Though Daddy Yankee is now retired from music, he is still making history on behalf of reggaeton. His breakthrough hit “Gasolina” became the first reggaeton song to be inducted into the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
Around springtime every year, the National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB) selects songs, albums, and pieces of music to add to the Library of Congress. Yesterday (Apr. 12), Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden revealed the 25 titles inducted into the National Recording Registry, and the classic reggaeton track was among them.
“The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation’s diverse culture,” Hayden said in a statement. “The national library is proud to help ensure these recordings are preserved for generations to come, and we welcome the public’s input on what songs, speeches, podcasts, or recorded sounds we should preserve next.”
Among the Latine titles inducted into the National Recording Registry were Daddy Yankee’s 2004 hit “Gasolina” and The Very First Mariachi Recordings, an album recorded in 1908 and 1909. Mariah Carey’s eternal holiday anthem “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “Flashdance…What a Feeling” by late actress Irene Cara were also among the selected titles.
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) revealed that Daddy Yankee and Cara’s inductions were due to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ initiative last year to create more Latine visibility in the National Recording Registry. He celebrated the news in a post on Twitter.
“Last fall, @HispanicCaucus drew on 100s of suggestions to nominate works by Latino musicians to our nation’s sound archive,” he wrote. “Today, two of our nominees — ‘Gasolina’ & ‘Flashdance…What A Feeling’ were recognized for their cultural impact, along w/other works by Latino musicians.”
Other iconic pieces of music inducted included Madonna’s Like a Virgin album, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by the Eurythmics, and “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin. And for the first time ever, music from a video game made the cut with Koji Kondo’s Super Mario Bros. theme.