If you write about music in your work, you might have to cite a recording. But how do you cite a song or album in MLA referencing? This post will explain the basics.
To cite a song or album in MLA referencing, simply give the artist’s last name or the band’s name in parentheses in the relevant part of the text:
Her latest album has a strong environmental theme (Sturgeon).
‘Wildlife in America’ (Shearwater) comments on US culture.
And to cite a specific part of a song, you can add a timestamp:
The middle eight in ‘Air and Light’ (Sturgeon 2:14–2:29) is truly haunting.
In the above citation, for example, we are citing a section that runs from 2 minutes 14 seconds to 2 minutes 29 seconds into the song.
All references contain certain core elements in MLA style. And for a musical recording, each entry should include some or all of the following:
You won’t always need all of this! For many references, the artist’s name, song and/or album title, the publisher, and the year of publication will be enough. But whatever you cite, make sure to include enough information in the Works Cited list to guide readers to the exact version of the recording you have used.
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Below, you can see example references for an album, a song on an album, an album accessed via a streaming platform, and a single song accessed online:
Album
Talk Talk. The Colour of Spring, EMI, 1986.
Song on an Album
Shearwater. ‘Animals in America’. Jet Plane and Oxbow, Subpop, 2016.
Album on a Streaming Service
Sturgeon, Jenny. The Living Mountain, Hudson Records, 2020. Spotify, https://open.spotify.com/album/7Kt6kaJ8dGIo6cngVA7dcB
Single Song Online
Benin City. ‘Freaking You Out’. Bandcamp, https://benincity.bandcamp.com/track/freaking-you-out
Make sure to add a hanging indent for each line after the first in all references.
To ensure all your referencing is error free, get in touch with our expert proofreading team. You can even get your first 500 words checked for free!
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