(Washington) Mario Bros, Madonna and Mariah have entered the big leagues.
Madonna’s iconic 1984 album Like a Virgin, Mariah Carey’s smash hit All I Want For Christmas is You and the original Super Mario Bros. theme. are now part of the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, which describes the pieces as “defining sounds in the country’s history and culture.”
A total of 25 albums, singles and other sonic artifacts spanning more than a century are inducted into the register, from the earliest known recording of mariachi music in 1908 and 1909 by Cuarteto Coculense, to the 2012 Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra by the composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.
Super Mario Bros. music, officially known as Ground Theme, becomes the first video game music to enter the register. The melody, composed by young Nintendo composer Koji Kondo, is described as “the most recognizable video game theme in history”. The music has appeared in countless Mario-related works, including the new Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Queen Latifah became the first female rapper in the register, with the inclusion of her 1989 album, All Hail the Queen, which included the feminist anthem Ladies First.
Other recognized albums include Deja Vu, by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Synchronity by The Police and Black Codes (From the Underground) by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.
Other singles were added, including Bobby Gentry’s Ode to Billie Joe (1967), John Lennon’s Imagine (1971) and Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven (1971).
The Library of Congress selects titles for preservation because of their cultural and historical significance to the American soundscape.
Artists whose recordings have been added to the registry in recent years include Janet Jackson, Louis Armstrong and Dr Dre.
