National Recording Registry: 2022

National Recording Registry: 2022 Inductions

The National Recording Registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000. The Librarian of Congress appoints members to the National Recording Preservation Board which, since 2002, has selected 25 recordings annually for preservation in the Library of Congress. As the website says, the recordings showcase “the range and diversity of American recorded sound heritage in order to increase preservation awareness.” Most inductees are songs and albums, but there are also radio, news, and sports broadcasts along with other spoken word recordings. Below is a list of the 2022 inductees, announced April 13, 2022. Click on a song or album title to see its DMDB page. Click here to read more about each of them on the National Recording Registry website. You can also read essays on more than 500 of the inductees here, including one by yours truly on Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose.” Spotify Podcast: Check out the Dave’s Music Database podcast: National Recording Registry 2022 which highlights all of the songs on the list below as well as selections from the album inductees. Premiere: April 19, 2022 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database. 1. SONG: James P. Johnson “Harlem Strut” (1921) 2. Franklin D. Roosevelt: Complete Presidential Speeches (1933-1945) 3. SONG: Ernest Tubb “Walking the Floor Over You” (1941) 4. “On a Note of Triumph” (May 8, 1945) 5. SONG: The Soul Stirrers “Jesus Gave Me Water” (1950) 6. ALBUM: Duke Ellington At Newport (1956) 7. ALBUM: Max Roach We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite (1960) 8. SONG: Nat “King” Cole “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” (1961) 9. ALBUM: The Shirelles Tonight’s the Night (1961) 10. SONG: Andy Williams “Moon River” (1962) 11. ALBUM: Terry Riley In C (1968) 12. SONG: The Disenyland Boys Choir “It’s a Small World After All” (1964) 13. SONG: Four Tops “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” (1966) 14. Hank Aaron’s 715th Career Home Run (April 8, 1974) 15. SONG: Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975) 16. SONG: Journey “Don’t Stop Believin’” (1981) 17. ALBUM: Linda Ronstadt Canciones de Mi Padre (1987) 18. ALBUM: Bonnie Raitt Nick of Time (1989) 19. ALBUM: A Tribe Called Quest The Low End Theory (1991) 20. ALBUM: Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993) 21. ALBUM: Various Artists Buena Vista Social Club (1997) 22. SONG: Ricky Martin “Livin’ La Vida Loca” (1999) 23. ALBUM: Alicia Keys Songs in A Minor (2001) 24. WNYC broadcasts for the day of 9/11 (Sept. 11, 2001) 25. “WTF with Marc Maron” (Guest: Robin Williams) (April 26, 2010) Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “National Recording Registry: Albums” Dave’s Music Database: “National Recording Registry: Songs” National Recording Registry (4/13/2022). “National Recording Registry Inducts Music from Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Journey and More in 2022” National Recording Registry (complete listing, sortable by title, artist, year of release, year inducted, and genre) Wikipedia.org (complete listing by induction years with links for many of the recordings) First posted 4/15/2022; last updated 4/19/2022.

Today in Music (1847): “O Holy Night” premiered

12/25/1847: “O Holy Night” premiered

O Holy Night (Minuit, Chrétiens) Adolphe Adam (music), Placide Cappeau (French lyrics), John Sullivan Dwight (English lyrics)

