Timeless Tunes: Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Weezer Enter the Library of Congress

The Library of Congress has unveiled its latest selections for the National Recording Registry, a collection of "defining sounds of history" preserved for posterity. This year's inductees span genres and generations, celebrating the cultural impact of diverse artists and their landmark recordings.

Among the honorees are Beyoncé's empowering anthem "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," Taylor Swift's pop masterpiece 1989, and Weezer's seminal Blue Album. The registry also recognizes Chaka Khan's electrifying rendition of Prince’s “I Feel For You,” The Go-Go’s' groundbreaking album Beauty and the Beat, the influential house music of Jamie Principle and Frankie Knuckles' “Your Love” remix, and the soulful classic “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight and the Pips.

Robert R. Newlen, the acting Librarian of Congress, emphasized that these recordings are chosen for their "cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage," ensuring that these audio treasures are preserved for all time.
Weezer Blue Album

Belinda Carlisle, of The Go-Go’s, expressed her excitement, stating, “It’ll be great 100 years from now when someone is doing their research and they see The Go-Go’s in there.” Jane Wiedlin added, “I don’t know that there is a better feeling than knowing that women are raising their daughters and playing them The Go-Go’s. As far as The Go-Go’s legacy, the biggest accomplishment is that we broke the glass ceiling...there is literally no other all-female band that went No. 1 on the charts, play their own instruments and write their own songs. None.”

Chaka Khan reflected on her iconic hit: “I Feel for You” represented “a moment where everything converged: Prince’s genius, Stevie’s harmonica, Grandmaster Melle Mel’s rap, and whatever God put in me that day. For the Library of Congress to say this recording belongs in the permanent collection of American sound heritage, that means it wasn’t just a hit, it was history. And I am so very grateful to have been part of it.”

Here is the complete list of recordings selected for the National Recording Registry in 2026:

• Spike Jones and His City Slickers: “Cocktails for Two” (1944)
• Pérez Prado and His Orchestra: “Mambo No. 5” (1950)
• Ruth Brown: “Teardrops From My Eyes” (1950)
• Kaye Ballard: “Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)” (1954)
• Paul Anka: “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” (1959)
• Oliver Nelson: The Blues and the Abstract Truth (1961)
• Ray Charles: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962)
• The Byrds: “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” (1965)
• The Winstons: “Amen, Brother” (1969)
• José Feliciano: “Feliz Navidad” (1970)
• “The Fight of the Century: Ali vs. Frazier” (March 8, 1971)
• Gladys Knight and the Pips: “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973)
• Chicago Original Cast Album (1975)
• The Charlie Daniels Band: “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” (1979)
• The Go-Go’s: Beauty and the Beat (1981)
• Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble: Texas Flood (1983)
• Chaka Khan: “I Feel for You” (1984)
• Jamie Principle: “Your Love” (1986) / Jamie Principle and Frankie Knuckles (1987)
• Reba McEntire: Rumor Has It (1990)
• Rosanne Cash: The Wheel (1993)
• Bobby Prince: Doom Soundtrack (1993)
• Vince Gill: “Go Rest High on That Mountain” (1994)
• Weezer: Weezer (The Blue Album) (1994)
• Beyoncé: “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008)
• Taylor Swift: 1989 (2014)

---

Related Articles

• Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Weezer Classics Enter National Recording Registry
• FKA twigs to Star as Josephine Baker in Upcoming Biopic
• Wilco's Jeff Tweedy Crafts a Rock 'N' Roll Crossword for The New York Times