Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black, Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and the Hamilton original cast album were among the 25 sound recordings that were entered into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry on Wednesday.
Tracy Chapman’s 1988 self-titled LP, Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, Mary J. Blige’s My Life, and songs by Steve Miller Band (“Fly Like an Eagle”), Celine Dion (“My Heart Will Go On”), and Helen Reddy (“I Am Woman”) were also among this year’s class, which spanned from 1913 (Hawaiian Quintette’s “Aloha ‘Oe”) to Lin-Manual Miranda’s 2015 Broadway cast recording, which is now the most entry in the registry.
“These are the sounds of America – our wide-ranging history and culture. The National Recording Registry is our evolving nation’s playlist,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in a statement. “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.”
Among this year’s preserved recordings include a radio broadcast of the 1960 World Series’ Game 7 (when the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the New York Yankees on Bill Mazeroski’s game-winning home run), Keith Jarrett’s acclaim piano album The Koln Concert, the Minecraft: Volume Alpha soundtrack from 2011, and Brian Eno’s iconic Microsoft Windows startup chime.
John, who received the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Award in 2024, said of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’s inclusion, “Nobody really knows what a hit record is. I’m not a formula writer. I didn’t think ‘Bennie and the Jets’ was a hit. I didn’t think ‘Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me’ was a hit. And that’s what makes writing so special. You do not know what you’re coming up with and how special it might become.”
“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,” Robbin Ahrold, chair of the National Recording Preservation Board, said in a statement.
Recordings Selected for the National Recording Registry in 2025 (in chronological order)
“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 (Oct. 13, 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)
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)
