Library Of Congress Reveals Latest National Recording Registry Inductees

The Library of Congress has revealed the latest National Recording Registry inductees.

ABBA‘s “Dancing Queen,” Blondie‘s era-defining Parallel Lines, The Notorious B.I.G.‘s landmark Ready to Die, Green Day‘s Dookie, The Chicks‘ “Wide Open Spaces” and Lily Tomlin‘s comedy are among the inductees.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden 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 2024 class of inductees also includes Gene Autry‘s “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” The Cars‘ debut album, Perry Como‘s “Catch a Falling Star” / “Magic Moments,” Juan Gabriel‘s heartbreaking “Amor Eterno,” Hector Lavoe‘s salsa hit “El Cantante,” Kronos Quartet‘s “Pieces of Africa,” Johnny Mathis‘ “Chances Are,” Bobby McFerrin‘s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” Patti Page‘s “Tennessee Waltz,” and Bill Withers‘ “Ain’t No Sunshine.”

The recordings selected for the National Recording Registry bring the number of titles on the registry to 650, representing a small portion of the national library’s vast recorded sound collection of nearly 4 million items.

The latest selections named to the registry span from 1919 to 1998. They range from the recordings of the all-Black 369th U.S. Infantry Band led by James Reese Europe after World War I, to defining sounds of jazz and bluegrass, and iconic recordings from pop, dance, country, rock, rap, Latin and classical music.

To listen to many of the recordings, the Digital Media Association compiled a list of some streaming services with National Recording Registry playlists, available at https://dima.org/national-recording-registry-class-of-2024/.