Preservation: ABBA and Dixie Chicks join National Recording Registry
ABBA's Dancing Queen and Gene Autry's Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer are among the 25 songs that were inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry this year. Announced on Tuesday (local time), this 2024 list expands the registry to 650 titles, contributing to the library's extensive collection of over 4M items. The library emphasizes that song selections for the registry are "based on their cultural, historical, or aesthetic importance in the nation's recorded sound heritage."
Why does this story matter?
Since its founding in 2000, the National Recording Registry has annually inducted 25 recordings to preserve America's sound recording heritage. To safeguard significant sound recordings and collections, the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 was crafted. Initially, the first four yearly lists consisted of 50 selections each. However, since 2006, the Registry has selected 25 recordings annually. Notably, to secure a spot in the registry, recordings must be "at least a decade old."
Highlights from the 2024 registry list
The newly added songs to the registry didn't follow a central theme this year. However, the list prominently featured several popular albums from 1990s-era artists. Bobby McFerrin's uplifting 1988 single Don't Worry, Be Happy and Juan Gabriel's timeless 1990 ballad Amor Eterno earned recognition this year. Additionally, the iconic 1985 single La-Di-Da-Di by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick was acknowledged.
A piece from 1919: Oldest selection this year
The oldest selection this year is a piece from 1919 by James Reese Europe, an early jazz pioneer who led the "Harlem Hellfighters," also known as the 369th US Infantry Band. The most recent entry is Wide Open Spaces, a 1998 album by country group The Chicks, although they were originally called the Dixie Chicks. The 2024 registry also features one of the "ethnic music" recordings produced by major labels like Victor and Columbia in the 1920s.
This year registry focused predominantly on music
Unlike previous years where spoken audio recordings like speeches and news broadcasts were included, this year's registry list is primarily music-focused. The only non-musical entry is This Is a Recording, a 1971 comedy album by Lily Tomlin. To note, in 2023, the library placed a significant emphasis on female artists, commemorating icons such as Mariah Carey and Queen Latifah. Among the mainstream music inducted were Madonna's Like a Virgin and Latifah's groundbreaking 1989 album All Hail the Queen.
