In middle school, I was obsessed with a band called Evanescence. There were times when I felt like I was being whisked away into another, admittedly dark, world while I was listening to them. What’s more, some of their songs were so powerful that I couldn’t help but use them in a few of my novellas. Of course, I didn’t publish any of these novellas, but nevertheless, it shows how powerful an impact songs have on us. 

Songs (and music) have been a staple of creative expression for as long as human history. It can influence us, whether we want it to or not, and can give us the inspiration we need to write our own masterpieces. Despite this, however, we are still using someone else’s lyrics. And that’s where the issues come in.

If you want to include the lyrics of a song you love, especially if it’s popular, you might have to get permission from the owners of the song. Once you ask them, they can either reject your proposal to use those lyrics, give you permission to use them, though whether for free, a fee, or royalty depends completely on them, or just not reply. Now, if your book isn’t that popular, or if it doesn’t manage to get listed on Amazon or the New York Best Seller list, no one will notice (probably), and you can get away with potentially stealing the lyrics of a song. However, if your book is noticed, then you will be forced to pay a fine.

Now, if you use lyrics in your book that are from songs at or before 1923, then those song lyrics are considered public domain, and you can use them without quoting or getting permission. However, some publishers might’ve copyrighted the song lyrics, so you’re going to have to check with the publisher before you use them. One way you can do this is by visiting www.copyright.gov to see whether or not you can use a song lyric. Another way you can find out is by going to organizations such as the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers to see if the song is copyrighted.

If you decide to use the song title for a chapter title or your book title, this changes a bit. You have to determine if the song title is trademarked, and if it isn’t, you might not have to get permission to use it On the other hand, if you’re quoting a majority of the song lyrics in the book, then you’re going to have to seek legal guidance. 

Of course, there are a lot of authors who have used song titles in their books. These can include works such as Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin and Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann. Many famous songs are often considered to be poems, and as such, are quoted within the first couple of pages within your book. Even so, you have to make sure you have legal permission to use the lyrics, or at the very least, reference the lyrics whenever you’re quoting them. Either way, be aware of the various laws surrounding the use of song lyrics in a book. After all, even if we do become famous authors someday, it’ll all be worthless if we have to destroy our works just because we broke a rule.