How To Properly Quote Song Lyrics

Introduction

It is said that listening to music can reduce stress levels and it is healthy for the body. Music can have a positive impact on our system and one of the contributing factors to this fact is the song lyrics. Lyrics are the words present in a song that expresses the writer’s emotions in stanzas or other recognised forms. Music usually consists of lyrics which are important for development of children and adults alike. Learning to sing and keep rhythm develops coordination among children. Its a common thingf or everyone to sing along in the car or perhaps in a group of people but it gets really embarassing if you don't even know the song lyrics!

Step 1

Lyric is a word that originated in late 16th century from the French word lyrique. Lyrics originated from popular nursery rhymes that reflected real life events. Song lyrics originated from poetry; poetry has been popular for a long time ago and it was used during times of gloom, depression and sadness. The Great Depression was an age where songs emerged and became popular so that people could forget their miseries temporarily and indulge in music for a little while. Music is known to be a depression reliever are many people can relate to what is being said.

Step 2

Quoting song lyrics properly is important if lyrics are to be used as a reference. It is of extreme significance that the people responsible are given the due credit for their work. Lyrics can be used in research the same way a person may use articles, academic journals and books for their research. However it is vital that these song lyrics are quoted in the right manner. The following steps can be used to quote lyrics properly:

Start with the name of the artist. The names of the artist should be listed in order of the last name and then the first name.
The name of the song should be enclosed in quotation marks and followed with a full stop.
The name of the title of the album should be underlined
The name of the label that produced the album should be listed, followed by a comma.
The citation should be finished with the year that the song was released, followed by a period. This information is generally available on the inside of the album cover.

The final citation should look like this:

Songwriter’s last name, first name. “Title of Song.” Lyrics. Title of Album. Name of publishing company, year recorded.

De Sela, Lhasa.”La Frontera.” Lyrics. Thye Living Road. Network, 2004.

Tips

Proper referencing of song lyrics or any other source is always important because if it is neglected then it can have serious consequences. The scope of copyright law needs to be understood as it applies to all domains. Despite the copyright clause, the ideas or concepts can be used if they can be presented in our own words, or if they are quoted, then the credit should be given to the right person.

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