National Recording Registry Inducts Music from Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Journey and More in 2022

Photo: Steve Perry (of Journey) | National Recording Registry press release: Alicia Keys’ debut album “Songs in A Minor,” Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin” are some of the unforgettable sounds of the nation’s history and culture joining the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. The 2022 class includes important inductions of hip-hop and Latin music, including recordings by Linda Ronstadt, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan and Buena Vista Social Club.

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 National Recording Registry reflects the diverse music and voices that have shaped our nation’s history and culture through recorded sound,” Hayden said. “The national library is proud to help preserve these recordings, and we welcome the public’s input. We received about 1,000 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry.”

The recordings selected for the National Recording Registry bring the number of titles on the registry to 600, 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 1921 to 2010. They range from rock, pop, R&B, hip-hop and country to Latin, Motown, jazz, and recordings of history as it happened. In addition to the musical selections, the new class includes the famous speeches of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, WNYC’s broadcasts on 9/11 and a podcast interview with comedian Robin Williams.
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Steve Perry, the lead singer of Journey, grew up in a small California farming town, the son of Portuguese immigrants. He said he was stunned for his parents and grandparents to have “Don’t Stop Believin’” enshrined as one of the nation’s signature recordings and that it’s “one of those ‘only in America’ kind of things.”

“That song, over the years, has become something that has a life of its own,” Perry said. “It’s about the people who’ve embraced it and found the lyrics to be something they can relate to and hold onto and sing.”
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You can listen to many of the recordings on your favorite streaming service.The Digital Media Association, a member of the National Recording Preservation Board, has compiled a list of some streaming services with National Recording Registry playlists here: dima.org/national-recording-registry-2022-inductees/.

History as it Happens
The recordings added to the registry also include sounds of history as it happened. New to the registry this year are the complete presidential speeches of President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1945, which ranged from events such as the attack on Pearl Harbor to the campaign against polio. His speeches became defining political and social texts of their day.
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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
http://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/about-this-program/.
(The public may nominate recordings for the Registry here.)

National Recording Registry, 2022 Selections (chronological order)
1. “Harlem Strut” — James P. Johnson (1921)
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt: Complete Presidential Speeches (1933-1945)
3. “Walking the Floor Over You” — Ernest Tubb (1941) (single)
4. “On a Note of Triumph” (May 8, 1945)
5. “Jesus Gave Me Water” — The Soul Stirrers (1950) (single)
6. “Ellington at Newport” — Duke Ellington (1956) (album)
7. “We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite” — Max Roach (1960) (album)
8. “The Christmas Song” — Nat King Cole (1961) (single)
9. “Tonight’s the Night” — The Shirelles (1961) (album)
10 “Moon River” — Andy Williams (1962) (single)
11. “In C” — Terry Riley (1968) (album)
12. “It’s a Small World” — The Disneyland Boys Choir (1964) (single)
13. “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” — The Four Tops (1966) (single)
14. Hank Aaron’s 715th Career Home Run (April 8, 1974)
15. “Bohemian Rhapsody” — Queen (1975) (single)
16. “Don’t Stop Believin’” — Journey (1981) (single)
17. “Canciones de Mi Padre” — Linda Ronstadt (1987) (album)
18. “Nick of Time” — Bonnie Raitt (1989) (album)
19. “The Low End Theory” — A Tribe Called Quest (1991) (album)
20. “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” — Wu-Tang Clan (1993) (album)
21. “Buena Vista Social Club” (1997) (album)
22. “Livin’ La Vida Loca” — Ricky Martin (1999) (single)
23. “Songs in A Minor” — Alicia Keys (2001) (album)
24. WNYC broadcasts for the day of 9/11 (Sept. 11, 2001)
25. “WTF with Marc Maron” (Guest: Robin Williams) (April 26, 2010)

[The article continues with descriptions of each selection/recording. Very interesting to read.]
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Read the whole article here:
https://newsroom.loc.gov/news/national-recording-registry-inducts-music-from-alicia-keys–ricky-martin–journey-and-more-in-2022/s/fee30140-0454-401c-a2a2-205298e32fb1

More on the National Recording Registry here:
https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/