MUSIC
Daddy Yankee’s hit song ‘Gasolina’ honored, added to National Recording Registry
The 2004 reggaeton song and others were recently added to the registry.
Daddy Yankee’s hit 2004 song ‘Gasolina’ was just added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry this year, joining a number of other songs and albums.
The 25 new recordings were selected on Wednesday, covering a wide variety of genres. They join the 600 songs already included in the registry but represent a small portion of the total sound collection of almost four million recordings housed at the Library of Congress.
A prestigious recognition for Daddy Yankee
‘Gasolina’ is one of 25 recordings that have been referred to as “audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage,” according to a press release.
“The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation’s diverse culture,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
“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. We received more than 1,100 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry.”
Among the new entries are Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’, Queen Latifah’s debut album ‘All Hail the Queen’, also becoming the first female rapper to be included, John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, and composer Koji Kondo’s original Super Mario Bros. theme song.
‘Gasolina’s’ influence
‘Gasolina’ is the first reggaeton song to be included in the registry, and is the song that is often credited for bringing reggaeton out into the mainstream and to non-Spanish speaking audiences. It paved the way for many artists, including Bad Bunny, Becky G, and Anitta who have achieved success outside Latin America.
Released as the lead single for Daddy Yankee’s third album ‘Barrio Fino’, the catchy song helped propel Yankee’s album into the top spot of Billboard’s Top Latin Albums Chart.
Recordings from Latin artists included this year
‘Gasolina’s’ inclusion in the registry joins the 26 other recordings from Latin artists added in previous years.
This year, Irene Cara’s ‘Flashdance ... What a Feeling’, Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’, and Cuarteto Coculense ‘The Very First Mariachi Recordings’ are among the new entries by Latin artists. This year also marks Carey’s first song to make it to the registry.