Song Citation Generator
Cite a song or an album track you heard on a CD, a streaming service or a download. Enter the artist, the song's title, the album, the label and the year, and get the reference in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 and 10,834 other styles. Free, no sign-up.
How to Use the Song Citation Generator
- 1. Enter the song and the artist. Type the song's title in Title, in sentence case, and the performing artist or band in Author(s).
- 2. Add the album, the label and the year. Put the album in Journal / Publication and the record label in Publisher / Site. Use the year of the recording you heard, which may be a reissue.
- 3. Add a link for streaming. Paste the song's URL if you listened on a service. Leave it empty for a CD or a download.
- 4. Set the descriptor. Type Song in Format / medium for APA. Leave it empty for MLA and Chicago.
- 5. Pick a style and copy. Choose APA, MLA, Chicago or any of the 10,834 styles, then make the small changes listed below.
Who Is the Author of a Song?
A song has several makers — the songwriter, the performer, the producer — and the styles choose one to lead the entry. Cite the performer unless your argument is about the writer.
| Element | APA 7 | MLA 9 | Chicago 18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who leads | The songwriter | The performer; the composer if you discuss them | The composer or the performer, per your argument |
| Song title | Sentence case, then [Song] | In quotation marks | In quotation marks |
| Album | After On, in italics | Italic, as the container | After track number and on, in italics |
| Label and year | Label, with the year after the writer | Label, year | Label, year, format |
APA 7 (§10.13) puts the songwriter first, then the year, the song's title with [Song] and the album after On, in italics, and the label. MLA 9 lets the performer lead, puts the song in quotation marks and the album in italics as the container, then the label and the year. A song streamed online has a second container, the service, in italics, followed by its URL. Chicago 18 names the artist and the song, gives the track number and the album, the label, the year and the format, such as compact disc or streaming audio.
Song Citation Examples
Nirvana's “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on Nevermind. The APA entry is the Publication Manual's own sample for a song or track. The MLA and Chicago lines apply their patterns.
A song on an album
APA 7:
Nirvana. (1991). Smells like teen spirit [Song]. On Nevermind. DGC.
APA in-text:
(Nirvana, 1991)
MLA 9:
Nirvana. “Smells like Teen Spirit.” Nevermind, DGC, 1991.
MLA in-text:
(Nirvana)
Chicago 18 note:
Nirvana, “Smells like Teen Spirit,” track 1 on Nevermind, DGC, 1991, compact disc.
Chicago 18 bibliography:
Nirvana. “Smells like Teen Spirit.” Track 1 on Nevermind. DGC, 1991, compact disc.
The same song streamed. MLA adds the service as a second container; APA does not name the service; Chicago ends with the format.
Streamed song
MLA 9:
Nirvana. “Smells like Teen Spirit.” Nevermind, DGC, 1991. Spotify, URL.
Chicago 18 note:
Nirvana, “Smells like Teen Spirit,” track 1 on Nevermind, DGC, 1991, streaming audio, URL.
What the Generator Gives You
For the Nirvana song with Song in the format box, the generator returns Nirvana. (1991). Smells like teen spirit [Song]. In Nevermind. DGC. in APA; change In to On. In MLA and Chicago it prints Song as a stray sentence, so leave the format box empty there. It does not add the track number or the format that Chicago asks for. Its MLA title-casing writes Smells like Teen Spirit, which follows the capitalization rules; restore a stylized title by hand if the artist spells it differently.
Quoting Lyrics
Lyrics are cited through the recording when you heard the song, and through the page when you read them online. Quote a short line in quotation marks with the song's citation: (Nirvana, 1991). If you add a time stamp to a quotation, use the form the player shows.
Which Tool Do You Need?
- A song or album track — this page.
- A printed score or sheet music — the Sheet Music Citation Generator.
- A podcast episode — the Podcast Citation Generator.
- A radio program — the Radio Broadcast Citation Generator.
- A music video on YouTube — the YouTube Citation Generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I cite a song in APA 7?
- Give the songwriter, the year, the song's title with [Song], and the album after On with the label: Nirvana. (1991). Smells like teen spirit [Song]. On Nevermind. DGC. In text: (Nirvana, 1991). If the performer is not the writer, APA names the writer and notes the performer in the square brackets; see §10.13 for the wording.
- How do I cite a song in MLA 9?
- Name the artist, put the song in quotation marks, and give the album in italics, the label and the year: Nirvana. “Smells like Teen Spirit.” Nevermind, DGC, 1991. For a streamed song, add the service in italics and the URL as a second container.
- How do I cite a song in Chicago style?
- In a note, give the artist, the song in quotation marks, the track number and the album in italics, the label, the year and the format: Nirvana, “Smells like Teen Spirit,” track 1 on Nevermind, DGC, 1991, compact disc. The bibliography entry reverses the first element and adds periods.
- How do I cite a song from Spotify or YouTube Music?
- MLA lists the service as a second container with the URL. APA uses the song's own details and, if the track exists only on the service, gives its URL. Chicago ends with streaming audio and the URL. A music video is cited as a video.
- Do I cite the singer or the songwriter?
- Follow your style and your argument. APA names the songwriter, MLA the performer unless the writer is your subject, and Chicago whichever the discussion centers on. If you are not sure, name the performer and mention the writer in your sentence.
- How do I cite song lyrics?
- Cite the song, with the same elements, and quote a short passage in quotation marks. For a long quotation, set it as a block quote. If you found the lyrics on a website, cite that page instead.
- Which citation styles does the song generator support?
- All 10,834 styles in the library, including APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago 18.
Related Tools
How to cite a Song or Music in each style
Format rules, templates, and worked examples for the styles most often required.