Updated 18 September 2025
Properly citing a song is crucial in academic writing to give credit to original creators and avoid plagiarism. Different citation styles—such as MLA, APA, and Chicago—have specific rules for formatting, reflecting the diversity of scholarly disciplines. For example, MLA focuses on literature and the arts, while APA is common in social sciences, and Chicago offers flexibility for various fields. Accurate citations enhance the credibility of your work, allow readers to locate your sources, and acknowledge the contributions of musicians and songwriters.
When you cite a song in APA format, follow this template:
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APA in bibliography |
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Performer’s Last Name, Performer’s First Initial. (Year of publication). Title of the song [Recorded by Singer’s Initial, Last Name). On Title of the album [Audio file]. Retrieved from URL. |
Grant, J. (2010). Where Dreams Go to Die. On Queen of Denmark [Audio file]. Retrieved from: https://open.spotify.com/track/4-IY9F-DC4Gn12U-S0Pvv02BH |
Note: Remember that if the performer and songwriter represent the same person, you should ignore this part!
The title of the associated album should be presented in italic sentence case immediately following the title of the song. An in-text citation for songs in audio should look this way:
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APA in-text |
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(Last Name, Year) |
(Grant, 2010) |
Here is what you must gather for your song citation:
Note: If you have cited a video or any other multimedia type recording in the past, you will be familiar with what info you will need:
To cite a song (an audio recording), start with this template:
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MLA in bibliography |
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Performer’s Last Name, Performer’s First Name. “Title of your song.” Title of the Album, album’s ed., (if applicable), Publisher, Year of publication, track number. Website or Database, URL (no http part is necessary). |
Grant, John. “Where Dreams Go To Die.” Queen of Denmark, deluxe ed., Bella Union, 2010, track 3. Spotify, open.spotify.com/track/4I-Y9FDC4Gn12-US0Pvv02BH |
Remember to place the song title in quotation marks to adhere to formatting standards. In-text citation would go this way:
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MLA in-text |
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(Performer’s Name) |
(Grant) |
When you are citing a song in Chicago, it is approached in almost the same way as it is done in APA or MLA formats with minor differences. Just follow this template:
Performer’s Last Name, Performer’s First Name. Title of Your Song. Publisher, Year of publication, Accessed Month Day, Year. URL.
When referencing songs from various formats, such as CDs and streaming platforms, be sure to include the ‘track number title’.
An actual citing song lyrics example:
Grant, John. Where Dreams Go To Die. Bella Union, 2010. Accessed October 25, 2021. https://open.spotify.com/track/4IY9FDC4Gn12US0Pvv02BH?autoplay=true
When a song includes multiple contributors, such as a featured artist, co-writers, or collaborators, it’s important to give credit to all participants. Below are examples of how to properly cite songs with multiple contributors in MLA, APA, and Chicago styles.
When citing a song with multiple contributors or featuring artists in APA format, follow this template:
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APA in bibliography |
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Performer’s Last Name, Performer’s First Initial. (Year of publication). Title of the song [Featuring Artist’s Initial, Last Name]. On Title of the album [Audio file]. Publisher. Retrieved from URL. |
Beyoncé. (2013). Drunk in Love [Featuring J. Carter]. On Beyoncé [Audio file]. Columbia Records. Retrieved from https://open.spotify.com/track/6jG2YzhxptolDzLHTGLt7S?autoplay=true |
Note: Remember to include the album title in italic sentence case immediately following the song title.
The in-text citation for APA format should look like this:
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APA in-text |
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(Performer’s Last Name, Year) |
(Beyoncé, 2013) |
When citing a song with multiple contributors or featuring artists in MLA format, follow this template:
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MLA in bibliography |
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Performer’s Last Name, Performer’s First Name, featuring Featured Artist’s First Name Last Name. “Title of your song.” Title of the Album, album’s ed. (if applicable), Publisher, Year of publication, track number. Website or Database, URL (no http part is necessary). |
Beyoncé, featuring Jay-Z. “Drunk in Love.” Beyoncé, Columbia Records, 2013, track 5. Spotify, open.spotify.com/track/6jG2YzhxptolDzLHTGLt7S?autoplay=true |
Note: Remember to place the song title in quotation marks to adhere to MLA formatting standards.
The in-text citation for MLA format should look like this:
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MLA in-text |
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(Performer’s Last Name) |
(Beyoncé and Jay-Z) |
When citing a song with multiple contributors or featuring artists in Chicago format, follow this template:
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Chicago in bibliography |
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Performer’s Last Name, Performer’s First Name. Title of the song. Featuring Artist’s First Name Last Name. Publisher, Year of publication. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL. |
Beyoncé. Drunk in Love. Featuring Jay-Z. Columbia Records, 2013. Accessed October 10, 2023. https://open.spotify.com/track/6jG2YzhxptolDzLHTGLt7S?autoplay=true |
Note: Be sure to include the accessed date when citing from a streaming platform or online database.
The in-text citation for Chicago format should look like this:
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Chicago in-text |
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(Performer’s Last Name, Title of Song) |
(Beyoncé, Drunk in Love) |
Let us review several examples on how to cite song lyrics in various styles:
Songwriter’s Last Name, First Name. Lyrics to “Song’s Title.” Names of other contributors, Album’s Publisher, Year of publication. Name of Website, URL.
An actual song citation example looks this way:
Petty, Tom, and Jeff Lynne. Lyrics to “Learning to Fly.” Performed by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, MCA, 1991. AzLyrics,
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/tompettyandtheheartbreakers/learningtofly.html
It is important to include the recorded date in the citation to provide precise bibliographic information and differentiate it from the publication date.
The in-text citation rules are as usual (placed after some line as you quote song lyrics):
(Petty & Lynne)
When citing a single song or track in APA Style, include the author, date, title, and source. For example, format the citation as follows: Artist, A. (Year). Title of the song [Song]. On Album Title. Record Label.
Citing a song in APA format won’t look overly challenging when you follow our template:
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APA in bibliography |
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Band’s Last Name or Last Name / First Initial. (Year of publication). Title of the song [Lyrics]. Retrieved from URL. |
Stipe, M. (1991). Low [Lyrics]. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Rem-low-lyrics. |
To enhance the credibility and traceability of your sources, make sure to include the publisher’s name when referencing interviews or exclusive web content.
When you need to provide in-text citations:
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APA in-text |
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(Last Name of The Performer, Year) |
(Stipe, 1991). |
Here is how to cite songs in Chicago style:
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Chicago in bibliography |
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Last Name, First Name. “Title of the song.” Name of Website. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL. |
Lennox, Annie. “Why.” Azlyrics, Accessed October 27, 2021. https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/a-nnielennox/why.html |
When citing songs, ensure you adhere to the Chicago Manual of Style guidelines.
Properly citing songs in academic work not only gives credit to artists but also enhances the integrity of your research. Whether using MLA, APA, or Chicago style, correctly formatted citations help readers verify sources and understand the context of your analysis. Adhering to these guidelines demonstrates respect for intellectual property and contributes to a culture of academic honesty.
If you need further assistance with formatting or have questions about academic writing, don’t hesitate to reach out or explore additional resources!
