Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo

April 18, 2023 5:09 AM

The Library of Congress has added 25 recordings to the National Recording Archive.

Entries include Cuarteto Coculense (the first mariachi recordings), Jackie DeShannon's 'What the World Needs Now is Love,' Koko Taylor's 'Wang Dang Doodle,' Bobbie Gentry's 'Ode to Billie Joe,' Irene Cara's 'Flashdance,' Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams,' Madonna's 'Like A Virgin,' Queen Latifah's All Hail the Queen, Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas is You,' and Koji Kando's Super Mario Bros. theme.

posted by box (39 comments total)

Serious question: In a world where we are circulating tens of thousands of recordings, what is the point of the National Recording Archive? Isn't 25 acquisitions in a year a little stingy? To me this feels like your local library issuing a press release that says "we bought a book!"

(I suspect the answer is that it is an honorific, like congress declaring April 24 National Ice Cream Day or whatever.)
posted by anhedonic at 5:32 AM on April 18, 2023 [5 favorites]

I loves me some Wang Dang Doodle. Very glad to see that disc recognised.
posted by Paul Slade at 5:45 AM on April 18, 2023 [5 favorites]

From the National Recording Archive FAQ:

What is the National Recording Registry?
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress. These recording are not necessarily selected as the “best” recordings of all time, but rather as works of enduring importance to American culture and, hence, in need of permanent preservation by either the Library of Congress or another qualified institution.
Twenty-five recordings are named to the Registry each year.

posted by biogeo at 6:19 AM on April 18, 2023 [3 favorites]

what is the point of the National Recording Archive

Just a couple clicks deep in the Recording Archive page linked you can find the text of the bill that created the Archive:

To establish the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress to maintain and preserve sound recordings that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and for other purposes.

Mission Statement:

The National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB), originally created by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 and most recently reauthorized in 2016, serves as an advisory group to the Librarian of Congress. The Board consists of 44 members and alternates representing the recorded sound industry, archives, scholars, musicians and others who comprise the diverse American recorded sound community. As its primary mission, the Board works to ensure the survival, conservation and increased public availability of America's audio heritage. The Board realizes its mission by advising the Librarian on 1) the current state of audio preservation and initiatives such as the National Recorded Sound Preservation Plan, and 2) the annual selection of the National Recording Registry.

(Jinx! biogeo beat me to it.)
posted by soundguy99 at 6:22 AM on April 18, 2023 [2 favorites]

what does “permanent preservation” involve? I’m sure it’s more than copy-pasting an mp3 to a server folder, but like are they stamping gold plated LPs of these recordings and putting them in dust free environments somewhere?
posted by heyitsgogi at 6:23 AM on April 18, 2023 [3 favorites]

Look, I'm always happy to see some yacht rock representation, but I'd prefer the Doobie Brothers be recognised before Jimmy Buffett. The Parrothead lobby is more powerful than I thought.
posted by threecheesetrees at 6:32 AM on April 18, 2023 [9 favorites]

As a professional heritagenik, I am at some level glad to read about the preservation of a song, the premise of which is the community shrugging at death, and two young people throwing something nameless and undescribed off the Tallahatchie bridge. That’s right.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 6:59 AM on April 18, 2023 [11 favorites]

I'm always happy to see some yacht rock representation

So am I! We need a National Yacht Rock Recording Preservation Board! But my draft bill hasn't even made it to committee, and now when I call my congressman's office, they just hang up on me.

One day, sometime in the future, maybe centuries from now, someone will want to listen to a little Christopher Cross. We're going to have to tell our descendants that it's all gone, that we had the opportunity to save it, and that we squandered it.
posted by PlusDistance at 7:04 AM on April 18, 2023 [7 favorites]

Wow, Koko Taylor is so young in that video. I saw her play some 25 years after that video (1967). She IS a national treasure. And, Wang Dang Doodle is a great song. As a lifelong Dead Head, it is great to see the original or even previous versions to their covers. I always knew WDD to be an old blues song that Pigpen (and/or Bobby) would wail on.

How or why they pick a recording to add to the collection seems irrelevant to me. Do I think they could do it better or differently? Yup. So what? Roll with what they have. is my opinion. As for Yacht Rock, sure let it roll. My gf loves the YR channel on Sirius. Just this past Saturday, we stayed with the channel for a new record 5 songs in a row that we both agreed on and both sang along with, but, alas, no Christopher Cross.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:09 AM on April 18, 2023

heyitsgogi: [...] like are they stamping gold plated LPs of these recordings and putting them in dust free environments somewhere?

