Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Cheap Trick at Budokan and Dusty Springfield’s Dusty in Memphis are among the Library of Congress’ 2020 inductees into the National Recording Registry.
Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” and Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman” also featured on the diverse list of 25 recordings deemed “aural treasures worthy of preservation because of their cultural, historical and aesthetic importance to the nation’s recorded sound heritage,” the Library of Congress said Wednesday.
Other inductees include Tina Turner’s 1984 LP Private Dancer, Selena’s 1990 album Ven Conmigo, the original Broadway cast recording of Fiddler on the Roof, Allan Sherman’s “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh” and Mister Rogers Sings 21 Favorite Songs From ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’.
“The National Recording Registry is the evolving playlist of the American soundscape. It reflects moments in history captured through the voices and sounds of the time,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. “We received over 800 nominations this year for culturally, historically or aesthetically significant recordings to add to the registry. As genres and formats continue to expand, the Library of Congress is committed to working with our many partners to preserve the sounds that have touched our hearts and shaped our culture.”
This year’s historical recordings include a radio broadcast of the 1951 National League tie-breaking baseball game between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers (featuring “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”), an Arch Oboler radio play from 1939 and the Boston Symphony’s mid-performance announcement of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22nd, 1963.
This year’s inductees span nearly 90 years — from Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra’s 1920 single “Whispering” to Colin Currie’s Best Classical Contemporary Composition Grammy-winning Percussion Concerto from 2008.
Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen said of the induction of their 1978 live LP, one of Rolling Stone’s 50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time: “We are honored that our breakout album, Cheap Trick at Budokan, is being added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. We thank our loyal fans who nominated us, and our favorite Rockford school librarian who got the ball rolling!”
