The Library of Congress is pleased to finally welcome Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and José Feliciano

What sounds define history? What music marks eras? Which will our great-great-grandchildren recognize as from this moment? Probably no one has the answer to that question today but, if anyone comes close, it is the United States Library of Congress. Guardian of essences, it accumulates tens of millions of objects and archives, but some are considered with special care. In the auditory and musical realm, those in the National Recording Registry, which each year selects 25 to be preserved. This May 14, those that will be carefully kept for posterity have been announced. Among them are songs from the well-known chart-topping queens Taylor Swift and Beyoncé and, curiously, both for the first time. Also present are the soundtrack of the musical Chicago, songs by Ray Charles, Paul Anka, and Chaka Khan, and also two proud Latin appearances: that of Puerto Rican José Feliciano with the classic Feliz Navidad, from 1970, and that of Cuban Pérez Prado, the so-called King of Mambo, with his eternal Mambo No. 5, from 1950.

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The 25 chosen this year, ranging from 1944 to 2014, can be listened to in a playlist created expressly for them. Those who hit play will find, in addition to those two songs by Spanish-speaking creators, the famous Single Ladies by Beyoncé, which the Library describes as “the great cultural moment of 2008 and part of 2009,” “embraced by all generations and fans of almost any musical style.” Also the fifth studio album by Swift, 1989, released in 2014, which had seven singles and hits like Welcome to New York, Blank Space, or Shake It Off. It has now been a year since the Pennsylvania native managed to regain the rights to it (and the previous ones), and with that the control of her work. The Library considers the album, which takes its title from the artist’s birth year, “a rebirth, not only in its musical influence but in the feeling that she was reaching her own maturity in music.”

Some classics that will be preserved are — in chronological order — the ballad Fly Me to the Moon, by Kaye Ballard (originally titled In Other Words, but its popularity led to both names being used), from 1954; the also famous romantic song by Paul Anka Put Your Head on My Shoulder, from 1959; the 1965 song by The Byrds Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season), which later was part of the Forrest Gump soundtrack; the country hit The Devil Went Down to Georgia, from 1979, with which The Charlie Daniels Band won a Grammy; I Feel for You, (1984) by the unstoppable Chaka Khan and written by Prince; and the pioneering electronic classic Your Love, by Jamie Principle from 1987.

Besides songs, there are albums, soundtracks, and unique recordings, such as the boxing match called The Fight of the Century, held in March 1971 between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, which will now be preserved in full. Also included is the soundtrack sung by the original cast of the 1975 Broadway musical Chicago, including Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera. And another soundtrack, but from a video game: the classic Doom, from 1993, composed by Bobby Prince.

Among the albums selected is Ray Charles’s 1962 Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, which includes songs like I Can’t Stop Loving You, Careless Love, or You Don’t Know Me; as well as the album by the pioneering female rock band from Los Angeles The Go-Go’s, Beauty and The Beat, from 1981, which sold more than two million copies and included hits like We Got the Beat and Our Lips are Sealed. Also included is the classic by country queen Reba McEntire Rumor Has It, from 1990 and, for the first time, with the arrival of Rosanne Cash, a father-daughter duo: he, Johnny Cash, was already part of the Library; now she arrives with her album The Wheel, from 1993. Also present is the Californian grunge band Weezer with their self-titled debut album from 1994, with which they sold more than 15 million copies.

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The inclusion of Pérez Prado and Feliciano is also very significant of the importance of Latin artists’ creations in the United States. The Mambo No. 5 by Cuban Pérez Prado (full name Dámaso Pérez Prado) marked an era of modern dance and has been the basis for other classics like Lou Vega’s. Meanwhile, José Feliciano’s Feliz Navidad is a classic of language mixing, with its “Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad/I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas.” The artist himself has expressed gratitude for being included in this selection. “All my life I have only wanted to share my music and make others happy, so I feel fortunate to have been able to do just that for more than 60 years, worldwide. But then, unexpectedly, it was Feliz Navidad, my little Christmas carol, that came to conquer their hearts, year after year!” he said in a statement released by the institution. “The honor of being included in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry surpasses everything I could have dreamed of, so, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone who listens to my music. I sincerely love you all.”

The newcomers have not had it easy, as there were more than 3,000 applicants this year. With their entry, the National Registry list now reaches 700 recordings, which represents only a small and exclusive portion — the most respected — of the more than four million sound objects in the Library. “The breadth and diversity of the 2026 National Recording Registry class perfectly reflects the scope of the American experience at this moment as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation,” explained Robbin Ahrold, chair of the National Recording Preservation Board, in a statement. “From R&B icons to a Christmas classic in Spanish, from a legendary sports broadcast to the superstars of this generation, it is an exciting reflection of the best of the United States.”