2024 NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY

On April 16th, The National Recording Registry selected the latest twenty-five sound recordings to be inducted to highlight what it calls "the range and diversity of the American recorded sound heritage". The Registry is an extension of the passage by Congress in 2000 of the National Recording Preservation Act. Since 2002, the Library of Congress oversees the selection of 25 recordings, which must be at least 10 years old at the time of induction, and deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". This latest group brings the total number of recordings in the registry to 650.

Some of the recordings selected include the debut album by the new-wave rock band, The Cars; "Chances Are", the second single by easy listening crooner, Johnny Mathis to sell over a million copies; the punk-rock group, Blondie's breakthrough album, "Parallel Lines" that features the disco tune, "Heart of Glass"; "Ain't No Sunshine", Bill Withers' soul-folk song that became his first major hit; "Arrival", the fourth album by the Swedish pop quartet, ABBA that contains their international smash, "Dancing Queen"; Patti Page's popular pop version of the country song, "Tennessee Waltz"; "Ready To Die", the semi-autobiographical debut studio album from the late hip-hop artist, The Notorious B.I.G.; the crossover pop hit, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by jazz performer, Bobby McFerrin; "This Is a Recording", Lily Tomlin's first comedy album that won her a Grammy Award and the holiday classic about that reindeer with the shiny red nose originally recorded by Gene Autry, "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer".

Here is the complete list of the twenty-five selections entered into the 2024 Recording Registry:

"Clarinet Marmalade" – Lt. James Reese Europe’s 369th U.S. Infantry Band (1919)
"Kauhavan Polkka" – Viola Turpeinen and John Rosendahl (1928)
Wisconsin Folksong Collection (1937-1946)
"Rose Room" – Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian (1939)
"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" – Gene Autry (1949)
"Tennessee Waltz" – Patti Page (1950)



"Rocket ‘88’" – Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats (1951)
"Catch a Falling Star" / "Magic Moments" – Perry Como (1957)
"Chances Are" – Johnny Mathis (1957)



"The Sidewinder" – Lee Morgan (1964)
"Surrealistic Pillow" – Jefferson Airplane (1967)



"Ain’t No Sunshine" – Bill Withers (1971)
"This is a Recording" – Lily Tomlin (1971)
"J.D. Crowe & the New South" – J.D. Crowe & the New South (1975)
"Arrival" – ABBA (1976)
"El Cantante" – Héctor Lavoe (1978)
"The Cars" – The Cars (1978)
"Parallel Lines" – Blondie (1978)
"La-Di-Da-Di" – Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick (MC Ricky D) (1985)



"Don’t Worry, Be Happy"– Bobby McFerrin (1988)



"Amor Eterno" – Juan Gabriel (1990)



"Pieces of Africa" – Kronos Quartet (1992)
"Dookie"– Green Day (1994)



"Ready to Die" – The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)
“Wide Open Spaces” – The Dixie Chicks (1998)

HIT ME HARD AND SOFT

Billie Eilish is back with her third studio album, "Hit Me Hard and Soft". Still working with her brother, Finneas O'Connell (with the album recorded in his home studio), Eilish has expanded her sound, diving even more deeper into her own personal experiences and desires. 

No singles were released prior to the album's release on May 17th with Eilish proclaiming she doesn't like her work to be viewed out of context to the complete project. With that being said, a single has been dropped on the release date and the song, "Lunch" is certainly an eye opener from Eilish who had recently come out as bisexual. In this guitar-driven dance track, she details her lust for a woman by making a comparison to wanting to eat her like a noon-time meal.

Here are few more songs from the album I like and Eilish will be hitting the road with the Hit Me Hard and Soft World Tour with a start this fall in Canada.

EUROVISION 2024

There was unfortunately plenty of controversy long before a note was sung during the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. People had begun protesting, numbering in the thousands, earlier in the week before the contest began May 7th outside the venue, Malmö Arena in host country, Sweden over Israel’s participation due to their actions in Gaza. And then during the contest, the Netherlands’ contestant, Joost Klein was disqualified and sent home, over allegations of intimidation against a production crew member were made.

But despite all of this, the show went on and there was a winner: Switzerland’s Nemo won for their song "The Code". Baby Lasagna of Croatia was in second place with their song, "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" and Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil of Ukraine with "Teresa & Maria" came in third. Thirty-seven countries participated in this year's contest, with Luxembourg competing for the first time since 1993, while Romania opted not to participate after doing so last year.

GOOD LUCK, BABE!

Indie pop artist, Chappell Roan is rising up the charts with her latest release, "Good Luck, Babe!", an offbeat song that challenges heteronormative societal behavior, a subject that certainly is not discussed much in pop music. The twenty-six year old Missouri native, born Kayleigh Amstutz, is a queer artist who has stated she had taken on "Chappell Roan" as her own form of a drag queen persona, finding much in common with those gifted illusionists. 

Immersed in music since she was a child, a fourteen year old Roan began like many aspiring musicians do today by uploading herself performing covers on YouTube. And this did help her gain attention by record labels, signing with Atlantic Records. Roan soon began writing original songs and at nineteen released her first single, "Good Hurt", followed by an EP, "School Nights", gaining her critical praise and a small following.

This lead to Roan connecting with Dan Nigro, a producer who had worked with Sky Ferreira, Carly Rae Jepsen, Caroline Polachek and Kylie Minogue, and after signing to his label imprint, the two began working together in 2020. Their first musical creation was "Pink Pony Club", inspired by Roan's trip to the Abbey, a gay bar in West Hollywood.

This record soon brought more buzz to Roan and two year later, released her debut album, "The Rise & Fall of a Midwest Princess". This collection of quirky, dance-pop tunes found it's way on several year-end Best Album lists. While fitting comfortably into the edgy pop vibe of fellow singer/songwriters, Lorde, Charli XCX, Lana Del Rey and Olivia Rodrigo (which Nigro was also behind), Roan has her own brand of distinctive, over-the-top musical flair to offer.