Recordings by Elton John, Chicago, Broadway's "Hamilton, Mary J. Blige and many more have been inducted into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.
Carla Hayden, librarian of Congress, announced Wednesday that out of the more than 2,600 nominations, 25 recordings were chosen based on their "cultural, historical or aesthetic importance" to the sound heritage of the United States.
“These are the sounds of America – our wide-ranging history and culture," Hayden said in a statement. "The National Recording Registry is our evolving nation’s playlist. The Library of Congress is proud and honored to select these audio treasures worthy of preservation, including iconic music across a variety of genres, field recordings, sports history and even the sounds of our daily lives with technology.”
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The 2025 nominees span a wide range of musical genres, including jazz, folk, country, pop, Latin, dance, and many more. The latest selection range all the way back from 1913 to 2015, with 10 of the inductees coming from the 1970s. This year's list of inductees also includes a recording from "Minecraft," marking just the second video game soundtrack to join the registry after the Super Mario Brothers theme was selected in 2023.
“This year’s National Recording Registry list is an honor roll of superb American popular music from the wide-ranging repertoire of our great nation, from Hawaii to Nashville, from iconic jazz tracks to smash Broadway musicals, from Latin superstars to global pop sensations – a parade of indelible recordings spanning more than a century,” said Robbin Ahrold, chair of the National Recording Preservation Board.
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Here's the full list of 2025 inductees into the 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 of 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” – Vicente 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)
- “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)
The public can submit nominations for next year's registry until Oct. 1, 2025, by clicking here.
