The Library of Congress has unveiled the 2026 class of 25 recordings inducted into the National Recording Registry “based on their cultural, historical, or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage,” including Taylor Swift’s 1989, Weezer’s The Blue Album, and Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).”
Also among this year’s “audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time” are Beauty and the Beat by The Go-Go’s, The Wheel by Rosanne Cash, “I Feel for You” by Chaka Khan, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music by Ray Charles, and the Chicago original cast album. See the full list below and take a look at the Library of Congress’ full registry here.
Last year’s selections included Brian Eno’s Windows 95 startup chime, Tracy Chapman’s self-titled debut, Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black, Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, and the Hamilton original cast recording.
Editor’s Note: See where Beyoncé and Chaka Khan landed on our list of the 100 best vocalists of all time.
2026 National Recording Registry:
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)
