Mr. Rogers, Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic,’ Village People added to Library of Congress

The Library of Congress on Wednesday announced a wave of new additions to its National Recording Registry, which catalogs culturally significant songs, albums and other pieces of media from American pop culture.

Among the items announced was an album recorded in 1973 by PBS children’s show star Fred Rogers titled “Mister Rogers Sings 21 Favorite Songs From ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.’ “

Dr. Dre’s 1992 album “The Chronic” was another addition, described by a Library of Congress news release as “one of the most important and influential albums of the 1990s” and “regarded by many fans and peers to be the most well-produced hip-hop album of all time.”

Whitney Houston’s hit single “I Will Always Love You,” from the same year, was also on the list.

“The new recordings added to the National Recording Registry bring the total number of titles on the registry to 550, a small part of the Library’s vast recorded-sound collection of nearly 3 million items,” reads the Library of Congress’s news release.

“We received over 800 nominations this year for culturally, historically or aesthetically significant recordings to add to the registry. As genres and formats continue to expand, the Library of Congress is committed to working with our many partners to preserve the sounds that have touched our hearts and shaped our culture,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden added in a statement.

Thursday’s list of 25 additions ranges across a wide variety of performances, from individual songs and albums to the play-by-play calls of broadcaster Russ Hodges during a 1951 game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants.