Library of Congress picks classics by Blondie, The Cars and more for the National Recording Registry

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The Library of Congress has chosen 25 new recordings to join the National Recording Registry, including classics by Blondie, The Cars and ABBA.

The albums were chosen for preservation based on their “cultural, historical or aesthetic importance” and include The Cars’ self-titled debut, which featured such songs as “Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend’s Girl” and “Good Times Roll,” as well as Blondie’s Parallel Lines, which included their hit “Heart of Glass.” Other albums chosen for preservation include Green Day’s Dookie, Jefferson Airplane’s Surrealistic Pillow and ABBA’s Arrival.

Songs chosen for preservation include ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers, “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Gene Autry and Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” 

“The Library of Congress is proud to preserve the sounds of American history and our diverse culture through the National Recording Registry,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden shares. “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 public can nominate recordings to be considered; this year, the Library of Congress received a record 2,899 nominations. With the new additions, the National Recording Registry titles are now at 650, part of a recorded sound collection of close to 4 million items.

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