Library of Congress: National Recording Registry Inducts Sounds of Elton John, Chicago, Broadway’s ‘Hamilton,’ Mary J. Blige, Amy Winehouse, Minecraft and Microsoft

From the Library of Congress:

Elton John’s monumental album “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” Chicago’s debut “Chicago Transit Authority,” the original cast recording of Broadway’s “Hamilton,” Mary J. Blige’s “My Life,” Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black,” Microsoft’s reboot chime, and the soundtrack to the Minecraft video game phenomenon have been selected as some of the defining sounds of history and culture that will join the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today named 25 recordings as audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.

The 2025 class of inductees includes Tracy Chapman’s self-titled debut album, Celine Dion’s 1997 single “My Heart Will Go On” from the blockbuster film “Titanic,” Roy Rogers and Dale Evans’ classic “Happy Trails,” Miles Davis’ jazz fusion album “Bitches Brew,” Charley Pride’s groundbreaking “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin,’” Vicente Fernandez’s enduring ranchera song “El Rey,” Freddy Fender’s breakthrough song “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” and the Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like an Eagle.”

“These are the sounds of America – our wide-ranging history and culture. The National Recording Registry is our evolving nation’s playlist,” 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.”

More than 2,600 nominations were made by the public this year for recordings to consider for the registry. “Chicago Transit Authority” finished No. 1 in the public nominations this year. Other selected recordings in the top 10 of public nominations include “Happy Trails,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and “My Life” by Blige.

The recordings selected for the National Recording Registry this year bring the number of titles on the registry to 675, representing a small portion of the national library’s vast recorded sound collection of nearly 4 million items.

Elton John, the 2024 winner of the Library’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song with his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, reflected on their 1973 album “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

“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,” John told the Library. “You do not know what you’re coming up with and how special it might become.”

Mary J. Blige recalled her 1994 soulful hip-hop album “My Life.” “My favorite lyric from the ‘My Life’ album is ‘Life can be only what you make of it,’” she said.

The latest selections named to the registry span from 1913 to 2015. Ten of this year’s selections are from the 1970s. The earliest recording on the list is the long-beloved Hawaiian song “Aloha ‘Oe,” recorded in 1913 by the Hawaiian Quintette. The original Broadway recording of “Hamilton” by Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast from 2015 becomes the newest recording to join the registry.

The 2025 selections span the sounds of folk, jazz, country, pop, comedy, sports, Latin, dance, R&B, tech, choral and musical theater. The recording from Minecraft is only the second video game soundtrack to join the registry, following the theme from Super Mario Brothers, 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.

Listen to many of the recordings on your favorite streaming service. The Digital Media Association, a member of the National Recording Preservation Board, compiled a list of some streaming services with National Recording Registry playlists.

NPR’s “1A” will feature selections in the series “The Sounds of America” about this year’s National Recording Registry, including interviews with Hayden and several featured artists in the weeks ahead.

Follow the conversation about the registry on Instagram, Facebook and other Library social media @librarycongress and #NatRecRegistry.

Recordings Selected for the National Recording Registry in 2025

(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 (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)

The public can submit nominations throughout the year on the Library’s website. Nominations for next year will be accepted until Oct. 1, 2025. The public may nominate recordings for the registry here.

[Clip] [Learn More About Each Selection in the Complete Release]

About the 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 25 titles each year that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and are at least 10 years old. More information on the National Recording Registry can be found at loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/about-this-program/. The public may nominate recordings for the registry here.

Some registry titles have already been preserved by the copyright holders, artists or other archives. In cases where a selected title has not already been preserved, the Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center works to ensure that the recording will be preserved by some entity and available for future generations. This can be through the Library’s recorded-sound preservation program or through collaborative ventures with other archives, studios and independent producers.

In addition to their work with the registry, the Library and Board undertake preservation and access initiatives with archives and other organizations throughout the United States. As authorized by the legislation, the Librarian of Congress has appointed seven members to the Board of Directors of the Congressionally-chartered National Recording Preservation Foundation. For more information, visit the Foundation’s web page at: https://www.recordingpreservation.org/

The national library maintains a state-of-the-art facility where it acquires, preserves and provides access to the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of films, television programs, radio broadcasts and sound recordings (loc.gov/avconservation). It is home to more than 10 million collection items.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States – and extensive materials from around the world – both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.

Resources

• Complete 2025 Release
• Complete National Recording Registry Listing
• National Recording Registry Website
• National Recording Preservation Board Website
• Complete LC/NRR 2024 News Release with Info About Each Selected

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