Classics like Notorious B.I.G.‘s Ready to Die, Green Day‘s Dookie, Gene Autry’s “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” will join the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden on Tuesday announced that 25 recordings are entering the prestigious club this year, including Patti Page’s “Tennessee Waltz,” ABBA’s Arrival, Blondie’s Parallel Lines, Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” Jefferson Airplane’s Surrealistic Pillow and the jazz standard “Clarinet Marmalade,” performed by the all-Black 369th U.S. Infantry Band led by James Reese Europe after World War I.
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The latest selections span from 1919 to 1998 and bring the number of titles on the registry to 650. The national library’s recorded sound collection includes nearly four million items, and songs and albums that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” must be at least 10 years old to qualify.
Other new selections include Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick’s “La-Di-Da-Di,” Lily Tomlin’s This is a Recording, The Cars’ self-titled debut, Johnny Mathis’s “Chances Are,” Héctor Lavoe’s “El Cantante,” Perry Como’s “Catch a Falling Star”/”Magic Moments” and The Chicks’ Wide Open Spaces.
“The Library of Congress is proud to preserve the sounds of American history and our diverse culture through the National Recording Registry,” Hayden says in a statement. “We have selected audio treasures worthy of preservation with our partners this year, including a wide range of music from the past 100 years, as well as comedy. We were thrilled to receive a record number of public nominations, and we welcome the public’s input on what we should preserve next.”
The recordings that round out the 25 selections are: “Rose Room” by Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian, J.D. Crowe & the New South’s self-titled album, “Rocket ‘88’” by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats, Lee Morgan’s The Sidewinder, Viola Turpeinen and John Rosendahl’s “Kauhavan Polkka,” Juan Gabriel’s “Amor Eterno,” Kronos Quartet’s Pieces of Africa and Wisconsin Folksong Collection (1937-1946).
