Throwback 2K Favorites Deemed Historic

Several favorite Throwback 2K songs, including hits by Beyonce and Taylor Swift, have just been called audio treasures and worthy of permanent preservation!

The Library of Congress selected 25 recordings for their cultural, historical, or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.

The acting Librarian of Congress, Robert R. Newlen, said in a statement that “Music and recorded sound are essential, wonderful parts of our daily lives and our national heritage. 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.”

Here is the full list of this year’s recordings:

Recordings Selected for the National Recording Registry in 2026
(chronological order)

“Cocktails for Two” – Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1944) (single)
“Mambo No. 5” – Pérez Prado and His Orchestra (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)

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.