Writer(s): Adolphe Adam (music, Placide Cappeau (French lyrics), John Sullivan Dwight (English lyrics) (see lyrics here) Premiered: December 25, 1847 First Charted: January 1, 1997 (Martina McBride) Peak (all versions): 12 AC, 41 CW, 39 UK, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions – all versions): -- radio, 233.12 video, 147.71 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: In 1843, Placide Cappeau, a French poet and wine merchant, wrote the Christmas poem “Minuit, Chrétiens” at the request of his parish priest. The original text “offers connotations of the birth of Jesus and the subsequent redemption of humanity.” GMN The idea that all men and women could have souls was considered highly radical. It was also controversial that Cappeau was an atheist. Similarly, Adolphe Adam, who composed accompanying music for the poem that year, was not Christian, but a Jew. The song was premiered in 1847 by opera singer Emily Laurey, a friend of Adam’s. She performed it at the Christmas midnight mass in the church of St. Jean-Baptiste et Jean l’Évangeliste. WE In 1855, John Sullivan Dwight, a Unitarian minister, music critic, and editor, WK translated the words into English in 1855. His version focused on the universality of the human spirit. GMN The song was at the center of a unique historical event in 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War. A French soldier suddenly stood up in his trench in the middle of the fighting on Christmas eve and started singing “O Holy Night.” Legend has it that the Germans started singing one of their own carols and hostilities ceased for 24 hours and the soldiers celebrated Christmas. GMN On Christmas Eve in 1906, the song again took center stage when a Canadian inventor named Reginald Fessenden started playing “O Holy Night” into a microphone. Sailors across the Atlantic were stunned to hear music and a man’s voice from the wireless machine that usually transmitted morse codes. GMN Among the artists who have recorded the song over the years: Clay Aiken (2004, #37 AC), Andrea Bocelli, Boy Band (2022, #14 AC), Mariah Carey, Tracy Chapman, Nat “King” Cole, Celine Dion, the Drifters, Edens Edge (2012, #59 CW), Ella Ftizgerald, Josh Gracin (2006, #59 CW), Josh Groban (2002, #1 AC), Il Volo (2013, #27 AC), Mahalia Jackson, Ladywell Primary School (2012, #39 UK), Richard Marx (2011, #19 AC), Martina McBride (1997, #41 CW), LeAnn Rimes (2003, #14 AC), and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The 1963 version by Andy Williams is featured in the DMDB book Dave’s Faves: The Grand Library. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Adolphe Adam GMN GalaxyMusicNotes.com “How ‘O Holy Night’ Became a Popular Christmas Carol” WE WashingtonExaminer.com (12/22/2017). “The Surprising History of ‘O Holy Night’” by Priscilla M. Jensen WK Wikipedia First posted 12/20/2023.

 

The Williams Brothers self-titled album released

The Williams Brothers The Williams Brothers

Released: April 30, 1991 Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US and UK) Genre: folk rock/adult alternative

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. People Are People [4:19] Strings [0:11] Can’t Cry Hard Enough(Etzioni/D. Williams) [3:12] (10/3/91, 42 US, 39 CB, 24 RR, 11 AC, 43 CN) Happy Man [4:03] It’s a Wonderful Life [3:42] (6/25/92, --) Miss This World (Etzioni) [2:53] Give It All Up for You (A. Williams/D. Williams/V. Williams) [3:38] The Family Room [4:47] Shimmering (Etzioni/A.Williams/D. Williams) [3:58] The Big Machine (Stewart/A. Williams) [4:23] Everybody Gets a Second Chance [4:48] Songs written by Andrew and David Williams unless noted otherwise. Total Running Time: 39:54

Rating: 4.190 out of 5.00 (average of 9 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: Unfortunately for the Williams brothers, they are more likely to be known, if remembered at all, as the nephews of famous singer Andy Williams. They might even be remembered for their guest appearance on an episode of The Partridge Family or their subsequent minor success as teen idols. That’s a shame, because this album clearly separated the twins from the crooning style of their uncle as well as the teen idol pop they tried to create in the ‘70s. Their self-titled sophomore album is marked by “acoustic guitar, light rock-based tunes featuring smooth harmonies, uncluttered instrumentation, and thought-provoking lyricism.” AMG The duo mined a similar territory as the likes of fellow underrated acts like Crowded House, but unlike that band, couldn’t even eke out a top 40 pop hit in their recording career despite having every bit as much pop sensibility. The closest the brothers came was the achingly beautiful Can't Cry Hard Enough, which stalled at #42. It’s hard to understand why songs like the bouncy It’s a Wonderful Life or the lovely Miss This World couldn’t find an audience with adults seeking out songs with well-crafted pop hooks that weren’t being played to the point of exhaustion for the teen market. Chalk it up to marketing and being at the right place at the right time.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Williams Brothers AMG All Music Guide review by Bill Carpenter CmonGetHappy.com Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/24/2008; last updated 9/3/2021.