LOS ANGELES — Songs performed by Jay-Z, Cyndi Lauper and a Robert F. Kennedy speech are among 25 recordings being inducted to the National Recording Registry.

The Library of Congress announced Wednesday that “La Bamba,” “Gunsmoke” and “Hair” are some of the titles tapped for preservation this year. The national library chose a few more memorable titles including Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” and Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man.”

The registry is adding Kennedy’s recorded speech after Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1968 assassination – two months before Kennedy was killed.

Curtis Mayfield’s “Superfly,” Lauper’s “She’s So Unusual” and Jay-Z’s “Blueprint” album are being added.

Other songs being added include Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam,” Sylvester’s “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” and “Schoolhouse Rock!”

The library selects titles for preservation because of their cultural and historic importance to the American soundscape.


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