Alicia Keys, Wu-Tang Clan Albums Claim a Major Honor

25 songs, albums, and even a podcast are added into National Recording Registry
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 13, 2022 9:00 AM CDT
Alicia Keys, Wu-Tang Clan Albums Claim a Major Honor
Ricky Martin performs in Buffalo, NY, on June 25, 2000. The Latin pop hit "Livin' La Vida Loca" is among the 25 songs, albums, and historical recordings being inducted into the National Recording Registry.   (AP Photo/Harry Scull, Jr., File)

Critically acclaimed debut albums by Wu-Tang Clan and Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin's Latin pop megahit "Livin' La Vida Loca," and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" are among the recordings being inducted this year into the National Recording Registry. The Library of Congress announced on Wednesday the 25 songs, albums, historical recordings, and even a podcast that will be preserved as important contributions to American culture and history, reports the AP. Keys' Songs in A Minor, released in 2001, introduced the young New York musician to the world with her unique fusion of jazz, R&B, and hip-hop and earned her five Grammy awards. With songs like "Fallin'" the album has been certified as seven-times multiplatinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

The Staten Island collective Wu-Tang Clan, including RZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and more, released their highly influential debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993, which combined East Coast hardcore rap centered around kung fu film storylines and samples. Other albums that were included were Linda Ronstadt's Canciones de Mi Padre, a musical tribute to her Mexican-American roots; Bonnie Raitt's Grammy-winning Nick of Time; A Tribe Called Quest's The Low End Theory; and the Cuban musical ensemble's self-titled debut Buena Vista Social Club, which also inspired a film by the same name.

Other songs now in the registry include Journey's "Don't Stop Believin,'" "Walking the Floor Over You" by Ernest Tubb, "Moon River" by Andy Williams, and "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" by the Four Tops. Other recordings include public radio station WNYC's broadcasts from Sept. 11, 2001, and Marc Maron's interview with Robin Williams on his podcast WTF With Marc Maron.

(More National Recording Registry stories.)

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