QUIZ: How Many of These Inductees Can You Name?

Each year, since 2006, the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings to be added to their renowned registry collection. These selections attempt to showcase the range and diversity of the history of American recorded sound to increase preservation awareness.

“Recorded sound?” Yes, these are pivotal moments in our history — sounds — be it a radio broadcast, a world-recognized song, a presidential address or more. Inductees include a variety of sounds, such as WNYC’s broadcast on the day of 9/11, which was inducted in 2022, and Sesame Street’s Platinum All-Time Favorites, which was inducted back in 2014.

Right now, there are 600 works/titles in the National Recording Registry, and you can view all of them dating back to 2002 on the Library of Congress’ website.

On April 12th, 2023, 25 more recordings were added to the National Recording Registry. This year’s inductees continue to prove why this was created, and how diverse the collection is. Some fascinating works added to the library this year include some pop culture references most will be familiar with, including The Very First Mariachi Recordings by Cuarteto Coculense, which pays homage to the pioneers of mariachi-styled music, and the Super Mario video game theme music, which was created back in 1985 and is still used as a main soundbite.

Here we look at a handful of the other inductees that are more mainstream to test your music knowledge. See how many you can identify.