2026 NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY

The latest twenty-five sound recordings have been selected and inducted into National Recording Registry. Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian of Congress, with advice from the National Recording Preservation Board, selects titles each year that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and are at least ten years old. This latest group brings the total number of recordings in the registry to 675.

Some of the recordings that have been honored include Beyoncé's chart-topping hit, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" from her third solo album, "I Am... Sasha Fierce"; the original Broadway cast recording of the Bob Fosse directed musical, "Chicago" that featured theater legends, Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera; the country music tale, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" that went on to become a crossover hit for the Charlie Daniels Band; Gladys Knight and the Pips' version of the country song, "Midnight Train to Georgia" which became the r&b group's first number one pop hit; Ray Charles' genre blurring album, "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" that features the soul music legend's versions of country music songs; the Byrds's cover of folk music singer and activist, Pete Seeger's song, "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" became an anthem during the social turmoil of the 1960's; the all-female new-wave rock band, the Go-Go's debut album, "Beauty and the Beat" that reached the top of the US album chart; José Feliciano's bilingual Christmas song, "Feliz Navidad" has gone on to become a holiday classic; Chaka Khan put an early hip-hop spin on a cover of Prince's song, "I Feel for You" and "1989", Taylor Swift's first foray into pop, after first achieving fame in country music, which launched her into becoming an even bigger star.

Here is the complete list of the twenty-five selections entered into the 2026 National Recording Registry:

"Cocktails for Two" – Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1944) (single)
"Mambo No. 5" – Pérez Prado and His Orchestra (1950) (single)
"Teardrops from My Eyes" – Ruth Brown (1950) (single)



"Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)" – Kaye Ballard (1954) (single)
"Put Your Head On My Shoulder" – Paul Anka (1959) (single)



"The Blues and the Abstract Truth" – Oliver Nelson (1961) (album)
"Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" – Ray Charles (1962) (album)
"Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" – The Byrds (1965) (single)



"Amen, Brother" – The Winstons (1969) (single)



"Feliz Navidad" – José Feliciano (1970) (single)
"The Fight of the Century: Ali vs. Frazier" (March 8, 1971) (broadcast)
"Midnight Train to Georgia" – Gladys Knight and the Pips (1973) (single)



"Chicago" Original Cast Album (1975) (album)



"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" – The Charlie Daniels Band (1979) (single)



"Beauty and the Beat" – The Go-Go’s (1981) (album)
"Texas Flood" – Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (1983) (album)
"I Feel For You" – Chaka Khan (1984) (single)



"Your Love" – Jamie Principle (1986) / Jamie Principle/Frankie Knuckles (1987) (singles)
"Rumor Has It" – Reba McEntire (1990) (album)



"The Wheel" – Rosanne Cash (1993) (album)
"Doom" Soundtrack – Bobby Prince, composer (album)(1993)
"Go Rest High On That Mountain"– Vince Gill (1994) (single)
"Weezer (The Blue Album)"– Weezer (1994) (album)
"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" – Beyoncé (2008) (single)



"1989" – Taylor Swift (2014) (album)

2025 NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY

The National Recording Registry has just selected the latest twenty-five sound recordings inducted with the goal each year to highlight what it calls "the range and diversity of the American recorded sound heritage". Some of the recordings that have been honored include the debut albums of the pop-rock group, Chicago and the '80's folk musician, Tracy Chapman; the jazz legend, Miles Davis and his experimentation with electric instruments on "Bitches Brew" that became his very first gold album; "My Heart Will Go On", the love ballad from one of the biggest box-office movie hits of all-time, "Titanic" sung by Celine Dion; the recording of the jazz classic, "Sweet Georgia Brown" by Brother Bones and His Shadows which would later become the theme song of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team; the original Broadway cast album of the hip-hop flavored biography of the first US Secretary of the Treasury, "Hamilton"; "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", an album considered by many to be the masterpiece of Elton John's recording career; "Happy Trails", the popular theme song for "The Roy Rogers Show" on radio and television written and sung by Rogers and his wife, Dale Evans; Helen Reddy's enduring feminist anthem for the women's liberation movement, "I Am Woman"; and "Back To Black", the breakout hit album by the late British pop vocalist, Amy Winehouse.

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.

