The 2020 additions to The National Recording Registry totaled out to be 25 and included songs from Nas, Janet Jackson, LaBelle, Kool & The Gang, Pat Metheny, Louis Armstrong and even Kermit the Frog. According to an article from Pitchfork, the recordings were “worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.”

Jackson’s 1989 Rhythm Nation 1814 along with LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade” and Kermit the Frog’s “The Rainbow Connection” are just a few of the 2021 additions to the Library of Congress. Along with those, Armstrong’s 1938 rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In,” Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration,” Albert King’s Born Under a Bad Sign LP and others were included on last year’s list of newly added recordings.

Some of last year’s additions to the National Recording Registry acknowledged their selection by giving a virtual thanks along with detailed information on the recordings that put them in the Library of Congress. Kermit the Frog was even featured and stated, “It’s an amazing feeling to officially become part of our nation’s history. It’s a great honor and I am thrilled! – I am thrilled! – to be the first frog on the list!”

Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, began the video off by stating that every year there are 25 recordings that are selected to be added to that year’s list of inductees. The video then proceeds to each inductee elaborating on their selected recordings. Each recording that is selected for the registry spans from 1878 all the way up to 2008. There is no limit to what genre can be selected and each recording’s history and culture helps to enhance its chances of being chosen.

Photo credit: Raymond Flotat