"Thriller" Added to Library of Congress' Registry

Michael Jackson's 1982 classic Thriller was among this year's class of twenty-five recordings added by the Library of Congress to the National Recording Registry. Not that we needed Congress to tell us how important Thriller is, but the distinction means that Thriller is "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" to the history of American music. Other recordings making the Congressional cut was Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman," Joni Mitchell's For the Roses, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "Tracks of My Tears" and Herbie Hancock's Headhunters. Audio recordings of speeches by Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan were also included in the eclectic mix. Every year, the Library of Congress adds twenty-five recordings to the Registry, compiled by the preservation board and suggestions from the public.

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Song Stories

“Weird”

Hanson | 1997

Accomplished tunesmith Desmond Child co-wrote "Weird" with the three brothers that make up Hanson. Credited for dozens of cuts, including songs by Kiss, Cher, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, Child told Rolling Stone that "Weird" holds a special place in his heart, "because it's about being different--and I grew up poor, I grew up being Latin, I grew up being gay, and now I'm fat!" The song was included on Hanson's 1997 album Middle of Nowhere, which sold more than ten million units.

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