--- ---  # These 25 Songs Were Just Added to the National Recording Registry by [Rachel E. Greenspan](https://time.com/author/rachel-e-greenspan/) ## Rachel E. Greenspan Mar 20, 2019 7:00 AM UTC  Verdine White, Philip Bailey, and Ralph Johnson of Earth, Wind & Fire perform at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on August 19, 2017 in Alpharetta, Georgia. The trio's single 'September' is one of this year's additions to the National Recording Registry. Verdine White, Philip Bailey, and Ralph Johnson of Earth, Wind & Fire perform at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on August 19, 2017 in Alpharetta, Georgia. The trio's single 'September' is one of this year's additions to the National Recording Registry.Chris McKay—Getty Images by [Rachel E. Greenspan](https://time.com/author/rachel-e-greenspan/) ## Rachel E. Greenspan Mar 20, 2019 7:00 AM UTC The [National Recording Registry](http://time.com/5205586/national-recording-registry-entries-2018/) has released its annual group of additions to the list — and there is definitely something for everyone. The 2018 class ranges from groundbreaking music by Ritchie Valens and Nina Simone to a musical theater number and a hip-hop album. Recordings added to the collection are chosen for being “aural treasures worthy of preservation because of their cultural, historic and aesthetic importance to the nation’s recorded sound heritage,” the U.S. Library of Congress said in a press release on Wednesday. Such treasures include the 1968 original Broadway recording of “Hair,” the song from the musical of the same name, Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1978 single, “September,” and Neil Diamond’s classic 1969 single “Sweet Caroline.” “The National Recording Registry honors the music that enriches our souls, the voices that tell our stories and the sounds that mirror our lives,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in the press release. All but one of the 25 additions are from the 20th century. The recordings must be at least a decade old; the most recent addition is Jay-Z’s 2001 album _The Blueprint._ Cyndi Lauper’s Grammy-nominated debut solo album from 1983, _She’s So Unusual,_ also made the list. Musical recordings aren’t the only kind added to the registry. The speech former U.S. Attorney General [Robert F. Kennedy](http://time.com/longform/rfk-funeral-train-photos/) gave following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is also included, bringing the registry to a total of 525 recordings. Here are all the songs in the 2018 class of additions to the National Recording Registry: Yiddish Cylinders from the Standard Phonograph Company of New York and the Thomas Lambert Company (c. 1901-1905) “Memphis Blues” (single), Victor Military Band (1914) Melville Jacobs Collection of Native Americans of the American Northwest (1929-1939) “Minnie the Moocher” (single), Cab Calloway (1931) _Bach Six Cello Suites_ (album), Pablo Casals (c. 1939) “They Look Like Men of War” (single), Deep River Boys (1941) “Gunsmoke” — Episode: “The Cabin” (Dec. 27, 1952) Ruth Draper: Complete recorded monologues, Ruth Draper (1954-1956) “La Bamba” (single), Ritchie Valens (1958) “Long Black Veil” (single), Lefty Frizzell (1959) _Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America, Vol. 1: The Early Years_ (album), Stan Freberg (1961) _GO_ (album), Dexter Gordon (1962) _War Requiem_ (album), Benjamin Britten (1963) “Mississippi Goddam” (single), Nina Simone (1964) “Soul Man” (single), Sam & Dave (1967) “Hair” (original Broadway cast recording) (1968) Speech on the Death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert F. Kennedy (April 4, 1968) “Sweet Caroline” (single), Neil Diamond (1969) _Superfly_ (album), Curtis Mayfield (1972) _Ola Belle Reed_ (album), Ola Belle Reed (1973) “September” (single), Earth, Wind & Fire (1978) “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” (single), Sylvester (1978) _She’s So Unusual_ (album), Cyndi Lauper (1983) “Schoolhouse Rock!: The Box Set” (1996) _The Blueprint_ (album), Jay-Z (2001) See All 25 Songs Added to the National Recording Registry ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5554406/national-recording-registry-song-additions/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5554406/national-recording-registry-song-additions/"},"headline":"These 25 Songs Were Just Added to the National Recording Registry","datePublished":"2019-03-20T07:00:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T23:04:40.770Z","description":"From a Neil Diamond single to a Jay-Z album, see all the new recordings chosen","url":"https://time.com/5554406/national-recording-registry-song-additions/","keywords":["Music","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte42015f6a9c8c64a/698946e6656a3f5435bd6cc9/earth-wind-and-fire-national-recording-registry-additions.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rachel E. 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