Jeff Buckley’s cover of “Hallelujah” has been selected by the Library of Congress to be preserved for all eternity in its National Recording Registry. Buckley’s take on the Leonard Cohen original will inspire acoustic guitar amateurs for generations, alongside the 24 other songs and albums in this year’s class of Library entrants. Albums include U2’s The Joshua Tree, Linda Ronstadt’s Heart Like A Wheel, and Isaac Hayes’ Shaft , while singles include Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” and The Everly Brothers’ “Cathy’s Clown.”
Non-musical recordings selected for preservation include nearly 850 hours of presidential recordings from Lyndon B. Johnson, Lawrence Ritter’s 1962-1966 interviews with baseball pioneers, and The First Family, a collection of comedy skits from 1962 that anyone who’s ever flipped through Goodwill is no doubt familiar with. Stephen Sondheim’s 1979 Sweeney Todd cast recording also made the cut.