Albums and songs by Elton John, Celine Dion, Chicago and Tracy Chapman are among those that will be joining the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2025.
Each year, the National Recording Registry selects 25 recordings that are “worthy of preservation for all time, based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance.” This year’s selections include Elton’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album — featuring “Bennie and the Jets,” “Candle in the Wind,” the title track and other classic tunes — as well as Celine’s signature tune “My Heart Will Go On” and Tracy’s 1988 self-titled debut, which includes “Fast Car.”
Also on the list: Amy Winehouse‘s Back to Black, the Hamilton original Broadway cast album, Chicago‘s debut album Chicago Transit Authority, Steve Miller Band‘s Fly Like an Eagle album and Helen Reddy‘s feminist anthem “I Am Woman.” Interestingly, the Microsoft Windows Reboot Chime, which was composed by Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Brian Eno in 1995, is also included.
Elton, who won the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize last year, told the Library, “Nobody really knows what a hit record is. I’m not a formula writer. I didn’t think ‘Bennie and the Jets’ was a hit … and that’s what makes writing so special. You do not know what you’re coming up with and how special it might become.”
In a statement, Tracy Chapman said, “I basically grew up in a public library. I lived across the street from one. It was the only place my mother would let me go on my own. And so, I love libraries, and I love books and archives, and so it’s really so amazingly awesome to be part of one of the most important libraries in the world, I’d say, but certainly in the United States.”
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