how to write a song title in an essay apa

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.

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / How to Cite Sources / How to Cite a Song in APA, MLA, or Chicago

How to Cite a Song in APA, MLA, or Chicago

Music is an art form—and just as you’d analyze a poem for a literary paper or cite a painting for an art history paper, you may find yourself using a song as a source, especially if you’re enrolled in music theory courses. Here, we’ve laid out how to cite a song, so if you’re deciding whether or not to include a song in your next paper based on whether you can figure out how to cite it, go for it! Citing songs, whether you’re working off the audio recording or using written lyrics, is actually a pretty similar process to what you might have done for other kinds of citations.

Although citing a song might seem unfamiliar, there’s no need to worry. We’ve got you covered for both audio recordings and written song lyrics, whether you need to cite in MLA format ,  APA format, or Chicago style.

Citing an Audio Recording of a Song Found Online

If you’ve ever cited a movie before, you’ll discover that citing an audio recording of a song is a pretty similar process. But even if you’ve only cited text before, you should be a pro at song citations in no time! We’ve included examples of how you would cite Ed Sheeran’s “Don’t” for each of the three styles as well.

To cite an audio recording of a song, you should make note of the following pieces of information: 1. Singer’s name 2. Songwriter’s name 3. Title of the song (and subtitle, if there is one) 4. Title of the album (and subtitle, if there is one) 5. Album’s Edition (if there is one) 6. Track Number 7. Publisher 8. Year of publication 9. Website or database where the song was found 10. URL 11. The names of any other contributors

Use the following structure to cite an audio recording found online in MLA 9:

Singer’s Last Name, Singer’s First Name. “Title of the Song.” Title of the Album , album’s ed., Publisher, Year of publication, track number. Website or Database Name , URL (remove http:// or https://).

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

Sheeran, Ed. “Don’t.” X , deluxe ed., Asylum Records, 2014, track 4. Spotify , play.spotify.com/track/34gCuhDGsG4bRPIf9bb02f?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open.

Here’s how the above example would be cited in an in-text citation:

(Singer’s Last Name)

Use the following structure to cite an audio recording in APA format:

Songwriter’s Last Name, Songwriter’s First Initial. (Year of publication). Title of the song [Recorded by Singer’s First Initial, Singer’s Last Name if different from writer*]. On Title of the album [Audio file]. Retrieved from URL

*Do not include the information in the brackets if the name of the songwriter is the same person as the singer or performer.

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

Sheeran, E. (2014). Don’t. On X. [Audio file]. Retrieved from https://play.spotify.com/track/34gCuhDGsG4bRPIf9bb02f?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open

Use the following structure to cite an audio recording in Chicago:

Singer’s Last name, Singer’s First name. Title of the Song. Publisher, Year of publication, Accessed Month Day, Year. URL.

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

Sheeran, Ed. Don’t. Asylum Records, 2014, Accessed June 5, 2017. https://play.spotify.com/track/34gCuhDGsG4bRPIf9bb02f?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open.

Citing Song Lyrics Found Online

Citing written song lyrics is pretty similar to citing an audio recording, but if you’re used to mostly citing written work, you may find this procedure a bit easier since you’re citing words off a page rather than audio. Here, we’ve cited “Imagine,” a song by John Lennon which you’ve surely heard before—and one which could be the subject of rich analysis for your next paper.

To cite written song lyrics, you should make note of the following pieces of information: 1. Singer’s name 2. Songwriter’s name 3. Title of the song (and subtitle, if there is one) 4. Title of the album (and subtitle, if there is one) 5. Album’s Edition (if there is one) 6. Track number 7. Publisher 8. Year of publication 9. Website or Database where the lyrics were found 10. URL 11. The names of any other contributors

Use the following structure to cite written song lyrics in MLA 9:

Songwriter’s Last Name, First Name. Lyrics to “Title of the Song.” Names of other contributors, Album’s Publisher, Year of publication. Name of Website, URL.

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

Lennon, John. Lyrics to “Imagine.” Performed by John Lennon, Ascot Sound Studios, 1971. Genius, genius.com/John-lennon-imagine-lyrics.

Use the following structure to cite written song lyrics in APA format :

Songwriter(s) Last Name, Songwriter(s) First Initial. (Year of publication). Title of song [Lyrics]. Retrieved from URL

Lennon, J. (1971). Imagine [Lyrics]. Retrieved from https://genius.com/John-lennon-imagine-lyrics

Use the following structure to cite an written song lyrics in Chicago:

Singer’s Last Name, Singer’s First Name. “Title of the song.” Name of Website. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL.

Lennon, John. “Imagine.” Genius. Accessed June 5, 2017. https://genius.com/John-lennon-imagine-lyrics.

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To cite a song or music in MLA, it is helpful to know information including the song title, contributor names, and production details. The templates and examples below are based on the MLA Handbook , 9th edition.

In-text citation and works cited list entry examples for a song by a single artist are given below:

In-text citation template and example:

Artist Surname

Parenthetical:

(Artist Surname)

Works cited entry template and example:

Surname, First M. “Song Title.” Album Title , relevant contributor information, Production/Record Company, Year Released.

Grande, Ariana. “Moonlight.” Dangerous Women , Republic Records, 2016.

