Ask Writing World: Do I need permission to use song titles in my story?

I'm writing (or trying to write) my first novel, and want to mention the name of a particular song, which is important to the two main characters. Am I allowed to do this, or will I get into trouble with the songwriter?  ~ Caroline, Massachusetts

Caroline,

If it's only a song title, and not song lyrics you're going to be quoting you should be fine, as titles aren't covered by the stringent copyright laws that cover other types of writing. Lyrics, on the other hand, are a whole different matter, and it can be quite expensive to obtain permission to use them in a written work. A song title shouldn't be a problem, but any queries like this will be cleared up by your publishers (assuming you're going to go the traditional publishing route) long before your book is even printed, so don't worry too much at this stage, and concentrate on the writing. Good luck!