appear in a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence. Both corresponding Works Cited entries are as follows:

Taylor, Rumsey. "Fitzcarraldo." Slant , 13 Jun. 2003, www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/fitzcarraldo/. Accessed 29 Sep. 2009. 

"MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The Purdue OWL , 2 Aug. 2016, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/. Accessed 2 April 2018.

Multiple citations

To cite multiple sources in the same parenthetical reference, separate the citations by a semi-colon:

Time-based media sources

When creating in-text citations for media that has a runtime, such as a movie or podcast, include the range of hours, minutes and seconds you plan to reference. For example: (00:02:15-00:02:35).

When a citation is not needed

Common sense and ethics should determine your need for documenting sources. You do not need to give sources for familiar proverbs, well-known quotations, or common knowledge (For example, it is expected that U.S. citizens know that George Washington was the first President.). Remember that citing sources is a rhetorical task, and, as such, can vary based on your audience. If you’re writing for an expert audience of a scholarly journal, for example, you may need to deal with expectations of what constitutes “common knowledge” that differ from common norms.

Other Sources

The MLA Handbook describes how to cite many different kinds of authors and content creators. However, you may occasionally encounter a source or author category that the handbook does not describe, making the best way to proceed can be unclear.

In these cases, it's typically acceptable to apply the general principles of MLA citation to the new kind of source in a way that's consistent and sensible. A good way to do this is to simply use the standard MLA directions for a type of source that resembles the source you want to cite.

You may also want to investigate whether a third-party organization has provided directions for how to cite this kind of source. For example, Norquest College provides guidelines for citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers⁠ —an author category that does not appear in the MLA Handbook . In cases like this, however, it's a good idea to ask your instructor or supervisor whether using third-party citation guidelines might present problems.

• Essay Topic Generator
• Essay Grader
• Reference Finder
• AI Outline Generator
• Paragraph Expander
• Essay Expander
• Literature Review Generator
• Thesis Generator
• Text Editing Tools
• AI Rewording Tool
• AI Sentence Rewriter
• AI Article Spinner
• AI Grammar Checker
• Spell Checker
• PDF Spell Check
• Paragraph Checker
• Free AI Essay Writer
• Paraphraser
• Grammar Checker
• Citation Generator
• Plagiarism Checker
• AI Detector
• AI Essay Checker
• Proofreading Service
• Editing Service
• AI Writing Guides
• AI Detection Guides
• Citation Guides
• Grammar Guides
• Paraphrasing Guides
• Plagiarism Guides
• Summary Writing Guides
• STEM Guides
• Humanities Guides
• Language Learning Guides
• Coding Guides
• Top Lists and Recommendations
• AI Detectors
• AI Writing Services
• Coding Homework Help
• Citation Generators
• Editing Websites
• Essay Writing Websites
• Language Learning Websites
• Math Solvers
• Paraphrasers
• Plagiarism Checkers
• Reference Finders
• Spell Checkers
• Summarizers
• Tutoring Websites
• Essay Checkers
• Essay Topic Finders

Most Popular

How to write a song title in an essay.

Can you guess one of the most popular questions regarding writing essays in college? Most often, students ask about citations and quotes because the formatting requirements for citations are unreasonably strict and undoubtedly counterintuitive. Let’s discuss one exciting aspect of the vivid and entangled quotation art: the guidelines for including song titles in quotes in your academic paper. It is relatively simple, but (oh, there is always a “but”) there are some vital nuances you probably would want to know.

How to Punctuate Song Titles

Long story short: you should always surround your music title with quotes. That is pretty much it: if you want to cite music composition in your academic paper, you should do it the same as in the examples below. 

Example: Of all the country songs released in 2000, the title track from Toby Keith’s How Do You Like Me Now? had the most airplay. “Country Comes to Town” and “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like That” are two other beloved tracks from the same album.

As you can see, “Country Comes to Town” and “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like That” are song titles that are properly formatted by putting quotation marks around them. Sounds fairly simple, right? Well, there is a little bit more to it. 

To speed up the citation process, consider giving a chance to our free generator!

Confused When Referencing? Try our Free Citation Generator

How to write song titles: exceptions .

There is also an italic font in the example above, which is not a mistake. You should put quotation marks around song titles, but it is common practice to highlight the album names with italics. So, “How Do You Like Me Now?” is an album title, and it should be written in cursive to be included in your academic paper. 

