The Library of Congress (LoC) has announced music from Queen, Journey and more has been selected to be added to the National Recording Registry for 2022.
Among the 25 recordings selected this year for the national library to preserve are Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Other songs selected for the National Recording Registry this year include Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song,” The Four Tops’ “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” and Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”
Of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” LoC noted the song “…breaks nearly every rule in the playbook for rock songs: it starts with a gentle a cappella intro; it has a complex structure without a chorus; and it clocks in at nearly six minutes. Nonetheless, songwriter and vocalist Freddie Mercury, while acknowledging the risk, was convinced that the public would receive it enthusiastically.”
Of “Don’t Stop Believin’,” LoC noted, “While it has never left the airwaves — or Journey’s set list — the song has gained further cultural permanence via its frequent use at sporting games, in the Broadway rock musical ‘Rock of Ages’ (where the song was the show’s big closer) and in film and television, most notably the cryptic final episode of ‘The Sopranos’ and in the debut episode of ‘Glee.’
The National Recording Registry was founded in 2002. Per the Library of Congress, “Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian of Congress, with advice from the National Recording Preservation Board, selects 25 titles each year that are ‘culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant’ and are at least 10 years old…The national library maintains a state-of-the-art facility where it acquires, preserves and provides access to the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of films, television programs, radio broadcasts and sound recordings.”
To see a complete list of recordings, head over to LoC.gov.
