Songs by John Lennon and Led Zeppelin Are Being Added to the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress preserves many of the most significant pieces of pop culture history. From movies to music to television, it’s an honor for many artists to have their work preserved forever in a respected establishment. The Library of Congress recently announced the music that will be added to its catalog, including songs by John Lennon and Led Zeppelin.
Songs by John Lennon and Led Zeppelin will be preserved in the Library of Congress
On April 12, the Library of Congress announced the 25 recordings that will be preserved in the National Recording Registry. Some of the notable songs being added include John Lennon’s “Imagine”, Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”, Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville”, Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”, John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You”.
There are a few milestones in this year’s list. Queen Latifah’s “All Hail the Queen” is being added, making her the first female rapper to have a song in the U.S. Library of Congress. The theme from Super Mario Bros. is also being added, becoming the first music from a video game to receive this honor.
‘Imagine’ is John Lennon’s most successful song from his solo career
“Imagine” is a single from John Lennon’s 1971 album of the same name. It’s widely considered to be Lennon’s signature song from his solo career and is the best-selling single of his solo career. The political tune calls for world peace and asks for listeners to imagine a world without materialism, borders, and religion. It’s been covered thousands of times and is easily one of the most recognizable songs around the world.
The song was a hit for Lennon upon its release, reaching No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. However, it’s not Lennon’s best-performing song on the charts, even though it reemerges on the charts every now and then. Lennon had two solo songs that reached No. 1: “(Just Like) Starting Over” and “Whatever Gets You Through the Night”, which received help from Elton John.
‘Stairway to Heaven’ is considered one of the greatest rock songs ever
Just like John Lennon with “Imagine”, it’s impossible to think of Led Zeppelin and not associate them with “Stairway to Heaven”. The seven-minute ballad was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and lead singer Robert Plant for their untitled fourth studio album. The track wasn’t a hit on the charts, but it’s often regarded as one of the greatest rock songs ever. Almost every ranking of great rock songs will have “Stairway to Heaven” ranked somewhat high.
While many would consider “Stairway to Heaven” to be Led Zeppelin’s most memorable track, the band members might disagree. In a 1988 interview with Rolling Stone, Plant said “Stairway to Heaven” was “a nice, pleasant, well-meaning, naive little song, very English,” but not the definitive Zeppelin tune. Instead, he said “Kashmir” represented the band the best.
“It’s the quest, the travels, and explorations that Page and I went on, well off the beaten track,” Plant explained. “It was quite a remarkable time to open your eyes and see how Berber tribesmen lived. […] That’s what it was like for me then. That, really, to me, is the Zeppelin feel.”
