The Librarian of Congress has selected Beyoncé‘s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It),” Taylor Swift‘s 1989, Weezer‘s self-titled “Blue Album,” and the Go-Go’s Beauty and the Beat, among others, for preservation in the National Recording Registry. Robert R. Newlen, the acting Librarian, selected these recordings as he sees them as representative of America and its history. These selections mark the first time Beyoncé and Swift have made it in.
“Beyoncé’s blockbuster [song] found itself embraced by all generations and fans of almost every musical style,” the Library notes in an official blurb.
“As she does so well, Swift used the songs in 1989 to examine matters of the heart,” it said. “Seven singles, including the perennial favorite ‘Shake It Off,’ were released from this phenomenally successful album.”
“Music and recorded sound are essential, wonderful parts of our daily lives and our national heritage,” he said in a statement. “The National Recording Registry works to preserve our national playlist for generations to come. The Library of Congress is proud to select these audio treasures and will work to preserve them with our partners in the recording industry.”
The class of 2026 comprises 25 recordings, made over 70 years, in total. Selections came from a pool of more than 3,000 nominations from the public.
“I don’t know that there is a better feeling than knowing that women are raising their daughters and playing them the Go-Go’s,” the group’s Jane Wiedlin said in a statement. “As far as the Go-Go’s legacy, the biggest accomplishment is that we broke the glass ceiling.”
The Library of Congress notes that the Blue Album was “among” the most nominated recordings. “Produced by Ric Ocasek of The Cars, the album broke through the angst-filled sounds of alternative rock and presented a new nerdy geek-rock charm,” an official blurb reads. “Featuring such iconic hits as ‘Buddy Holly,’ ‘Say It Ain’t So,’ and ‘Undone – The Sweater Song,’ the album is an enduring, essential classic of the alternative rock age.”
Notable albums in this class include Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962), the original 1975 cast recording of Chicago, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble’s Texas Flood (1983), and Rosanne Cash’s The Wheel (1993).
Singles include Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High on That Mountain” (1994), Jamie Principle’s Chicago house staple “Your Love” (1986), which came with a nod to Frankie Knuckles, Chaka Khan’s Prince cover “I Feel for You” (1984), the Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” (1979), Gladys Knight and the Pips’ “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973), José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” (1970), and the Byrds’ “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” (1965), among others.
“‘I Feel for You’ was a moment where everything converged: Prince’s genius, Stevie’s harmonica, Grandmaster Melle Mel’s rap, and whatever God put in me that day,” Khan said in a statement. “For the Library of Congress to say this recording belongs in the permanent collection of American sound heritage, that means it wasn’t just a hit, it was history. And I am so very grateful to have been part of it.”
Unusual recordings include Bobby Prince’s soundtrack for the video game Doom (1993) and the March 8, 1971, broadcast of “The Fight of the Century: Ali vs. Frazier.”
The National Recording Registry now recognizes 700 recordings, a sliver of the four million recordings in the Library. Public nominations for next year’s class will be collected through Oct. 1.
Newlen was appointed acting Librarian after President Trump fired the previous Librarian, Carla Hayden, in 2025. Trump, who has voiced contempt for both Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, has not yet commented on the inductions.
