National registry adds Jay-Z, Curtis Mayfield, Cyndi Lauper, RFK recordings

Songs performed by Jay-Z, Curtis Mayfield and Cyndi Lauper, as well as Robert F. Kennedy’s speech following the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, two months before Kennedy himself was killed, are among 25 recordings being inducted to the National Recording Registry.

In addition to Jay-Z’s “Blueprint” album, Mayfield’s “Superfly” and Lauper’s “She’s So Unusual,” the Library of Congress also added these memorable titles to the registry: Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” and Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man.”

Other songs tapped for preservation 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.