How to Cite a Song In MLA? A Comprehensive Guide

Creating citations for your work can be challenging, but do you know what’s more challenging than citing a book or article? Citing a song! Well, how to cite a song in MLA depends entirely on how you try to access the song. Whether you’re jamming to your favorite track on a vinyl record, a CD, or streaming it online, each format requires a slightly different approach to citation.

Music is a form of art, and art has no boundaries. In this article, we will go through a comprehensive guide on how to cite a song in MLA in easy steps. Let’s get started! 

Why Should You Cite A Song? 

Have you ever analyzed a poem for a literary paper or tried to cite a painting for your art history paper? You may have used a song as a source to provide an example in your essays and work to show how you get inspiration. People who are currently studying music theory courses can definitely relate to it. 

Citing a song will provide validation to your work. Whether you’re citing some lyrics or working on audio, it’s similar to what you might have done for other kinds of music citations. See, the problem is citing a song is not common, and many people are not familiar with it. However, citing a song can provide authenticity to your work. 

How To Cite A Song In MLA?

Have you ever cited a movie before? You’re lucky because you don’t have to go through a big hustle. Citing a song is quite similar to citing a movie, so you don’t have to learn about the process. Even if you have no experience in citations, you will learn through this guide. We’ll turn you into a pro within no time. Moreover, with some easy-peasy examples, we’ll explain how to cite a song in MLA style. Here’s how you can do it. 

Citing an Audio Recording Song

If you are planning to cite an audio recording of a song in MLA style, then here’s what you have to do. Here are some important factors that you need to keep in mind. 

• Singer’s name
• Songwriter’s name
• Title of the song (and subtitle, if there is one)
• Title of the album (and subtitle, if there is one)
• Album’s Edition (if there is one)
• Track Number
• Publisher
• Year of publication
• Website or database where the song was found
• URL
• The names of any other contributors

Above, we have provided you with a fine structure, and with its help, you can create a citation for your song in MLA 9 style. Here is what an MLA song citation will look like. 

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://).

Now, let’s suppose you want to cite Ed Sheeran’s song named “Don’t.” Here’s an example of MLA 9 style citation for this song. 

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&

If you wish to cite this song in-text, then you will do it in this manner: 

(Singer’s Last Name)

(Sheeran)

How To Add In-Text Citation For A Song In MLA? 

An in-text citation is often neglected by the author but it is as crucial as a bibliography reference. An In-text citation means adding a reference within a paragraph. Adding an In-text citation for a song in MLA style is very easy. You have to add the last name of the author within the lines. 

Example: If you wish to cite this song in-text, then you will do it in this manner: 

(Singer’s Last Name)

(Sheeran)

How to add a Double Line Citation? 

If you’re reference paragraph is quoting more than one line from the song then you have to use forward slash between each line of the song. Use double slash for between line breaks of any two santanza. In order to understand it better, we have quoted an example for you.

Example: “As stiff compasses are two: /Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show / To move, but both, if th’ other do” (lines 26-28).

How To Add A Block Line Citation? 

In case of a block quotation, you have to follow some easy and simple rules which are:

• Use a colon at the end of the line. 
• Don’t put quotion marks around the citation. 
• Use the long quotation around 0.5 inches for the rest of the line. 

Which Tools Can Be Used To Cite A Song In MLA? 

If you are worried about how to cite a song in MLA and what tools can be used, then don’t worry. To cite a song in MLA, you can use Scribr, Chegg, and Endnote to create proper citations. Using these tools will provide a valid link to the citation. Don’t try to create a citation manually because when your project instructor checks for validity, your link will be broken. 

How To Cite A Song In MLA Style Using AI Tools?

If you wish to save time or don’t know how to cite a song in MLA style, then don’t worry; get AI’s assistance. Artificial Intelligence is ruling our world today, and now we all depend on AI to perform our small tasks. What if we tell you you can cite a song using an AI tool? Arvin AI is a well-known chatbot that provides a good amount of knowledge on any topic you provide. 

Arvin helps to create data information, produce compelling information and copy, eCommerce copy, email copy, social media content, and website copy within a few seconds. But what if we tell you that you can also create citations for songs using the Arvin chatbot? Surprising. Here’s how you can do it. 

Step-by-Step Guide To Generate Citation For Songs in MLA Using Arvin

Here’s how you can generate citations for songs in MLA style using Arvin chat. 

Step–1: Visit your Chrome browser. 

Step-2: Search for Arvin AI and click enter. 

Step–3: Open the Arvin.chat website, and you will see a new interface. 

Step–4: Give Arvin a prompt about the song you wish to cite, such as “Cite Lana Del Ray’s song “Summertime Sadness” in MLA style,” and enter it. 

Step-5: You will get a citation. Now, all you have to do is copy it and add it to your Word file. 

Isn’t it easy? Citing a song in MLA hasn’t been this easy before, but with Arvin’s assistance, you can make it work. 

How To Cite a Song In Other Styles? 

If you wish to cite your song in any other style instead of MLA, here’s what you have to do. 

Cite A Song In APA Style

If you are generating a citation with a tool, go to style and simply switch it from MLA to APA style and press next. You’ll get an APA-style citation for your favorite song. Here’s an example of what an APA-style citation looks like. 

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

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=

Citing a Song In Chicago Style

Here’s how you can cite a song in Chicago style by using this template. 

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

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

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

FAQ’s

Q1: How To Quote a Song Title in Research Paper? 

Ans: Simply, put the title of the poem in the Quotation mark such as: “Diet Mountain Dew”

Q2: Should I Put the Title Of The Poem In Quotes? 

Ans: If you’re targeting individual songs, then you can use quotation marks, but if you are aiming for titles of poetry collections or anthologies, they should be in italics. 

Q3: What Is The Correct Way To Cite a Quote? 

Ans: In order to cite a quote in correct manner, you must mention the Author’s last name, year, page number and all the symbols like commas. 

Final Verdict

By now, you will be a pro at citing a song not just in MLA but any other style. All you have to do is follow these simple step-by-step guides, and you can do it, too. If you still find it tough to cite a song in MLA, then you can get assistance from Arvin.ai. Now, with the help of the Arvin chatbot, you can do your small music theory class tasks and assignments without spending a lot of time. It’s easy, fun, and time-saving. So what are you waiting for? Sign up at Arvin today and be an expert in your field.