Here is the complete list of the twenty-five selections entered into the 2025 National Recording Registry:

"Aloha ‘Oe" - Hawaiian Quintette (1913) (single)
"Sweet Georgia Brown" - Brother Bones & His Shadows (1949) (single)



"Happy Trails" - Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (1952) (single)



Radio Broadcast: "Game 7 of the 1960 World Series" - Chuck Thompson (1960)
Harry Urata Field Recordings (1960-1980)
"Hello Dummy" - Don Rickles (1968) (album)
"Chicago Transit Authority" - Chicago (1969) (album)



"Bitches Brew" - Miles Davis (1970) (album)



"Kiss An Angel Good Mornin" - Charley Pride (1971) (single)
"I Am Woman" - Helen Reddy (1972) (single)



"El Rey" - Vincente Fernandez (1973) (single)
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" - Elton John (1973) (album)
"Before the Next Teardrop Falls" - Freddy Fender (1975) (single)



"I’ve Got The Music In Me" - Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker (1975) (album)
"The Kӧln Concert" - Keith Jarrett (1975) (album)
"Fly Like An Eagle" - Steve Miller Band (1976) (album)



Nimrod Workman Collection (1973-1994)
"Tracy Chapman" - Tracy Chapman (1988) (album)
"My Life" - Mary J. Blige (1994) (album)



"Microsoft Windows Reboot Chime" - Brian Eno (1995)
"My Heart Will Go On" - Celine Dion (1997) (single)
"Our American Journey" - Chanticleer (2002) (album)
"Back to Black" - Amy Winehouse (2006) (album)



"Minecraft: Volume Alpha" - Daniel Rosenfeld (2011) (album)
"Hamilton" - Original Broadway Cast Album (2015) (album)

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)

2023 NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY

The National Recording Registry has just selected the latest twenty-five sound recordings inducted with the goal each year 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 625.

Some of the selections this year include the breakthrough (and then highly controversial) album by Madonna, "Like a Virgin"; "Imagine", the inspirational anthem by the late, former Beatle, John Lennon; the debut album by hip-hop artist, Queen Latifah, "All Hail the Queen"; "Margaritaville", the laid back ode to the cocktail from Jimmy Buffett; Daddy Yankee’s reggaeton explosion, "Gasolina"; "Wang Dang Doodle", the first big hit from "The Queen of the Blues", Koko Taylor; "Stairway to Heaven", the lengthy, innovative rock classic that progressively shifts in tempo and volume from the blues-rock band, Led Zeppelin; the first recording of one of Bacharach-David's legendary pop songs, "What the World Needs Now Is Love" by Jackie DeShannon; the video game sound of "Super Mario Bros." and Mariah Carey's now traditional holiday song, "All I Want For Christmas".

Here is the complete list of the twenty-five selections entered into the 2023 Recording Registry:

"The Very First Mariachi Recordings" — Cuarteto Coculense (1908-1909)
"St. Louis Blues" (single) — Handy’s Memphis Blues Band (1922)
"Sugar Foot Stomp" — Fletcher Henderson (1926)
"Dorothy Thompson: Commentary and Analysis of the European Situation" for NBC Radio (Aug. 23-Sept. 6, 1939)
"Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around" (single) — The Fairfield Four (1947)



"What the World Needs Now is Love" (single) — Jackie DeShannon (1965)



"Wang Dang Doodle" (single) — Koko Taylor (1966)



"Sherry" (single) — The Four Seasons (1962)



"Ode to Billie Joe" (single) — Bobbie Gentry (1967)



"Déjà Vu" (album) — Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (1970)
"Imagine" (single) — John Lennon (1971)
"Stairway to Heaven" (single) — Led Zeppelin (1971)



"Take Me Home, Country Roads" (single) — John Denver (1971)



"Margaritaville" (single) — Jimmy Buffett (1977)
"Flashdance. . .What a Feeling" (single) — Irene Cara (1983)
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (single) — Eurythmics (1983)
"Synchronicity" (album) — The Police (1983)



"Black Codes (From the Underground)" (album) — Wynton Marsalis (1985)
"Super Mario Bros. theme" — Koji Kondo, composer (1986)



"Like a Virgin" (album) — Madonna (1984)
"All Hail the Queen" (album) — Queen Latifah (1989)



"All I Want for Christmas is You" (single) — Mariah Carey (1994)
"Pale Blue Dot" — Carl Sagan (1994)
"Gasolina" (single) — Daddy Yankee (2004)



"Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra" — Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, composer (2012)

2020 NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY

"The Chronic", the debut solo album from rapper/producer and member of N.W.A., Dr Dre; a blues classic, "Me and My Chauffeur Blues" from guitarist, Memphis Minnie, Dusty Springfield's iconic soul album, "Dusty In Memphis", Whitney Houston's mesmerizing cover of Dolly Parton's song, "I Will Always Love You" from "The Bodyguard" soundtrack, the original cast recording of the Broadway musical, "Fiddler On The Roof" and the disco-anthem-turned-wedding reception staple, "Y.M.C.A." by the Village People are some of this year's selections to be inducted in to the National Recording Registry.

