In February 2024, Tracy Chapman received a standing ovation for her performance of her 1988 hit ‘Fast Car’ with Luke Combs at the Grammy Awards. The collaboration was well-received by the audience.
Cleveland native Tracy Chapman’s self-titled debut album, released almost 40 years ago, has been added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in the 2025 class. The album, which was first released in April 1988, includes her popular song “Fast Car.”
Tracy Chapman’s debut album has regained attention recently, particularly in 2023 when country artist Luke Combs covered her song “Fast Car.” The renewed interest in the song brought it back into the limelight decades after its original release.
Then in February of 2024, Chapman earned a standing ovation after taking the stage to perform the hit alongside Combs at the Grammy Awards.
Chapman won three Grammys for the album back in 1989 and hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
RELATED: Members of Ohio House urge Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to induct Cleveland native Tracy Chapman
Her album was among 25 recordings selected “as audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.”
Here’s the full list of all recordings chosen for the National Recording Registry this year in order of release — including works from Elton John, Chicago, Don Rickles, Steve Miller Band, Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion and the “Hamilton” cast:
- “Aloha ‘Oe” – Hawaiian Quintette (1913) (single)
- “Sweet Georgia Brown” – Brother Bones & His Shadows (1949) (single)
- “Happy Trails” – Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (1952) (single)
- Radio Broadcast of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series – Chuck Thompson (1960)
- Harry Urata Field Recordings (1960-1980)
- “Hello Dummy!”– Don Rickles (1968) (album)
- “Chicago Transit Authority” – Chicago (1969) (album)
- “Bitches Brew” – Miles Davis (1970) (album)
- “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” – Charley Pride (1971) (single)
- “I Am Woman” – Helen Reddy (1972) (single)
- “El Rey” – Vicente Fernandez (1973) (single)
- “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” – Elton John (1973) (album)
- “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” – Freddy Fender (1975) (single)
- “I’ve Got the Music in Me” – Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker (1975) (album)
- “The Kӧln Concert” – Keith Jarrett (1975) (album)
- “Fly Like an Eagle” – Steve Miller Band (1976) (album)
- Nimrod Workman Collection (1973-1994)
- “Tracy Chapman” – Tracy Chapman (1988) (album)
- “My Life” – Mary J. Blige (1994) (album)
- Microsoft Windows Reboot Chime – Brian Eno (1995)
- “My Heart Will Go On” – Celine Dion (1997) (single)
- “Our American Journey” – Chanticleer (2002) (album)
- “Back to Black” – Amy Winehouse (2006) (album)
- “Minecraft: Volume Alpha” – Daniel Rosenfeld (2011) (album)
- “Hamilton” – Original Broadway Cast Album (2015) (album)
These additions bring the number of titles on the registry up to 675.
“These are the sounds of America — our wide-ranging history and culture. The National Recording Registry is our evolving nation’s playlist,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said. “The Library of Congress is proud and honored to select these audio treasures worthy of preservation, including iconic music across a variety of genres, field recordings, sports history and even the sounds of our daily lives with technology.”
Who will join the registry next? The public can make nominations HERE.
