Wu-Tang Clan, Queen, Ricky Martin songs headed to Library of Congress

The Library of Congress will soon be “Livin’ la Vida Loca,” as songs from Ricky Martin, Queen, Alicia Keys and Wu-Tang Clan are poised to be added to its famed collection.

Queen’s 1975 single “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the 2001 Keys album “Songs in A Minor” and Wu-Tang Clan’s “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” are among 25 recordings being preserved by the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress, it announced Wednesday.

The music was selected after being deemed “audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.”

Also making the cut for induction: Bonnie Raitt’s 1989 album “Nick of Time,” songs from the Buena Vista Social Club, Journey’s 1981 hit “Don’t Stop Believin,’” A Tribe Called Quest’s 1991 album “The Low End Theory,” broadcasts by radio station WNYC on Sep. 11, 2001, the classic Disneyland Boys Choir song “It’s a Small World,” the complete presidential speeches of former President Franklin Roosevelt, “Canciones de Mi Padre” by Linda Ronstadt and James Johnson’s 1921 song “Harlem Strut,” among others.

Recordings selected for the registry must be at least 10 years old.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement that organizers received about 1,000 nominations from the public for this year’s class of inductees.

“The National Recording Registry reflects the diverse music and voices that have shaped our nation’s history and culture through recorded sound,” Hayden said.

The library noted that several recordings “were influential in helping to deepen and grow the genres of rap, hip-hop and R&B in American culture” and that this year’s selections also add “a number of defining Latin sounds to the nation’s audio history from legendary artists.” 

The National Recording Registry currently has 600 titles, the Library of Congress said, which represents “a small portion of the national library’s vast recorded sound collection of nearly 4 million items.”

Here is the full list of 2022 selections, provided in chronological order by the Library of Congress:

1. “Harlem Strut” — James P. Johnson (1921) 
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt: Complete Presidential Speeches (1933-1945)
3. “Walking the Floor Over You” — Ernest Tubb (1941) (single)
4. “On a Note of Triumph” (May 8, 1945)
5. “Jesus Gave Me Water” — The Soul Stirrers (1950) (single)
6. “Ellington at Newport” — Duke Ellington (1956) (album)
7. “We Insist!  Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite” — Max Roach (1960) (album)
8. “The Christmas Song” — Nat King Cole (1961) (single)
9. “Tonight’s the Night” — The Shirelles (1961) (album)
10. “Moon River” — Andy Williams (1962) (single)
11. “In C” — Terry Riley (1968) (album)
12. “It’s a Small World” — The Disneyland Boys Choir (1964) (single)
13. “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” — The Four Tops (1966) (single)
14. Hank Aaron’s 715th Career Home Run (April 8, 1974)
15. “Bohemian Rhapsody” — Queen (1975) (single)
16. “Don’t Stop Believin’” — Journey (1981) (single)
17. “Canciones de Mi Padre” — Linda Ronstadt (1987) (album)
18. “Nick of Time” — Bonnie Raitt (1989) (album)
19. “The Low End Theory” — A Tribe Called Quest (1991) (album)
20. “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” — Wu-Tang Clan (1993) (album)
21. “Buena Vista Social Club” (1997) (album)
22. “Livin’ La Vida Loca” — Ricky Martin (1999) (single)
23. “Songs in A Minor” — Alicia Keys (2001) (album)
24. WNYC broadcasts for the day of 9/11 (Sept. 11, 2001) 
25. “WTF with Marc Maron” (Guest: Robin Williams) (April 26, 2010)