Madonna and Mariah Carey songs preserved for historical value
Songs by Mariah Carey and Madonna are to be preserved for posterity after being added to America’s National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.
Madonna’s classic ‘Like a Virgin’ and Mariah’s festive hit ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ are being added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry along with Daddy Yankee’s ‘Gasolina’ and the theme from video game Super Mario Bros.
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said: “The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation’s diverse culture. The national library is proud to help ensure these recordings are preserved for generations to come, and we welcome the public’s input on what songs, speeches, podcasts or recorded sounds we should preserve next. We received more than 1,100 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry.”
“Madonna’s 1984 smash hit album “Like a Virgin” would fuel her ascent in the music world as she took greater control of her music and her image. Of the nine songs originally on the album, four became top 10 hits.”
Queen Latifah made history as the first female rapper to have a song added to the Registry with her track ‘All Hail the Queen’ landing a spot.
Also included in the 25 songs picked for the 2023 addition to the vault were John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, ‘Stairway to Heaven’ by Led Zeppelin, John Denver’s ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ and Irene Cara’s ‘Flashdance … What a Feeling’.
The Eurythmics also made the cut with their track ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)’ and frontwoman Annie Lennox said in a statement: “It’s [the song is] a mantra, almost like a Haiku poem, a coded message, a commentary about the human condition. You can use it as a happy birthday song or a celebratory song … it could be anything. Looking back, I love the way people have identified with it.”
