The brand new, hot-off-the-presses 20th Edition of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, arrived at the law library yesterday. It was with equal parts dread and anticipation that the reference staff cracked open the pages of this latest incarnation of the ubiquitous citation manual, looking for substantive changes in the rules. New editions, you see, have been coming out about once every half-decade in recent memory. And when law students are off at internships or summer positions, the librarians prepare themselves to help cite-checkers and others in the upcoming academic year.

In the midst of doing this arduous task, we got distracted and noticed that the editors of this edition had changed things up, or remixed, if you will, the albums and songs used to illustrate proper citation style for audio recordings. (The current rule, 18.7, is found on page 188 of the new edition, but in past editions, audio recordings have been covered in different rule sections. It was introduced as part of Rule 17.)

It got us wondering: what works had been chosen by editors past for the same purpose? And so, in our investigations of the last six editions of The Bluebook stretching all the way back to 1991, we created a “playlist” of these teachable tunes and, below, have listed which editions each appeared in. We may have even played some of the songs on our iPods, but I am not one to name names.

Albums:

B EYONCÉ , D ANGEROUSLY IN L OVE (Columbia Records 2003). – 20th

, D L (Columbia Records 2003). – 20th MC H AMMER , P LEASE H AMMER D ON'T H URT ’E M (Capitol Records 1990). – 20th

, P H D H ’E (Capitol Records 1990). – 20th T HE B EATLES , S GT . P EPPER’S L ONELY H EARTS C LUB B AND (Capitol Records 1990) (1967). – 20th, 19th, 18th

B , S . P L H C B (Capitol Records 1990) (1967). – 20th, 19th, 18th T HE G RATEFUL D EAD , A MERICAN B EAUTY (Warner Bros. 1970). – 19th

G D , A B (Warner Bros. 1970). – 19th C OWBOY M OUTH , A RE Y OU W ITH M E ? (MCA Records 1996). – 19th, 18th, 17th

M , A Y W M ? (MCA Records 1996). – 19th, 18th, 17th T HE B EATLES , S ONGS , P ICTURES AND S TORIES OF THE F ABULOUS B EATLES (Vee-Jay Records). – 17th, 16th, 15th

B , S , P S F B (Vee-Jay Records). – 17th, 16th, 15th D AVID B OWIE , T HE R ISE AND F ALL OF Z IGGY S TARDUST AND THE S PIDERS FROM M ARS (RCA Records 1972). – 16th, 15th

Songs:

E ARTH , W IND & F IRE , September, on T HE B EST OF E ARTH , W IND & F IRE , V OL . 1 (Am. Recording Co. 1978). – 20th

, W & F , September, on T B E , W & F , V . 1 (Am. Recording Co. 1978). – 20th M EAT L OAF , For Crying Out Loud, on B AT O UT O F H ELL (Epic Records 1977). – 20th, 19th, 18th, 17th

L , For Crying Out Loud, on B O O H (Epic Records 1977). – 20th, 19th, 18th, 17th D ON H ENLEY , The Boys of Summer, on B UILDING THE P ERFECT B EAST (Geffen Records 1984). – 19th, 18th

H , The Boys of Summer, on B P B (Geffen Records 1984). – 19th, 18th U2, With or Without You, on T HE J OSHUA T REE (Island Records 1987). – 17th

J T (Island Records 1987). – 17th K ATE B USH , The Man with the Child in His Eyes, on T HE K ICK I NSIDE (EMI Records 1977) – 16th, 15th

Soon there will be copies of the new edition for short-term loan behind the circulation desk (call number KF245 .U55 2015). And if you are so excited – and you just can’t hide it – about past editions, there are print copies of the editions mentioned above and earlier editions, too, including editions 1 through 15 printed in a two-volume compilation (The Bluebook : A Sixty-Five Year Retrospective, KF245 .B575 1998) on the second floor of the library. And if you’re especially brave, or bored, you can try to figure out when sound recordings first got their own citation rule.

Happy listening, and even happier cite-checking!