Journey‘s 1981 hit “Don’t Stop Believin'” and Queen‘s 1975 signature track “Bohemian Rhapsody” are among the recordings now part of the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. The Registry is the library’s move to help save America’s aural history by archiving recordings that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”
The recordings join a list of 25 new inductees, which also includes the Four Tops‘ 1966 masterpiece, “Reach Out (I’ll Be There),” Linda Ronstadt‘s groundbreaking 1987 album Canciones de Mi Padre, and Bonnie Raitt‘s 1989 Grammy Award-winning album Nick Of Time. Also selected were recordings by Alicia Keys, Nat King Cole, A Tribe Called Quest, the Shirelles, and Duke Ellington, among others.
Former Journey frontman Steve Perry spoke about the success of “Don’t Stop Believin'” in a statement: “(It’s) one of those ‘only in America’ kind of things. . . That song, over the years, has become something that has a life of its own. It’s about the people who’ve embraced it and found the lyrics to be something they can relate to and hold onto and sing.”
The 2022 additions to the National Recording Registry are:
“Harlem Strut” – James P. Johnson (1921)
Franklin D. Roosevelt: Complete Presidential Speeches (1933-1945)
“Walking The Floor Over You” – Ernest Tubb (1941) (single)
“On A Note Of Triumph” (May 8, 1945)
“Jesus Gave Me Water” – The Soul Stirrers (1950) (single)
Ellington At Newport – Duke Ellington (1956) (album)
We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite – Max Roach (1960) (album)
“The Christmas Song” – Nat King Cole (1961) (single)
Tonight’s The Night – The Shirelles (1961) (album)
“Moon River” – Andy Williams (1962) (single)
In C – Terry Riley (1968) (album)
“It’s A Small World” – The Disneyland Boys Choir (1964) (single)
“Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” – The Four Tops (1966) (single)
Hank Aaron’s 715th Career Home Run (April 8, 1974)
“Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen (1975) (single)
“Don’t Stop Believin'” – Journey (1981) (single)
Canciones de Mi Padre – Linda Ronstadt (1987) (album)
Nick Of Time – Bonnie Raitt (1989) (album)
The Low End Theory – A Tribe Called Quest (1991) (album)
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) – Wu-Tang Clan (1993) (album)
Buena Vista Social Club (1997) (album)
“Livin’ La Vida Loca” – Ricky Martin (1999) (single)
Songs In A Minor – Alicia Keys (2001) (album)
WNYC broadcasts for the day of 9/11 (Sept. 11, 2001)
“WTF with Marc Maron” (Guest: Robin Williams) (April 26, 2010)
DID YOU KNOW???
- Back in 2021, streams of Journey‘s 1981 classic “Don’t Stop Believin'” passed 1 billion on Spotify.
- Last year, Queen‘s signature tune “Bohemian Rhapsody” was officially certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The award represents 10 million or more in sales and stream equivalents in the United States. The honor also marks Queen as the first British band in music history to earn the Diamond song award.
FAST FACTS
- Journey‘s Escape was released on July 17th, 1981 and topped the Billboard 200 albums chart for one week starting on September 12th, 1981.
- “Don’t Stop Believin'” which was the second of the album’s five singles, peaked at Number Nine.
- “Bohemian Rhapsody” was written by Freddie Mercury and was released as a single on October 31st, 1975 — nearly a month before Queen‘s fourth album, A Night At The Opera.
- The single, which topped the UK charts, peaked at Number Nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit Number Six on the competing Cash Box singles list.
- A Night At The Opera topped the British album charts and hit Number Four on the Billboard 200.
SIDE NOTES
- In 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic, Journey‘s “Don’t Stop Believin'” was blasted daily at Detroit’s Henry Ford Hospital and in the “Big Apple” at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital as patients slowly recover.
- Veronica Hall, a resident nurse and president of the president of Henry Ford told The Detroit News: “The song is a sign of hope, a reminder to patients to never give up and a motivational thank-you to tired, never-stop-trying team members.”
- At the time, Steve Perry, tweeted: “I wanted to share a little cheer from New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital in NY. They play ‘Don’t Stop Believin” every time a COVID-19 patient is discharged. We’re all in this together, and we’ll get through this together. #DontStopBelievin.”
- Jonathan Cain also posted a message and a video: “Love this from a hospital in NYC where people are being released after beating Covid-19 while they played our song.”
CHECK IT OUT: Journey on November 6th, 1981 performing “Don’t Stop Believin'” live in Houston:
CHECK IT OUT: Queen at Live Aid on July 13th, 1985 performing “Bohemian Rhapsody” live in London: