How Do You Cite Lyrics?
Last Updated Apr 8, 2020 12:54:09 AM ET
MLA Style directs writers citing lyrics in a bibliography to include the author's name first, then the song title in quotations, the album in italics, the publisher, the year and the format. For instance, Hey Jude would be cited: The Beatles. "Hey Jude." The White Album. Apple Records, 1969. CD.
In text, the writer should treat the lyrics as a poem by breaking lines with a forward slash (e.g. Hey Jude/Don't make it bad) or using block quotes if the lyrics are four lines or longer. The in-text reference should include the author's name, the title of the song and the year of publication, all in sentence format if possible (e.g. "In 'Hey Jude' (1969), John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote...").
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