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How to Cite a Song

Six Methods:Section 1: Citing a Recording in MLASection 2: Citing Written Music in MLASection 3: Citing a Recording in APASection 4: Citing Written Music in APASection 5: Citing a Recording in Chicago StyleSection 6: Citing Written Music in Chicago StyleCommunity Q&A

Songs can be cited as recording and as written music. MLA, APA, and Chicago stylebooks all have their own specific requirements for citation.

1
Section 1: Citing a Recording in MLA[1]

  1. 1
    Write the name of the performer. The performer can be either a single artist or a band. If writing the name of a single artist, write it out in last-name, first-name format. Follow the name with a period.
    • Crosby, Bing.
  2. 2
    Follow with the name of the song. Follow the title with a period and surround it in quotation marks.
    • Crosby, Bing. "White Christmas."
  3. 3
    List the name of the composer, if necessary. If the composer and performer are the same, this section can be left blank. If they are different, however, you should include the name of the performer in first-name last-name format, followed by a period. Introduce the name by placing the word "By" in front of it.
    • Crosby, Bing. "White Christmas." By Irving Berlin.
  4. 4
    Include the album title. Find out which album the song originally came off of and cite its name in italics. Follow it with another period.
    • Crosby, Bing. "White Christmas." By Irving Berlin. Merry Christmas.
  5. 5
    List the record label and publication year. The year included should be the year that it was published or released. The name of the label and the year should be separated by a comma, and a period should follow the year.
    • Crosby, Bing. "White Christmas." By Irving Berlin. Merry Christmas. Decca, 1942.
  6. 6
    Conclude with the format of the album. Use "LP" to refer to a record You can also use "CD" and "Audiocassette" for their respective mediums.
    • Crosby, Bing. "White Christmas." By Irving Berlin. Merry Christmas. Decca, 1942. LP.

2
Section 2: Citing Written Music in MLA

  1. 1
    Begin with the name of the composer. The composer refers to the person who actually wrote the song, rather than any performer. Write the name in last-name, first-name format and follow it with a period.
    • Berlin, Irving.
  2. 2
    Write the name of the song title. Follow the name with a period and enclose it in quotation marks.
    • Berlin, Irving. "White Christmas."
  3. 3
    Include the main title of the collection the sheet music came from. Type this title in italics and follow it with another period.
    • Berlin, Irving. "White Christmas." White Christmas.
  4. 4
    Follow with the place of publication, publisher name, and year of publication. The place of publication should be the city and state. Follow the location with a colon before listing the name of the publisher. After the publisher, type a comma and follow it with the year the song was published.
    • Berlin, Irving. "White Christmas." White Christmas. New York, NY: Irving Berlin Music Corp, 1940.
  5. 5
    Write the page numbers. If the song extends for multiple pages, separate them with a hyphen
    • Berlin, Irving. "White Christmas." White Christmas. New York, NY: Irving Berlin Music Corp, 1940. 3-4.
  6. 6
    Finish with the medium. For written music, the medium will be either Print or Web.
    • Berlin, Irving. "White Christmas." White Christmas. New York, NY: Irving Berlin Music Corp, 1940. 3-4. Print.