The in-text citation does not include the release year. The surname alone is used in the in-text citations.

The song title should be enclosed in double quotation marks. If the song is part of an album, the album title should be included. Any additional contributors, the name of the record company, and the year the song was released should also be part of the works cited entry.

To cite song lyrics, include the following details: the lyricist/artist’s last name, year, song’s title, title of the album, medium, producer, and URL if applicable.

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How to Cite a Song

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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.

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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.

APA 7th Edition Referencing Guide1

• What is APA?

In-text citations

• Reference list
• Chapter in an edited book
• Journal articles & Databases
• Works with multiple authors
• Webpages/online & software
• General images faqs
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• Tricky health resources
• Health books
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• APA for publication

Quick links

Referencing a single song/track

When referencing a single song/track, use the songwriter as the author and include the name of the group that recorded the song in [square brackets] after the title. For example.

Songwriter, A. (Date). Title of song in sentence case   [Song recorded by]. On Title of album in italic sentence case . Name of music publisher/record label/studio.

Andrews, F. (2009). The house she lived in [Song recorded by The Veils] . On Sun Gangs. Rough Trade. 

Reference list entry

Andrews, F. (2009). The house she lived in. [Song recorded by The Veils]. On  Sun Gangs . Rough Trade.

Track numbers are optional when paraphrasing information.

Narrative Andrews (2009) demonstrates ... (track 7). Parenthetical ... (Andrews, 2009, track 7).

Referencing an album

When referencing an album of recorded music, use the recording artist or group as the author. For example:

Recording Artist or Group. (Date). Title of album in italic sentence case [Album]. Name of music publisher/record label/studio.

The White Stripes. (2001). De stijl  [Album]. Sympathy for the Record Industry. 

The White Stripes. (2001).  De stijl  [Album]. Sympathy for the Record Industry.

Narrative The White Stripes' (2001) album typifies ...  Parenthetical ... (The White Stripes, 2001).

• Last Updated: Aug 8, 2024 8:51 AM
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How to Cite Songs in APA Format

The American Psychological Association (APA) writing style is frequently followed in social sciences. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Sixth Ed.) lays out specific rules for citations, including references to music and songs. Original papers should always include proper citation of outside sources to avoid allegations of plagiarism.

In-Text Citation

In-text citations parenthetically identify the song composer's last name and publication year. For example, an in-text citation would look like this:

(Kakish, 2013).

If a song is co-authored, both last names are cited.

For example: (Simms & Roberts, 2010).

Alternatively, you can include the citation information in the context of the sentence, like this:

Kakish (2013) told us never to quit in his popular song.

Reference List Citation

APA song citations begin with the composer's last name and initial. Copyright dates and song titles follow. If a song's recording artist is different from its composer, her first and last name should be placed in brackets after the song title, preceded by the words "Recorded by" (without the quotation marks). This is followed by the album title, preceded by the word "On," and then the recording medium in brackets. Next comes the record label's company location and label name, and if the recording date is different from the copyright date, it is placed at the end of the citation.

Citation Example

APA song citations capitalize only the first word in the song and album titles. Album names are italicized, which is noted parenthetically in the following example.

Kakish, R. (2013). Never say quit [Recorded by Bobby Blackstone]. On Big people live fast (italics) [CD]. London, England: Happy Dog Music Company.

Need help with a citation? Try our citation generator .

• Purdue Online Writing Lab: Reference List: Other Non-Print Sources
• The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Sixth Edition); 2009
• Purdue Online Writing Lab: Overview and Contradictions
• Trinity College Library: APA Style - CD (Musical Recording)

Maggie Lourdes is a full-time attorney in southeast Michigan. She teaches law at Cleary University in Ann Arbor and online for National University in San Diego. Her writing has been featured in "Realtor Magazine," the N.Y. State Bar's "Health Law Journal," "Oakland County Legal News," "Michigan Probate & Estate Planning Journal," "Eye Spy Magazine" and "Surplus Today" magazine.

APA Referencing Guide 7th Edition: Song

• APA 7th Edition
• Book with one Author or Editor
• Book with Two Authors or Editors
• Book with Three to Five Authors or Editors
• Book with no Author
• Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
• Article in a Reference Book
• Edition of a Book other than the First
• Government Publication
• A Translation
• Journal Article with One Author
• Journal Article with Two Authors
• Journal Article with Three to Seven Authors
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• Web page from a University site
• Webpage with no author
• Entry in an Online Reference Work
• Government Document Online
• Audio Podcast
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• Museum Artwork
• TV Series Episode
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• Twitter Instagram Posts
• Cite from Moodle
• Dictionary & Encyclopedia
• Dissertation / Thesis
• Online Presentations
• Secondary Sources
• Citation Support
• Recording artist or composer is considered to be the author. 

General Format:

Artist, A. A. (Year). Title of song [Song]. On Title of album [Album]. Record label.

Turner, N. (2020). Skins [Song]. On Leather gang  [Album]. Rip Media Group. 

 Reference Source:   APA 7th Ed Manual Made Easy: Full concise Guide Simplified for Students ). p69

Music Album

• If the song/track is not included in an album, omit the title of album section. 

Artist, A. A. (Year). Title of album [Album]. Record label.

Brown, F. K. (2020). Strictly come dancing [Album]. Island Records. 

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