Courtesy Library of Congress/Getty Images By Shelby Stewart ·Updated May 14, 2026 < /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…

Every year, the National Recording Registry makes annual selections to be entered into the Library of Congress after advising with curators and the National Recording Preservation Board. When you think of the National Recording Registry, naturally, music comes to mind. However, the Library of Congress hosts a wealth of other recordings including broadcast sporting events, comedy, and spoken word. 

The acting Librarian of Congress, Robert R. Newlen named 25 new recordings to be added to the repository dubbed as “audio treasures” worthy of preservation, which is based on a rubric of their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the sounds that shaped America. 

Gladys Knight and the Pips’ timeless soul classic “Midnight Train to Georgia” was inducted into the 2026 National Recording Registry.

“The Library of Congress is proud to select these audio treasures and will work to preserve them with our partners in the recording industry,” says Newlen. 

The nomination process is actually quite simple. Public participation is widely encouraged, and nominations can be submitted through an online portal, where you can submit up to 50 recordings. According to a news release, the public submitted more than 3,000 nominations for consideration. Receiving the most nominations was rock band Weezer’s self-titled debut, Weezer (The Blue Album). “Music and recorded sound are essential, wonderful parts of our daily lives and our national heritage,” Newlen continued. 

For 2026, the National Recording Registry has inducted 25 works for preservation, spanning 70 years of music, and made up of country, pop, jazz, Latin, folk, funk R&B and more. The Chair of the National Recording Preservation Board, Robin Ahrold, says that by and large, the registry selections reflect “the scope of the American experience,” as the country approaches its 250th anniversary. “From icons of R&B to a holiday favorite en Español, from a legendary sports broadcast to this generation’s superstars, it is a thrilling reflection of America at its best.” 

The list includes nine compositions by Black people. The selections include Beyoncé’s 11X platinum certified chart topper, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It),” Chaka Khan’s two-time Grammy Award-winning cover of Prince’s “I Feel For You,” Gladys Knight and the Pips’ soul anthem “Midnight Train to Georgia,” as well as Ray Charles’ Grammy winning 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.

There’s also a handful of selections that would change the course of music as we know it. Ruth Brown’s 1950 song, “Teardrops From My Eyes,” known in part for helping lay the foundation for what we know to be Atlantic Records is also included in the year’s selections, as well as The Winston’s 1969 track, “Amen, Brother” which includes what’s known as the “Amen break,” the six second drum solo, that would become the most sampled audio clip in history. Composer and saxophonist Oliver Nelson’s landmark jazz album, The Blues and the Abstract Truth, was one of the defining records of the post-bop era. Chicago house music pioneer, Jamie Principle’s 1982 record “Your Love,” which was famously refined by Frankie Knuckles is widely credited with being one of the first true house tracks.

The historic 1971 “Fight of the Century” broadcast featuring Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier was added to the 2026 National Recording Registry.

In the world of sports, The Fight of the Century: Ali vs. Frazier was also entered into the archive. The 1971 broadcast from Madison Square Garden was a global cultural marker as the two fighters were both undefeated. The fight is widely considered the biggest boxing match in history, handing Muhammad Ali the first defeat of his career. 

Despite being the most decorated Grammy Award winner, the year’s picks also mark the first Beyoncè recording chosen to be entered into the registry. The campaign for Beyonce’s addition was headed up by San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro, who is leading a crusade to ensure Texas and Latino artists’ works are entered into the archive. 

The audio selected for the registry brings the number of titles in the national registry to 700. For perspective, the national library’s collection represents roughly 4 million items. The mission for the registry is to ensure that the recordings will be preserved and exist for generations to come. 

See the full list of work entered into the Library of Congress below. 

Recordings Selected for the National Recording Registry in 2026 

“Cocktails for Two” – Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1944) (single) “Mambo No. 5” – Pérez Prado (1950) (single) “Teardrops from My Eyes” – Ruth Brown (1950) (single) “Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)” – Kaye Ballard (1954) (single) “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” – Paul Anka (1959) (single) “The Blues and the Abstract Truth” – Oliver Nelson (1961) (album) “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” – Ray Charles (1962) (album) “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” – The Byrds (1965) (single) “Amen, Brother” – The Winstons (1969) (single) “Feliz Navidad” – José Feliciano (1970) (single) “The Fight of the Century: Ali vs. Frazier” (March 8, 1971) (broadcast) “Midnight Train to Georgia” – Gladys Knight and the Pips (1973) (single) “Chicago” Original Cast Album (1975) (album) “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” – The Charlie Daniels Band (1979) (single) “Beauty and the Beat” – The Go-Go’s (1981) (album) “Texas Flood” – Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (1983) (album) “I Feel For You” – Chaka Khan (1984) (single) “Your Love” – Jamie Principle (1986) / Jamie Principle/Frankie Knuckles (1987) (singles) “Rumor Has It” – Reba McEntire (1990) (album) “The Wheel” – Rosanne Cash (1993) (album) “Doom” Soundtrack – Bobby Prince, composer (1993) “Go Rest High on That Mountain” – Vince Gill (1994) (single) “Weezer (The Blue Album)” – Weezer (1994) (album) “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” – Beyoncé (2008) (single) “1989” – Taylor Swift (2014) (album)

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