Curtis Mayfield, Jay-Z, Cyndi Lauper Works Added to National Recording Registry
Songs performed by Jay-Z, Cyndi Lauper and a Robert F. Kennedy speech are among 25 recordings being inducted to the National Recording Registry.
The Library of Congress announced Wednesday that “La Bamba,” ″Gunsmoke” and “Hair” are some of the titles tapped for preservation this year. The national library chose a few more memorable titles including Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” and Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man.”
The registry is adding Kennedy’s recorded speech after Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1968 assassination — two months before Kennedy was killed.
Curtis Mayfield’s “Superfly,” Lauper’s “She’s So Unusual” and Jay-Z’s Blueprint album are being added.
Other songs being added include Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam,” Sylvester’s “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” and “Schoolhouse Rock!”
The library selects titles for preservation because of their cultural and historic importance to the American soundscape.
“The National Recording Registry honors the music that enriches our souls, the voices that tell our stories and the sounds that mirror our lives” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in a statement. “The influence of recorded sound over its nearly 160-year history has been profound and technology has increased its reach and significance exponentially. The Library of Congress and its many collaborators are working to preserve these sounds and moments in time, which reflect our past, present and future.”
The 25 new recordings added to the National Recording Registry bring the total number of titles on the registry to 525. Read more here.