This year, the sound of Microsoft's reboot and the soundtrack to the iconic game Minecraft were added to the National Recording Library of Congress. According to the library's website, these recordings have become some of the most defining sounds in history and culture.

Interestingly, the Minecraft audio is the second video game soundtrack to be added to the registry, as Super Mario Brothers was added in 2023.

Each year, the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings for preservation that it believes have significant cultural, historical, or aesthetic value to the United States. An important requirement is that at least ten years must have passed since the recording was released.

This year, more than 2600 nominations were submitted, and the Chicago Transit Authority album was the top nominee. The list also includes Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On from the movie Titanic.

Recordings Selected for the National Recording Registry in 2025:

  • “Aloha ‘Oe” – Hawaiian Quintette (1913) (single).
  • “Sweet Georgia Brown” – Brother Bones & His Shadows (1949) (single).
  • “Happy Trails” – Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (1952) (single).
  • Radio Broadcast of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series – Chuck Thompson (1960).
  • Harry Urata Field Recordings (1960-1980).
  • “Hello Dummy!”– Don Rickles (1968) (album).
  • “Chicago Transit Authority” – Chicago (1969) (album).
  • “Bitches Brew” – Miles Davis (1970) (album).
  • “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” – Charley Pride (1971) (single).
  • “I Am Woman” – Helen Reddy (1972) (single).
  • “El Rey” – Vicente Fernandez (1973) (single).
  • “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” – Elton John (1973) (album).
  • “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” – Freddy Fender (1975) (single).
  • “I’ve Got the Music in Me” – Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker (1975) (album).
  • “The Kӧln Concert” – Keith Jarrett (1975) (album).
  • “Fly Like an Eagle” – Steve Miller Band (1976) (album).
  • Nimrod Workman Collection (1973-1994)..
  • “Tracy Chapman” – Tracy Chapman (1988) (album).
  • “My Life” – Mary J. Blige (1994) (album).
  • Microsoft Windows Reboot Chime – Brian Eno (1995).
  • “My Heart Will Go On” – Celine Dion (1997) (single).
  • “Our American Journey” – Chanticleer (2002) (album).
  • “Back to Black” – Amy Winehouse (2006) (album).
  • “Minecraft: Volume Alpha” – Daniel Rosenfeld (2011) (album).
  • “Hamilton” – Original Broadway Cast Album (2015) (album).