3
Section 3: Citing a Recording in APA[2]

  1. 1
    Type the name of the composer or writer. Write the full last name of the composer, followed by the first initial of the composer's first name.
    • Berlin, I.
  2. 2
    Include the copyright year. The copyright year is the year the composer first wrote and published the song. The year goes in parentheses, which are followed by a period.
    • Berlin, I. (1940).
  3. 3
    Write the title of the song and the name of the singer. Only the first letter of the first word should be capitalized, unless other proper nouns are present in the title. The name of the artist should be included in brackets and should only include the artist's first initial and last name. The words, "Recorded by" should introduce the name of the artist, and a period should follow the brackets.
    • Berlin, I. (1940). White Christmas [Recorded by B. Crosby].
  4. 4
    List the title of the album and the medium of the recording. The album should be introduced with the word "On" and typed in italics. Only the first letter should be capitalized, unless other proper nouns exist in the title. The medium can be LP, Audiocassette, CD, or MP3 file and should be included in brackets. The brackets are followed by a period.
    • Berlin, I. (1940). White Christmas [Recorded by B. Crosby]. On Merry Christmas [LP].
  5. 5
    Type the publishing location and the album's label. The location should include both city and state. A colon must separate the location and the label.
    • Berlin, I. (1940). White Christmas [Recorded by B. Crosby]. On Merry Christmas [LP]. New York, NY: Decca.
  6. 6
    Conclude with the date of the recording, if known. The date should be included in parentheses.
    • Berlin, I. (1940). White Christmas [Recorded by B. Crosby]. On Merry Christmas [LP]. New York, NY: Decca. (1942)

4
Section 4: Citing Written Music in APA[3]

  1. 1
    Introduce the name of the composer. You should list the name by typing the full last name, followed by the first and middle initials.
    • Berlin, I.
  2. 2
    Write the original publishing year of the score. The year should be included in parentheses and followed by a period.
    • Berlin, I. (1940).
  3. 3
    Type the title of the song. The title should be italicized and followed by a period. The first letter of the first word should be capitalized. All other words should be in lowercase letters, unless proper nouns are included.
    • Berlin, I. (1940). White Christmas.
  4. 4
    Conclude with the location of the publisher and the name of the publisher. The location should include both city and state, and the location and publisher name should be separated by a colon. Finish with a period.
    • Berlin, I. (1940). White Christmas. New York, NY: 1940.

5
Section 5: Citing a Recording in Chicago Style[4]

  1. 1
    Type out the name of the composer. The name should be written in last-name, first-name format, and both full names should be used rather than initials. A period should follow the name.
    • Berlin, Irving.
  2. 2
    List the title of the song. The first letter of each word should be capitalized, and the title should be in italics. Follow the title with a period.
    • Berlin, Irving. White Christmas.
  3. 3
    Include the name of the performers. The performer can be a group or ensemble, but it can also be a single artist. If the performer is a single artist, write the name in first-name last-name format.
    • Berlin, Irving. White Christmas. Bing Crosby.
  4. 4
    Follow with the year the song was copyrighted and the label. Introduce the year with the copyright symbol. Introduce the record label with the word "by."
    • Berlin, Irving. White Christmas. Bing Crosby. © 1940 by Decca.
  5. 5
    Type the number of the recording. If you do not know the recording number, this part may be skipped.
  6. 6
    Conclude with the recording medium. The medium can be RPM, LP, Audiocassette, CD, or MP3. Finish with a period.
    • Berlin, Irving. White Christmas. Bing Crosby. © 1940 by Decca. LP.

6
Section 6: Citing Written Music in Chicago Style[5]

  1. 1
    Use the composer's name. Use full names instead of initials, and write the name in last-name, first-name format. Follow with a period.
    • Berlin, Irving.
  2. 2
    Write the name of the song. The song title should be italicized and followed by a period.
    • Berlin, Irving. White Christmas.
  3. 3
    Finish up with the publishing city, the publisher name, and the year the song was published. The publishing city should be followed by the state only if the city is not well known. A colon should also come after the location and the name of the publisher should follow the colon. A comma should come after the publisher name and the year of publication should conclude the citation.
    • Berlin, Irving. White Christmas. New York: Irving Berlin Music Corp, 1940.

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Article Info

Categories: Citing Writing Sources

In other languages:

Português: Citar uma Música, Español: citar una canción, Italiano: Citare una Canzone, Français: référencer une chanson, 中文: 在论文中引用歌曲, Deutsch: Ein Lied zitieren, Русский: сослаться на песню, Bahasa Indonesia: Mengutip Sebuah Lagu

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 166,208 times.

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