The original Broadway cast recording (OBCR) of Hamilton has been added to the Library of Congress’ prestigious National Recording Registry—an honor reserved for audio recordings that reflect America’s history, culture, and artistic achievements.
Librarian of Congress’ Carla Hayden named the 25 recordings deemed “audio treasures” for their cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance. Among them is Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking musical that reshaped Broadway with its bold mix of hip-hop, history, and heart.
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A Defining Moment for Hamilton
Miranda reflected on the show’s debut at the Public Theater in 2015: “I remember just feeling an enormous weight off my chest, incredible pride in our unbelievable company and the way in which they were telling the story, and feeling like, ‘OK, it’s out of my head and on a stage now.’ That first preview at the Public Theatre clocked in at three hours and 12 minutes, so it was also a feeling of, ‘OK, it’s out of my head and I can look at it – and we still have work to do,’” Miranda told the Library.
The cast recording joins an exclusive group of works that have shaped the sound of the nation. “I think the National Recording Registry is an artistic version of a nation’s conversation with itself,” Miranda said. “Every piece of art that is made is both deemed timeless by the Library of Congress and also a product of its time. I feel incredibly honored that ‘Hamilton’ is a point in that timeline.”
A Diverse Class of 2025
The 2025 class spans genres and generations (chronological order):
- “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)
The National Recording Registry now includes 675 titles. Listen to many of them on streaming platforms with curated playlists, and catch NPR’s “1A” series, The Sounds of America, for interviews and highlights from this year’s inductees.
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