Recordings by Elton John, Chicago and Tracy Chapman been chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
In total 25 recordings have been chosen this year “based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.”
Albums picked include Elton’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which features hits like the title track, “Bennie and the Jets” and “Candle in the Wind”; Chicago’s debut Chicago Transit Authority, with songs like “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” and “Questions 67 and 68”; Chapman’s self-titled debut, which features her classic “Fast Car”; and Steve Miller Band’s Fly Like an Eagle, with hits like the title track, “Take the Money and Run” and “Rock’n Me.”
Songs chosen include Celine Dion’s Titanic hit “My Heart Will Go On,” and “I Am Woman” by Helen Reddy, with the Microsoft Windows Reboot Chime, composed by Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Brian Eno in 1995, also getting in.
“These are the sounds of America – our wide-ranging history and culture. The National Recording Registry is our evolving nation’s playlist,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said. “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.”
The public can nominate recordings to be considered; this year, the Library of Congress received 2,600 nominations, with Chicago Transit Authority being the top nominee. With the new additions, the National Recording Registry titles are now at 675, part of a recorded sound collection of close to 4 million items.
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