Example 2: “(This Ain’t) No Thinkin’ Thing” was Trace Adkins’ first number-one song, released in 1997 on his album Dreamin’ Out Loud .

In the example, “(This Ain’t) No Thinkin’ Thing” is the song title, and “Dreamin’ Out Loud” is the album name. But what should you do if the song and album titles are the same? There is a simple solution: just use quotation marks when quoting the song and italics when addressing the album.

Example 3: “How Do You Like Me Now?” is my favorite song from the album How Do You Like Me Now?

How to Quote a Song Title: General Guidelines 

We recommend always asking your academic advisor about the proper academic format. In general, there are the following formatting rules regarding song titles:

🔖 Place quotation marks around the names of songs: Using the correct typographic quotation marks and apostrophes (curly quotes) can ensure that your professionally typeset text looks its best.

🎼 Make all album and CD titles italic: Avoid fake italics in typeset material. Although this isn’t a rule of grammar, it is a rule of good printing and design.

📝 Do not underline: Unless you’re using a typewriter or writing the titles by hand, you should not use underlining instead of italics.

How do I title a song in an essay?

You should put the song title in quotation marks to cite it properly while writing your college paper. If you want to address the album’s name, you should use italics.

Are song titles italicized in MLA?

No, they are not. The common practice in MLA is to put song titles in quotation marks and italicize only names of albums.

Is a song title in quotes?

Yes, it is recommended to put the song title in quotes by all popular academic formats. We suggest consulting with your advisor if you are unsure about your academic format.

How to write song titles in APA?

Regarding grammar and style, songs’ titles should be written in quotation marks in APA, whereas album titles should be italicized. This style requirement is shared by APA, MLA, and other popular academic formats.

Follow us on Reddit for more insights and updates.

Comments (0)

Welcome to A*Help comments!

We’re all about debate and discussion at A*Help.

We value the diverse opinions of users, so you may find points of view that you don’t agree with. And that’s cool. However, there are certain things we’re not OK with: attempts to manipulate our data in any way, for example, or the posting of discriminative, offensive, hateful, or disparaging material.

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

More from How to Write an Academic Assignment

14 days ago

How to Make a Cover Page for an Essay

How to Shorten an Essay

How to Write Dialogue in an Essay

Remember Me

Is English your native language ? Yes No

What is your profession ? Student Teacher Writer Other

Forgotten Password?

Username or Email

Cite A Music or recording in Harvard style

Powered by chegg.

• Select style:
• Archive material
• Chapter of an edited book
• Conference proceedings
• Dictionary entry
• Dissertation
• DVD, video, or film
• E-book or PDF
• Edited book
• Encyclopedia article
• Government publication
• Music or recording
• Online image or video
• Presentation
• Press release
• Religious text

Use the following template or our Harvard Referencing Generator to cite a music or recording. For help with other source types, like books, PDFs, or websites, check out our other guides. To have your reference list or bibliography automatically made for you, try our free citation generator .

Reference list

Place this part in your bibliography or reference list at the end of your assignment.

In-text citation

Place this part right after the quote or reference to the source in your assignment.

Popular Harvard Citation Guides

• How to cite a Book in Harvard style
• How to cite a Website in Harvard style
• How to cite a Journal in Harvard style
• How to cite a DVD, video, or film in Harvard style
• How to cite a Online image or video in Harvard style

Other Harvard Citation Guides

• How to cite a Archive material in Harvard style
• How to cite a Artwork in Harvard style
• How to cite a Blog in Harvard style
• How to cite a Broadcast in Harvard style
• How to cite a Chapter of an edited book in Harvard style
• How to cite a Conference proceedings in Harvard style
• How to cite a Court case in Harvard style
• How to cite a Dictionary entry in Harvard style
• How to cite a Dissertation in Harvard style
• How to cite a E-book or PDF in Harvard style
• How to cite a Edited book in Harvard style
• How to cite a Email in Harvard style
• How to cite a Encyclopedia article in Harvard style
• How to cite a Government publication in Harvard style
• How to cite a Interview in Harvard style
• How to cite a Legislation in Harvard style
• How to cite a Magazine in Harvard style
• How to cite a Music or recording in Harvard style
• How to cite a Newspaper in Harvard style
• How to cite a Patent in Harvard style
• How to cite a Podcast in Harvard style
• How to cite a Presentation or lecture in Harvard style
• How to cite a Press release in Harvard style
• How to cite a Religious text in Harvard style
• How to cite a Report in Harvard style
• How to cite a Software in Harvard style