Taylor Swift's “1989” and Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies' Among 25 Recordings Selected for Preservation in the Library of Congress

The National Recording Registry has announced this year's inductees, bringing the total number of selections to 700

NEED TO KNOW

• Taylor Swift’s 1989 and Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” are among 25 recordings inducted into the National Recording Registry
• The 2026 selections span decades and genres, including hits by Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Vince Gill
• This marks the first year Swift and Beyoncé are included and the first father-daughter duo with Rosanne and Johnny Cash

An iconic Taylor Swift album, an anthemic chart-topper from Beyoncé and a Christmas classic are among the 25 recordings that have been selected for induction into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress this year.

The Library of Congress announced the picks on Thursday, May 14, and described the selections as “audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time, based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation's recorded sound heritage.”

The 2026 recordings span a number of genres and decades, and include Swift's 2014 album 1989, Beyoncé's 2008 single “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” José Feliciano's 1970 single “Feliz Navidad,” Reba McEntire's 1990 album Rumor Has It, Vince Gill's 1994 song “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” Paul Anka's 1959 single “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” and Chaka Khan's 1984 hit "I Feel for You."

Other inductees include “Cocktails for Two” by Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1944), “Mambo No. 5” by Pérez Prado (1950), “Teardrops from My Eyes” by Ruth Brown (1950), “Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)” by Kaye Ballard (1954), Oliver Nelson's The Blues and the Abstract Truth (1961), Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music by Ray Charles (1962), “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” by The Byrds (1965), “Amen Brother” by The Winstons (1969), and the March 8, 1971 broadcast of the Fight of the Century, Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier.

The rest of the selections list includes “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight and the Pips (1973), the original cast album of Chicago (1975), “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by The Charlie Daniels Band (1979), The Go-Go's' Beauty and the Beat (1981), Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (1983), “Your Love” by Jamie Principle (1986) and Jamie Principle/Frankie Knuckles (1987), The Wheel by Rosanne Cash (1993), Bobby Prince's Doom soundtrack (1993) and Weezer's 1994 album Weezer (The Blue Album).

"The sweep and diversity of the National Recording Registry class of 2026 beautifully captures the scope of the American experience as we celebrate our nation's 250th anniversary," Robbin Ahrold, chair of the National Recording Preservation Board, said in a statement. "From icons of R&B to a holiday favorite en Español, from a legendary sports broadcast to this generation's superstars, it is a thrilling reflection of America at its best."

More than 3,000 recordings were nominated for 2026, which marks the first year that selections by Swift and Beyoncé have been chosen. This year is also the first that a father and daughter are both included in the registry as Cash joins her dad Johnny Cash, whose At Folsom Prison was inducted in 2003.

Gill opened up about “Go Rest High on That Mountain” being inducted, saying he's very proud of it.

"I've been writing songs for over 50 years, and if you asked me straight up what's the one song you'd want to be remembered for, I would pick this one, hands down. Wouldn't even be close," he said in a statement. "In my era of success, it was probably the least charting record I've ever had, but what this song has gone on to do for other people is what makes it special to me. It was written, me, grieving the loss of my big brother. Truth is, I had never planned on recording it. A fellow I worked with, Tony Brown, heard the song and said, ‘You have to record it.' I said, ‘It's a little too personal.' And he said, ‘No, the world should hear this song.'"

Khan, meanwhile, said "I Feel for You" is a reflection of songwriter Prince's musical genius, Stevie Wonder's skills on the harmonica and Grandmaster Melle Mel's talents.

"For the Library of Congress to say this recording belongs in the permanent collection of American sound heritage, that means it wasn't just a hit, it was history," she said in a statement. "And I am so very grateful to have been part of it."

The public can submit nominations throughout the year on the Library's website, and nominations for next year will be accepted until Oct. 1. The new selections bring the total number of titles on the registry to 700.

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