It’s that time of year again when the National Recording Registry announces its 25 newest inductees. This year’s recordings range the gamut from “Oh yeah, that song” to “I’ll take your word for it” to “Another fucking Edison recording?” Here is the complete list, with links embedded whenever possible.
- Edison’s “St. Louis tinfoil” recording (1878)
- “Nikolina” – Hjalmar Peterson (1917)
- “Smyrneikos Balos” – Marika Papagika (1928)
- “When the Saints Go Marching In” – Louis Armstrong & his Orchestra (1938)
- Christmas Eve Broadcast – Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill (December 24th, 1941)
- “The Guiding Light” – (November 22nd, 1945)
- “Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues” – Odetta (1957)
- “Lord, Keep Me Day by Day” – Albertina Walker and the Caravans (1959)
- Roger Maris hits his 61st homerun (October 1st 1961)
- “Aida” – Leontyne Price et al. (1962)
- “Once a Day” – Connie Smith (1964)
- “Born Under a Bad Sign” – Albert King (1967)
- “Free to Be…You & Me” – Marlo Thomas and Friends (1972)
- “The Harder They Come” – Jimmy Cliff (1972)
- “Lady Marmalade” – Labelle (1974)
- “Late for the Sky” – Jackson Browne (1974)
- “Bright Size Life” – Pat Metheny (1976)
- “The Rainbow Connection” – Kermit the Frog (1979)
- “Celebration” – Kool & the Gang (1980)
- “Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs” – Jessey Norman (1983)
- “Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814” – Janet Jackson (1989)
- “Partners” – Flaco Jiménez (1992)
- “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”/”What a Wonderful World” – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (1993)
- “Illmatic” – Nas (1994)
- “This American Life: The Giant Pool of Money” (May 9th, 2008)
The NRR has also included this playlist so you can listen to this year’s inductees wherever you stream your music. Personally, I’m thrilled that the NRR now includes a talent whose singing skills have been long missing from this list: former NFL defensive tackle Rosey Grier.