The Recording Registry is an extension of the passage by Congress in 2000 of the National Recording Preservation Act. Each year 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" and this latest group brings the total number of recordings in the registry to 550.

Here is the complete list of the twenty-five selections entered in to the 2020 Recording Registry:

"Whispering" (single) - Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra (1920)
"Protesta per Sacco e Vanzetti" (singles) - Compagnia Columbia (1927)
"Sacco e Vanzetti" (single) - Raoul Romito (1927)
"La Chicharronera" - Narciso Martinez and Santiago Almeida (1936)
"Arch Oboler’s Plays" - episode from “The Bathysphere.” (November 18, 1939)
"Me and My Chauffeur Blues" (single) - Memphis Minnie (1941)



"The 1951 National League tiebreaker: New York Giants vs. Brooklyn Dodgers" — Russ Hodges, announcer (October 3, 1951)
Puccini’s "Tosca" (album) - Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Angelo Mercuriali, Tito Gobbi, Melchiorre Luise, Dario Caselli and Victor de Sabata (1953)
"Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh" (single) - Allan Sherman (1963)



"WGBH broadcast of the Boston Symphony on the day of the John F. Kennedy assassination" - Boston Symphony Orchestra (1963)
"Fiddler on the Roof" - original Broadway cast album (1964)
"Make the World Go Away" (single) - Eddy Arnold (1965)



"Hiromi Lorraine Sakata Collection of Afghan Traditional Music" - (1966-67; 1971-73)
"Wichita Lineman" (single) - Glen Campbell (1968)



"Dusty in Memphis" (album) - Dusty Springfield  (1969)



"Mister Rogers Sings 21 Favorite Songs From ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’" (album) - Fred Rogers (1973)
"Cheap Trick at Budokan" (album) - Cheap Trick (1978)
“"Holst: Suite No. 1 in E-Flat, Suite No. 2 in F / Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks / Bach: Fantasia in G" - Frederick Fennell and the Cleveland Symphonic Winds (1978)
"Y.M.C.A." (single) - Village People (1978)



"A Feather on the Breath of God" - Gothic Voices; Christopher Page, conductor; Hildegard von Bingen, composer (1982)
"Private Dancer" (album) - Tina Turner (1984)



"Ven Conmigo" (album) - Selena (1990)
"The Chronic" (album) - Dr. Dre (1992)



"I Will Always Love You" (single) - Whitney Houston (1992)
"Concert in the Garden" (album) - Maria Schneider Orchestra (2004)
"Percussion Concerto" (album) - Colin Currie (2008)

2019 NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY

What in the world would Neil Diamond and Jay-Z have in common? They have both had their music inducted into the National Recording Registry for 2019 with Diamond's first major hit single, "Sweet Caroline" and the hip-hop artist's landmark album, "The Blueprint" receiving this prestigious honor. There were a total of twenty-five recordings selected that have been added to the Library of Congress for their cultural and aesthetic significance. These works range from early phonographs of Yiddish songs from the beginning of the 20th Century to the classic Cab Calloway call and response jazz song, "Minnie The Moocher" to Nina Simone's angry protest to the senseless murders during the Civil Rights era with "Mississippi Goddam"; the original soundtracks to the Broadway musical, "Hair" and the blaxploitation crime drama, "Superfly" and to the glittering disco of "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" by Sylvester.

To be selected, the recordings must be at least ten years old and deemed "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant". The number selected for preservation has now reached 525 since 2002.

