How To Cite A Song In Mla | Format & Examples

By Author: Sophia Robart
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Essays or even research projects usually demand that we refer to sources in the proper format, even when we are referring to non-conventional sources such as music. When you are analyzing some lyrics, talking about an album in your cultural study, or discussing a live concert, the MLA handbook (9th edition) offers a clear guideline on how to cite songs. Learn here about how to cite a song in MLA with format and examples.

Learn the Basics of MLA Citation

The Modern Language Association (MLA) format is similar:
The titles of short works (poems, articles, and songs) are written in quotation marks.
The longer works (books, albums, films, and plays) are in italics.
This has the effect that one song, such as "Someone Like You," appears in quotation marks, whereas the name of the album, 21, appears italicized.

The MLA Formatting of Songs in General

The basic master structure of a Works Cited entry of a song is as follows:
"Song Title." Title of Album, Artist, Publisher/Record Label, Date. Website or Platform, URL (where possible).
In every ...
... section, the artist and the source on which the song was based are credited.

Citation of Different Sources of the Songs

Various forms of songs use a bit different styles of citation. Let’s break them down.

a) Track on a Physical Album (Vinyl, CD, etc.)

Format:

"Song Title." Name of Album, Artist, Publisher, Year of release.

Example:

"Let It Be." The Beatles, Apple Records, 1970, Let It Be.

This example uses the citation of a song on a physical album, and thus no URL is provided.

b) Track by an Online Music Store

In case the song is played via Spotify, Apple Music, or any other streaming service, MLA suggests the URL inclusion.

Format:

"Song Title." Title of album, Artist, publisher, date. Platform, URL.

Example:

"Bad Guy." When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Billie Eilish, Interscope Records, 2019. Spotify, open.spotify.com/track/example.

c) Standalone Digital Single

There are also some songs that are published online without being accompanied by an album. Then reference the information that is available.

Format:

"Song Title." Artist, Publisher, Year, URL.

Example:

"Old Town Road." Columbia Records, Lil Nas X, 2019, soundcloud.com/examplelink.

d) Music Video on YouTube

When referring to a music video, be sure to give credit to the video and the music site.

Format:

"Song Title." Title of album (where applicable), Artist, Publisher, Year. Channel Name, Date, URL YouTube.

Example:

"Hello." 25, Adele, XL Recordings, 2015. Adele uploaded this video onto YouTube, 22 Oct. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=examplelink.

e) Live Performance/Concert

Live shows are mentioned by providing the name of the performer and the publication.

Format:

"Song Title." Artist, Location (Where known), Year, Publisher.

Example:

"Hallelujah." It has been performed by Jeff Buckley, live at Sin-é, Columbia Records, 1995.

Song in-text Citations

MLA usually requires the name of the author or artist to be included in the in-text citation when citing lyrics or mentioning a particular song, the last name of the artist is to be used

Examples:

Parenthetical citation: Billie Eilish

Embodied reference: In Bad Guy, Billie Eilish develops a mischievous but malevolent sound.

If you cite lyrics, treat them like poetry quotations. Break lines with a slash (/) or block indent longer passages.

Differences Between Italics and Quotes

Frequently, students ask, " Do You Italicize Song Titles? Check the table below:

Type of Work

MLA Formatting

Example

Song Title

Quotation marks

"Bohemian Rhapsody"

Album Title

Italics

A Night at the Opera

Play Title

Italics

Romeo and Juliet

Poem Title

Quotation marks

"The Raven"

Book Title

Italics

To Kill a Mockingbird

Additional Tips for Citing Songs

Include Full Information: It is best to include as much information as you can: always include artist name, song title in quotation marks, album name italicized, record label or publisher, year of release, platform or medium, and URL in case it is found online. This assists readers in checking your source with ease.

In-Text Citation: In Citations in your paper, make use of the surname of the artist. With a particular set of lyrics, timestamps or line numbers may be included as well, to point the readers to the most precise part of the song.

Cite the Composer When Appropriate: When writing about classical or instrumental music, it is advisable to credit the composer, rather than the performer, in case your information is about the composition itself. The performers or conductors can be observed later.

Provide URLs to Online Sources: URLs are not obligatory, but very desirable to those songs that are available online on any digital resource to enable the reader to find the source being discussed directly.

Conclusion

It is easy to refer to songs in MLA when you have a basic idea of how it works. The format of a citation is always very straightforward, regardless of whether you are citing a track by Spotify, a music video by YouTube, or even a live performance, and it will always structure information in such a way that it identifies the artist, the source, and the publication information. If a student is facing more issues in understanding, they can ask for assistance from studyunicorn.com.