One day they'll be able to specify it based on fundamental physical properties, but for now you'll have to make a special request to borrow the platiunum-iridium standard reference Stairway.
posted by giltay at 7:20 AM on April 18, 2023 [8 favorites]

So glad to see the recognition for the Rolling Stoness' lamentation over street crime and violence in New York.


/s
posted by stevil at 7:24 AM on April 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

I thought the Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo would be the theme from The Twilight Zone. Which song is it?
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:39 AM on April 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

Serious question: In a world where we are circulating tens of thousands of recordings, what is the point of the National Recording Archive? Isn't 25 acquisitions in a year a little stingy?

I feel like the list of existing entries gives a good feel for the level of significance they're looking for. Also note that something has to be at least 10 years old to be nominated -- the daily flood of memes and soundbites is not eligible.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 7:55 AM on April 18, 2023

I heard it a bunch of times (it got a lot of airplay on WXRT in Chicago) but I don't know why I've never taken the time to listen to the lyrics of Wang Dang Doodle before. It's 🔥🔥🔥 and I'm glad that the Library of Congress recognizes this.

Tell Automatic Slim
Tell razor totin' Jim
Tell butcher knife totin' Annie
Tell fast talkin' Fanny
Tonight we're gonna pitch a ball
Down to that union hall
Gonna romp and tromp 'till midnight
We're gonna fuss and fight 'till daylight
We're gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long

Tell Poodle I'll tell him here
Tell Albert I'll see him near
Tell old Pistol Pete
Everybody gonna meet
Tonight we need no rest
We're really gonna throw a mess
We're gonna break out all the windows
Gonna kick down all the doors
We're gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long

Tell Fats and Washboard Sam
That everybody's gonna jam
Just shake it Boxcar Joe
We got sawdust on the floor
Tell Chicken Head till I die
We're gonna have a time
When the fish head fills the air
Be snuff juice everywhere
We're gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long
posted by vverse23 at 8:06 AM on April 18, 2023 [4 favorites]

(There's also the PJ Harvey cover.)
posted by box at 8:12 AM on April 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

I thought the Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo would be the theme from The Twilight Zone. Which song is it?

The title made me afraid that Baby Shark was on the list.
posted by egregious theorem at 8:13 AM on April 18, 2023 [10 favorites]

Whoa, Pale Blue Dot is on the list. (previously)
posted by DigDoug at 8:20 AM on April 18, 2023

I'm guessing this puts these recordings on the short list for the Golden Record next time we launch a probe into deep space? Though I'm wondering if next time we're going to ask the aliens to decode Reed-Solomon error correction.
posted by credulous at 8:25 AM on April 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

I thought the Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo would be the theme from The Twilight Zone. Which song is it?

Perhaps it's the Mario theme, though that's more of a "Doo Doo Doo. Doo Doo, Doo Doo"...
posted by May Kasahara at 9:04 AM on April 18, 2023 [3 favorites]

So, there's a whole subsection of the LOC website about the National Recording Preservation Plan, which appears to be our government doing quality research into recording preservation and both keeping it for posterity and continuing to make it available on modern technology.

You also might enjoy looking at the Collections With Audio Recordings, which is an amazing archive of what LOC has, much of it digitized and available to experience.
posted by hippybear at 9:34 AM on April 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

Some odd selections, even with the explanations as quoted above. Apparently there are only 625 recordings in the registry total right now. Which currently includes both "Footloose" and "Flashdance!" Also, this is not just a registry of music, but also includes many other significant recordings like speeches, etc.

Also, not to be overly nationalistic, but couldn't we just let the UK be responsible for the "permanent preservation" of random Police albums?
posted by snofoam at 9:41 AM on April 18, 2023

And the fuckin' Eagles, man! (At least they do also have Creedence.)
posted by snofoam at 9:43 AM on April 18, 2023 [2 favorites]

Andy Summers must be tickled that "Mother" has been identified as having "cultural, historical or aesthetic importance". He can put the plaque next to the Grammy he won for that instrumental track that Sting tried to bury in the garden.
posted by credulous at 10:08 AM on April 18, 2023 [3 favorites]

I've never taken the time to listen to the lyrics of Wang Dang Doodle yt before. It's 🔥🔥🔥

Read this verse and have a guess which year the song containing it was recorded:

I'm going to do like a C***naman,
Go and get some hop,
Get myself a gun,
And shoot myself a cop,
I ain't had nothing but bad news,
Now I've got the crazy blues.