Here is the complete list of the twenty-five recordings being inducted in the 2019 National Recording Registry:

Yiddish Cylinders from the Standard Phonograph Company of New York and the Thomas Lambert Company (c. 1901-1905)
"Memphis Blues" (single) - Victor Military Band (1914)
Melville Jacobs Collection of Native Americans of the American Northwest (1929-1939)
"Minnie the Moocher" (single) - Cab Calloway (1931)



"Bach Six Cello Suites" (album) - Pablo Casals (c. 1939)
"They Look Like Men of War" (single) - Deep River Boys (1941)
"Gunsmoke" — Episode: "The Cabin" (Dec. 27, 1952)
"Ruth Draper: Complete recorded monologues" - Ruth Draper (1954-1956)
"La Bamba" (single) - Ritchie Valens (1958)



"Long Black Veil" (single) - Lefty Frizzell (1959)



"Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America, Vol. 1: The Early Years" (album) - Stan Freberg (1961)
"GO" (album) - Dexter Gordon (1962)
"War Requiem" (album) - Benjamin Britten (1963)
"Mississippi Goddam" (single) - Nina Simone (1964)



"Soul Man" (single) - Sam & Dave (1967)
"Hair" (original Broadway cast recording) (1968)



Speech on the Death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Robert F. Kennedy (April 4, 1968)
"Sweet Caroline" (single) - Neil Diamond (1969)



"Superfly" (album) - Curtis Mayfield (1972)



"Ola Belle Reed" (album) - Ola Belle Reed (1973)
"September" (single) - Earth, Wind & Fire (1978)
"You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" (single) - Sylvester (1978)



"She’s So Unusual" (album) - Cyndi Lauper (1983)
"Schoolhouse Rock!: The Box Set" (1996)
"The Blueprint" (album) - Jay-Z (2001)

2018 NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY

"My Girl", the classic Motown love song by the Temptations, has surprisingly just been added to the National Recording Registry this year. This number one tune, written by Smokey Robinson and his Miracles band mate, Ronald White back in 1964, is just one of twenty-five important recordings that will be preserved by the Library of Congress. A few other surprise additions that I thought would have already occurred are the beloved soundtrack to the 1965 Best Picture Oscar winner, "The Sound of Music";  the recording of a song most associated with singer, Tony Bennett, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and "Rumours", one of the biggest selling albums of all-time by the rock band, Fleetwood Mac.

Since 2002, the Library of Congress have selected sound recordings that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important that informs or reflect life in the United States. The selections will feature a wide range of music, commentaries, radio programs, comedy albums and speeches. To date, there are now 500 recordings placed in the National Recording Registry.

Here is the complete list of the twenty-five recordings being inducted in the 2018 National Recording Registry:

“Dream Melody Intermezzo: Naughty Marietta” (single) - Victor Herbert and his Orchestra (1911)

Standing Rock Preservation Recordings - George Herzog and Members of the Yanktoni Tribe (1928)

“Lamento Borincano” (single) - Canario y Su Grupo (1930)

“Sitting on Top of the World” (single) - Mississippi Sheiks (1930)



"The Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas" (album) - Artur Schnabel (1932-1935)

“If I Didn’t Care” (single) - The Ink Spots (1939)



Proceedings of the United Nations Conference on International Organization - (4/25/45-6/26/45)

“Folk Songs of the Hills” (album) - Merle Travis (1946)

“How I Got Over” (single) - Clara Ward and the Ward Singers (1950)



“(We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock” (single) - Bill Haley and His Comets (1954)



“Calypso” (album) - Harry Belafonte (1956)

“I Left My Heart in San Francisco” (single) - Tony Bennett (1962)



“King Biscuit Time” (radio) - Sonny Boy Williamson II and others (1965)

“My Girl” (single) - The Temptations (1964)

“The Sound of Music” (soundtrack) - Various Artists (1965)



“Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” (single) - Arlo Guthrie (1967)

“New Sounds in Electronic Music” (album) - Steve Reich, Richard Maxfield & Pauline Oliveros (1967)

“An Evening with Groucho” (album) - Groucho Marx (1972)

“Rumours” (album) - Fleetwood Mac (1977)

“The Gambler” (single) - Kenny Rogers (1978)



“Le Freak” (single) - Chic (1978)



“Footloose” (single) - Kenny Loggins (1984)



“Raising Hell” (album) - Run-DMC (1986)

“Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” (single) - Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine (1987)



“Yo-Yo Ma Premieres: Concertos for Violoncello and Orchestra” (album) - Various artists (1996)

2017 NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY

Judy Garland's classic ballad from "The Wizard of Oz", Barbra Streisand's classic ballad from "Funny Girl",  the original version of "Hound Dog", a collection of the greatest hits by the Eagles and the debut album from N.W.A.  are just some of the recordings that have just been inducted in to the National Recording Registry.

