Library of Congress Selects Records by Green Day, the Chicks, the Notorious B.I.G., ABBA, Blondie for National Recording Registry

Chris Willman

The Library of Congress has released its annual list of 25 audio recordings earmarked for celebration and preservation as part of the National Recording Registry, and the musical artists selected for inclusion run the historical gamut from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” to “Ready to Die.”

Benny Goodman, Gene Autry and Perry Como are among the mid-20th-century icons making the list, which extends to ’70s and ’80s releases by ABBA, the Cars, Doug E. Fresh and Blondie, and is rounded out on the latter end by such artists as Green Day, the Chicks and the Notorious B.I.G.

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Although in some years the National Registry has dipped into the 21st century, the most recent release on the 2024 list is “Wide Open Spaces,” credited to the Chicks, although the trio was known as the Dixie Chicks at the time of release.

The earliest is from 1919, a recording of the all-Black 369th U.S. Infantry Band led by James Reese Europe after World War I.

With these 25 additions, the number of recordings in the National Registry is bumped up to 650.

As part of the rollout, the Library of Congress has collected video interviews about the included recordings with Green Day’s Billie Joel Armstrong (talking about “Dookie”), Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chris Stein (on “Parallel Lines”), Jefferson Airplane’s Grace Slick and Jorma Kaukonen Recall (“Surrealistic Pillow”), Booker T. Jones (on the late Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine”), and Juan Gabriel’s son Ivan Gabriel Aguilera (on “Amor Eterno”).

The full list of recordings being inducted, in chronological order:

  • “Clarinet Marmalade” – Lt. James Reese Europe’s 369th U.S. Infantry Band (1919)

  • “Kauhavan Polkka” – Viola Turpeinen and John Rosendahl (1928)

  • Wisconsin Folksong Collection (1937-1946)

  • “Rose Room” – Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian (1939)

  • “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” – Gene Autry (1949)

  • “Tennessee Waltz” – Patti Page (1950)

  • “Rocket ‘88’” – Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats (1951)

  • “Catch a Falling Star” / ”Magic Moments” – Perry Como (1957)

  • “Chances Are” – Johnny Mathis (1957)

  • “The Sidewinder” – Lee Morgan (1964)

  • “Surrealistic Pillow” – Jefferson Airplane (1967)

  • “Ain’t No Sunshine” – Bill Withers (1971)

  • “This is a Recording” – Lily Tomlin (1971)

  • “J.D. Crowe & the New South” – J.D. Crowe & the New South (1975)

  • “Arrival” – ABBA (1976)

  • “El Cantante” – Héctor Lavoe (1978)

  • “The Cars” – The Cars (1978)

  • “Parallel Lines” – Blondie (1978)

  • “La-Di-Da-Di” – Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick (MC Ricky D) (1985)

  • “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” – Bobby McFerrin (1988)

  • “Amor Eterno” – Juan Gabriel (1990)

  • “Pieces of Africa” – Kronos Quartet (1992)

  • “Dookie” – Green Day (1994)

  • “Ready to Die” – The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)

  • “Wide Open Spaces” – The Chicks (1998)

““The Library of Congress is proud to preserve the sounds of American history and our diverse culture through the National Recording Registry,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “We have selected audio treasures worthy of preservation with our partners this year, including a wide range of music from the past 100 years, as well as comedy. We were thrilled to receive a record number of public nominations, and we welcome the public’s input on what we should preserve next.”

The announcement comes shortly after a PBS special in which the Library of Congress awarded Elton John and Bernie Taupin its Gershwin Prize for songwriting.

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