[Hop = opium, then linked with the kind of oriental dive Sherlock Holmes visted in The Man With The Twisted Lip. I've starred out part of the lyric's word above in accordance with Metafilter's rules.]

The answer is 1920, and the song's Crazy Blues, written by Perry Bradford and recorded by Mamie Smith & her Jazz Hounds. It's often credited as the first authentic blues record ever released, so I dare say the Register has a copy of that too. Worth a listen.
posted by Paul Slade at 10:16 AM on April 18, 2023

I do kinda assume the library of Congress has many, many, other recordings on file - just not “preserved”

Wish I had a library card for it
posted by Going To Maine at 10:49 AM on April 18, 2023

Collections With Audio Recordings
posted by hippybear at 10:57 AM on April 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

Feh. Margaritaville scores a paltry 2.75 on the Yachtski Scale. Jimmy Buffett is marina rock.
posted by emelenjr at 12:20 PM on April 18, 2023 [5 favorites]

PROPER

I hope some Librarians of Congress took the opportunity to blast this gem of human achievement and DANCE
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 12:27 PM on April 18, 2023 [2 favorites]

that instrumental track that Sting tried to bury in the garden

“Behind My Camel.” He got a Grammy for an elaborate fart joke.
posted by armeowda at 12:37 PM on April 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

The Parrothead lobby is likely peeved that they only chose a single and not the canonical set list.
posted by credulous at 12:52 PM on April 18, 2023

I could spend hours looking at the list of inductees to the archive over the years because it seems so random. Three examples from a quick peek:

- Bohemian Rhapsody wasn't inducted until last year?
- How did they determine that "Cathy's Clown" was the Everly Brothers' song worth preserving?
- In 2015, two different versions of "Mack the Knife" were enshrined, which suggests that the selectors couldn't decide which one was better and gave up and put in both of them.

Someone must have created a Tidal or Spotify playlist for at least some of this stuff.
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 12:55 PM on April 18, 2023

How did they determine that "Cathy's Clown" was the Everly Brothers' song worth preserving?

Everly Brothers songs that I would've preferred, an incomplete list:

'Love Hurts' Don't let Nazareth ruin this one for you--that 'I'm young, I know/but even so' couplet is one for the ages.
'Take a Message to Mary' This song is about a botched robbery that turned into a life sentence for murder. It hit #16 on the charts in 1959.
'Man with Money' This song is also about a robbery.
'Ebony Eyes' Not to be confused with the Rick James song, as if that's a thing that has ever happened. This one's about a plane crash.
posted by box at 1:44 PM on April 18, 2023 [2 favorites]

The Parrothead lobby is likely peeved that they only chose a single and not the canonical set list.

That's from 1985. Nadirah Shakoor didn't join until 1995.
posted by mikelieman at 2:53 PM on April 18, 2023

Why is "September" by Earth, Wind and Fire in the "Technology" category?
I was having fun coming up with "they're all secretly robots!" conspiracy theories when I clicked on "additional information" and see that it's listed in "R&B" there.
I guess the overwhelming task of adding 25 recordings a year doesn't leave enough time for proofreading.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 4:08 PM on April 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

It's listed under Technology because ba-de-ya.
posted by hippybear at 4:28 PM on April 18, 2023 [2 favorites]

So is the Mario theme the first preserved chiptune?
posted by scruss at 5:45 PM on April 18, 2023

It's certainly the first video game music put onto the list. It's likely the first chiptune, as I can't think of anything that isn't a video game theme that would have enough cultural impact and have been around long enough to make an impact. I could imagine the Tetris music, but honestly, Mario Bros is truly the one. No matter how many hours I spent playing Tetris, until I had falling block in my eyes even while awake, that music just isn't as... quotable. And isn't the Tetris music an already standing composition brought into the video game?
posted by hippybear at 7:06 PM on April 18, 2023

Yes, it's Korobeiniki, a folk song.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 8:21 PM on April 18, 2023

I thought the Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo would be the theme from The Twilight Zone. Which song is it?

"Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" by The Rolling Stones?
Or "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" by The Police?
"Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega?
Songs that go Doo Doo Doo.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:03 AM on April 19, 2023