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The Morning Show - With Jill Riley

Coffee Break: National Recording Registry Inductions -

Coffee Break: National Recording Registry Inductions

The Library of Congress in Washington, DC.
The Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Kris Connor/Getty Images

by Jill Riley and Rachel Frances

April 13, 2023

Since 2000, the Library of Congress has promoted its preservation work through an annual list of recordings added to the National Recording Registry. This year, 25 recordings that reflects our nation’s diverse culture have been chosen to be preserved for posterity this year.

For the first time, the list includes the music of a female rapper, and the soundtrack of a video game. The oldest addition this year is the earliest surviving recording of mariachi music – dating back to 1908.

The new additions to the National Recording Registry range from 80s pop, funk-infused jazz, gospel, and more. Here is the list of selections:


1. "The Very First Mariachi Recordings" — Cuarteto Coculense (1908-1909)

2. "St. Louis Blues" — Handy's Memphis Blues Band (1922)

3. "Sugar Foot Stomp" — Fletcher Henderson (1926)

4. Dorothy Thompson: Commentary and Analysis of the European Situation for NBC Radio

(Aug. 23-Sept. 6, 1939)

5. "Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around" — The Fairfield Four (1947)

6. "What the World Needs Now is Love" — Jackie DeShannon (1965)

7. "Wang Dang Doodle" — Koko Taylor (1966)

8. "Sherry" — The Four Seasons (1962)

9. "Ode to Billie Joe" — Bobbie Gentry (1967)

10. "Déjà Vu" — Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (1970)

11. "Imagine" — John Lennon (1971)

12. "Stairway to Heaven" — Led Zeppelin (1971)

13. "Take Me Home, Country Roads" — John Denver (1971)

14. "Margaritaville" — Jimmy Buffett (1977)

15. "Flashdance...What a Feeling" — Irene Cara (1983)

16. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" — Eurythmics (1983)

17. "Synchronicity" — The Police (1983)

18. "Black Codes (From the Underground)" — Wynton Marsalis (1985)

19. Super Mario Bros. theme — Koji Kondo, composer (1986)

20. "Like a Virgin" — Madonna (1984)

21. "All Hail the Queen" — Queen Latifah (1989)

22. "All I Want for Christmas is You" — Mariah Carey (1994)

23. "Pale Blue Dot" — Carl Sagan (1994)

24. "Gasolina" — Daddy Yankee (2004)

25. "Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra— Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, composer (2012)

 

For today’s 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear from this year’s list of music to be preserved in the National Recording Registry?


Respond with your song ideas in the comments below.

Have an idea for a Coffee Break topic? Submit your idea for a future theme and browse past Coffee Breaks in our archive.