FDR Talks and Alicia Keys Album Added to National Records

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s speech on “a history that will live in disgrace.” Rock band Journey’s song about “a small town girl living in a lonely world” takes the midnight train anywhere. And firsthand accounts of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

The Library of Congress added on Wednesday that each of these are “unforgettable voices in the history of the nation” and are among 25 records selected for inclusion in the National Recording Registry this year.

Since 2002, the Librarian of Congress, on the advice of experts, has selected records that are at least 10 years old and “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” for inclusion in the registry.

Library officials said the program aims to provide a long-term archive home for the preservation of records and recognize their importance.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement that the registry “reflects the diverse music and sounds that have shaped our nation’s history and culture.”

“The national library is proud to help preserve these records,” he added.

Other recordings selected this year include Alicia Keys’ debut album “Songs in A Minor”; 1997 album “Buena Vista Social Club”; 1956 recording of Duke Ellington and his band at the Newport Jazz Festival; and a 1974 radio interview of Hank Aaron’s 715th home run, which broke a record previously held by Babe Ruth.

Among the 575 records currently included in national records, classical music; opera performances; blues and pop songs; monologues and poems; and speeches and radio broadcasts reflecting major news events. These include Robert F. Kennedy’s Rev. Dr. His speech on the death of Martin Luther King Jr., the 1973 Wailers album “Burnin’” and the 1977 recording of the Grateful Dead concert at Cornell University.

This diversity can also be seen in this year’s election, which includes all of Roosevelt’s speeches as president and the 1981 Journey one-turn karaoke favorite, “Don’t Stop Believin,” which the library describes as “the anthem of personal empowerment for millions.” ”

One of the more bleak recordings selected this year is the September 11, 2001 broadcast of radio station WNYC, which was then located in Lower Manhattan, a few blocks from the World Trade Center.

That morning, station staffers disrupted programming and broadcast what the library calls “the first eyewitness accounts of the tragedy” to describe the chaos of the terror attacks on the Twin Towers.

“As the story unfolded,” the library wrote, “WNYC’s dedicated staff stayed on the air.”