National Recording Registry’s 2025 inductees: Elton John, ‘Hamilton,’ Minecraft
The 2025 selections named to the National Recording Registry span from 1913 to 2015.
WASHINGTON — The original cast recording of Broadway’s “Hamilton,” Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black,” and Tracy Chapman’s self-titled debut album are among 25 recordings being inducted to the National Recording Registry.
The Library of Congress announced Wednesday that Celine Dion’s 1997 single “My Heart Will Go On” and Mary J. Blige’s “My Life” are some of the titles set for preservation this year.
The national library also chose a few tech-focused additions including Microsoft’s reboot chime and the soundtrack to the Minecraft video game.
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced the 25 new titles in the class of 2025, saying in a statement that they are “worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.”
More than 2,600 nominations were made by the public for recordings to consider for the registry this year. Chicago’s debut “Chicago Transit Authority” finished No. 1 in the public nominations.
Other selected recordings for 2025 that were in the top 10 of public nominations include Roy Rogers and Dale Evans’ classic “Happy Trails,” Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” album and Blige’s “My Life.”
While the Library of Congress has nearly 4 million items in its recorded sound collection, there are just 675 titles that are part of the National Recording Registry.
The Minecraft recording is just the second video game soundtrack to join the registry, following the Super Mario Brothers theme, selected in 2023.
Other titles added this year include: Miles Davis’ jazz fusion album “Bitches Brew,” Charley Pride’s “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin,’” Vicente Fernandez’s ranchera song “El Rey,” Freddy Fender’s “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” and the Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like an Eagle.”
The 2025 selections named to the registry span from 1913 to 2015.
Full list of 2025 recordings selection for National Recording Registry
- “Aloha ‘Oe” – Hawaiian Quintette (1913) (single)
- “Sweet Georgia Brown” – Brother Bones & His Shadows (1949) (single)
- “Happy Trails” – Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (1952) (single)
- Radio Broadcast of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series – Chuck Thompson (1960)
- Harry Urata Field Recordings (1960-1980)
- “Hello Dummy!”– Don Rickles (1968) (album)
- “Chicago Transit Authority” – Chicago (1969) (album)
- “Bitches Brew” – Miles Davis (1970) (album)
- “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” – Charley Pride (1971) (single)
- “I Am Woman” – Helen Reddy (1972) (single)
- “El Rey” – Vicente Fernandez (1973) (single)
- “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” – Elton John (1973) (album)
- “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” – Freddy Fender (1975) (single)
- “I’ve Got the Music in Me” – Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker (1975) (album)
- “The Kӧln Concert” – Keith Jarrett (1975) (album)
- “Fly Like an Eagle” – Steve Miller Band (1976) (album)
- Nimrod Workman Collection (1973-1994)
- “Tracy Chapman” – Tracy Chapman (1988) (album)
- “My Life” – Mary J. Blige (1994) (album)
- Microsoft Windows Reboot Chime – Brian Eno (1995)
- “My Heart Will Go On” – Celine Dion (1997) (single)
- “Our American Journey” – Chanticleer (2002) (album)
- “Back to Black” – Amy Winehouse (2006) (album)
- “Minecraft: Volume Alpha” – Daniel Rosenfeld (2011) (album)
- “Hamilton” – Original Broadway Cast Album (2015) (album)
Public nominations for 2026’s selections can be submitted on the Library of Congress website until Oct. 1, 2025.