Beyoncé, Taylor Swift songs join National Recording Registry
AP News • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Taylor Swift's 2014 album "1989," Beyoncé's 2008 hit "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," Chaka Khan's "I Feel for You," Vince Gill's "Go Rest High on That Mountain," and The Go-Go’s debut album "Beauty and the Beat" have been inducted into the National Recording Registry.
- The 25 recordings selected for the 2026 class were chosen for their cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance in America's recorded sound heritage, as announced by Acting Librarian of Congress Robert Newlen.
- Other notable inclusions are Ray Charles’ "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music," Reba McEntire’s "Rumor Has It," Rosanne Cash’s "The Wheel," Weezer’s "The Blue Album," and classic singles by Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Byrds, José Feliciano, and Paul Anka.
- Unique entries include the 1993 video game "Doom" soundtrack and the 1971 radio broadcast of Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier's "Fight of the Century," with the oldest recording being Spike Jones’ 1944 single "Cocktails for Two."
- This year marks the first time recordings by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have been selected, reflecting over 3,000 public nominations submitted for the registry.