how to cite lyrics in an essay apa

APA Style can help you cite the melodic works you love in your paper or manuscript. In this post, you will learn how to cite a single song or track reference.

Do you need to quote song lyrics or cite musical sources in APA, but are not sure how to do it? Read this blog post for principles to guide your documentation.

APA Style (7th ed.) If you retrieved the lyrics directly from listening to the song, reference the song using the following general example: Lastname, A. (year). Title of song [Song]. On Title of album. Record Label. In-text citation: (Lastname, year, timestamp) Lastname, A. (year). Title of song [Song].

Citation Components: An in-text citation for song lyrics generally includes the songwriter(s) last name, copyright year, and either track number (for recordings) or page/line number (for printed scores). For example, a direct quotation from “Big Yellow Taxi” would be cited as (Mitchell, 1970, track 4).

How do I cite lyrics in APA format? To cite lyrics in APA format, you need to have basic information including the name of the composer, title of the song, company name, date, and URL. The templates for in-text citation and reference list entry of lyrics, along with examples, are given below:

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. Here’s how the above example would be cited in APA: Lennon, J. (1971). Imagine [Lyrics]. Retrieved from https://genius.com/John-lennon-imagine-lyrics

This guide on how to cite song lyrics covers the main rules for MLA 9, APA 7, Chicago/Turabian, and Harvard referencing styles with examples.

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.

To cite a song in APA style, it’s helpful to know basic information including the song title, contributors, and production details. The templates and examples below are based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition.

To cite a song accessed through an online streaming service, list the performer (or group) as author, the song title in quotation marks, the name of the site in italics, and the URL where the song can be found. Omit “the” from a band name, e.g. “Beatles,” not “the Beatles.”