Since 2002, the Library of Congress have selected sound recordings that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important that informs or reflect life in the United States. The twenty-five selected this year feature a wide range of music, commentaries, radio programs, comedy albums and speeches. To date, there have been 475 recordings placed in the National Recording Registry.

Here is the complete list of the twenty-five recordings being inducted in the 2017 National Recording Registry:

The London cylinder recordings of Col. George Gouraud (1888)

“Lift Every Voice and Sing” (singles) - Manhattan Harmony Four (1923) and Melba Moore & Friends (1990)



“Puttin’ on the Ritz” (single) - Harry Richman (1929)

“Over the Rainbow” (single) - Judy Garland (1939)



“I’ll Fly Away” (single) - The Chuck Wagon Gang (1948)

“Hound Dog” (single) - Big Mama Thornton (1953)



“Saxophone Colossus” - Sonny Rollins (1956)

"The Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds", announced by Vin Scully (September 8, 1957)

“Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs” - Marty Robbins (1959)

“The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery” - Wes Montgomery (1960)

“People” (single) - Barbra Streisand (1964)



“In the Midnight Hour” (single) - Wilson Pickett (1965)



“Amazing Grace” (single) - Judy Collins (1970)



“American Pie” (single) - Don McLean (1971)

“All Things Considered” - first broadcast (May 3, 1971)

“The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” - David Bowie (1972)



“The Wiz: Original Broadway Cast Album” - (1975)



“Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)” - Eagles (1976)

“Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha” - (Gunter Schuller, arranger) (1976)

“Wanted: Live in Concert” - Richard Pryor (1978)

“We Are Family” (single) - Sister Sledge (1979)



“Remain in Light” - Talking Heads (1980)

“Straight Outta Compton” - N.W.A (1988)



“Rachmaninoff’s Vespers (All-Night Vigil)” - Robert Shaw Festival Singers (1990)

“Signatures” - Renée Fleming (1997)

2016 NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY

I was aware that the Library of Congress inducted films in to a registry for preservation but I really didn't know they did the same for recordings. Since 2002, they have selected sound recordings that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important that informs or reflect life in the United States. The twenty-five selected this year feature a wide range of music, commentaries, radio programs, comedy albums and speeches. To date, there have been 450 recordings placed in the National Recording Registry.

Here is the complete list of the twenty-five recordings being inducted in 2016:

“Let Me Call You Sweetheart” — Columbia Quartette (The Peerless Quartet) (1911)
“Wild Cat Blues” — Clarence Williams’ Blue Five (1923)
“Statesboro Blues” — Blind Willie McTell (1928)



“Bonaparte’s Retreat” — W.H. Stepp (1937)
Episode: “Decoration Day” — Vic and Sade (June 4, 1937)
"Mahler’s Symphony No. 9" — Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, (conducted by Bruno Walter) (1938)
"Carousel of American Music" — George M. Cohan, Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer, Arthur Freed, Shelton Brooks, Hoagy Carmichael, others (Sept. 24, 1940)
"The Marshall Plan Speech" — George C. Marshall (June 5, 1947)
Destination Freedom — Episodes “A Garage in Gainesville” and “Execution Awaited” (Sept. 25 and Oct. 2, 1949)
"A Streetcar Named Desire" Original Soundtrack — (Alex North, composer) (1951)
“Cry Me a River” (single) — Julie London (1955)



“Mack the Knife” (singles) — Louis Armstrong (1956) and Bobby Darin (1959)






"Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-Point Game, Fourth-Quarter Coverage (Philadelphia Warriors vs. New York Knicks)" — Bill Campbell, announcer (March 2, 1962)
“A Love Supreme” — John Coltrane (1964)



"It’s My Way" — Buffy Sainte-Marie (1964)
“Where Did Our Love Go” (single) — The Supremes (1964)



“People Get Ready” (single) — The Impressions (1965)



“Mama Tried” (single) — Merle Haggard (1968)



"Abraxas" — Santana (1970)
"Class Clown" — George Carlin (1972)



"Robert and Clara Schumann Complete Piano Trios" — The Beaux Arts Trio (1972)
“Piano Man” (single) — Billy Joel (1973)
"Bogalusa Boogie" — Clifton Chenier (1976)
“I Will Survive” (single) — Gloria Gaynor (1978)
"Master of Puppets" — Metallica (1986)