Music from Madonna, Mariah Carey, Daddy Yankee and Queen Latifah are among 25 of the “defining sounds of the nation’s history and culture” selected to join the National Recording Registry, the Library of Congress said Wednesday.
This year’s selections, chosen “based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage,” include singles, albums, and other audio artifacts from 1908 to 2012.
The class of 2023 highlights the work of women whose recordings have helped redefine genres.
Madonna’s second studio album “Like A Virgin” — which catapulted her into global stardom — fueled her ascent in the music business as she took control of her image and sound. The 64-year-old multi-Grammy winner is celebrating 40 years in the industry with a highly anticipated world tour starting this summer.
Queen Latifah’s debut album “All Hail the Queen,” released in 1989, also made the list, making the Newark, New Jersey-born Grammy winner the first female rapper to join the registry, according to the Library of Congress. By showing rap could cross genres including reggae, hip-hop, house and jazz, Latifah is also credited with opening the door for other female rappers.
Mariah Carey — whose Christmas megahit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has earned her the nickname the “Queen of Christmas” — was inducted to the registry for the first time. Her modern holiday classic, a modest hit upon release, has hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts for the past four years.
“I’m most proud of the arrangements, the background vocal arrangements,” she told the Library. “‘All I Want for Christmas’ is sort of in its own little category, and I’m very thankful for it.”
Some other additions are a testament to the increasing diversity in an ever-changing field: Daddy Yankee’s 2004 massive hit single “Gasolina,” became the first reggaeton hit included in the registry; and “Ground Theme,” the Super Mario Bros. theme composed by the Japanese-born Koji Kondo, is now the first video game audio to join the registry.
Other inductees include: “The Very First Mariachi Recordings,” an album recorded between 1908 and 1909; the club-ready and synth-heavy “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by the British new wave music duo Eurythmics; and John Lennon’s anti-war classic “Imagine.”
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