The Sounds of America
Radio profiles of recordings added to the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
BOBBY McFERRIN’S “DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY”
Simple Pleasures by Bobby McFerrin
Featuring original interviews with Bobby McFerrin (accompanied by MOTION), Linda Goldstein, Joshua Silverstein, and Gene Shinozaki.
“The Sounds of America” profiles some of the audio recordings recently added to the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
Today, some deep joy and a song that’s been called the feel-good song of the century: Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”
The song was first released in 1988 as part of Bobby McFerrin’s “Simple Pleasures” album. It was also included on the soundtrack for the film “Cocktail” starring Tom Cruise.
Its infectious melodies and rhythm carried it to the top of the charts, making it the first acapella song to reach number one.
Helping us tell the story of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” are producer Linda Goldstein, performance artist Joshua Silverstein, musician Gene Shinozaki, and Bobby McFerrin himself.
The Sounds of America is produced by Jennie Cataldo for Accompany Studios.
Originally aired May 14, 2024
LILY TOMLIN’S THIS IS A RECORDING
This Is A Recording by Lily Tomlin
Featuring original interviews with Lily Tomlin, Anna Deavere Smith, Sandra Bernhard, and Caty Borum.
Operators and switchboards have largely been consigned to history. But Ernestine the Telephone Operator as played by Lily Tomlin endures.
The character originated on the TV comedy series “Laugh-In” in 1969. Tomlin played Ernestine, a sharp-tongued, power-crazed telephone company employee.
Ernestine’s trademark was to count the rings and greet callers with “A gracious good morning to you.” She would then launch into a verbal assault. And the laughs followed.
Tomlin reused the character in several stage shows, commercials, and guest appearances including “The Electric Company” and “Saturday Night Live.”
Her 1971 album, “This Is a Recording,” has been picked this year to enter the National Recording Registry.
The album peaked at 15 on the Billboard chart, the highest charting solo comedy album by a woman.
“This Is A Recording” also won Tomlin a Grammy for Best Comedy Recording, making her the first woman to win that award for a solo recording.
We hear from Tomlin, actor, writer Anna Deavere Smith, professor and comedy producer Caty Borum, and actor and comedian Sandra Bernhard.
Want to add a recording you think should be added to the National Recording Registry? Your nomination must meet three conditions; there needs to be an existing physical copy of the recording, it has to be at least 10 years old, and it has to have had some significant impact on American culture. Just send the library an email recregistry@loc.gov.
The Sounds of America is produced by Jennie Cataldo for Accompany Studios.
Originally aired May 7, 2024
BLONDIE’S PARALLEL LINES
Parallel Lines by Blondie
Featuring original interviews with Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Clem Burke, Jimmy Destri, Mike Chapman and Kembrew McLeod.
The Sounds of America profiles some of the recordings that have just been added to the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
Every year, 25 audio recordings that have historical, cultural or aesthetic importance to our audio heritage are added to the list.
Today, a closer look at Blondie and the band’s album “Parallel Lines.”
Blondie’s first two albums didn’t gain much traction. But when the group released “Parallel Lines” in 1978, it took them from the New York underground to the top of the charts worldwide.
We hear from lead singer Debbie Harry and band members Chris Stein, Clem Burke, and Jimmy Destri. Also, the album’s producer, Mike Chapman, and author Kembrew McLeod.
The Sounds of America is produced by Jennie Cataldo for Accompany Studios.
Originally aired April 30, 2024
JEFFERSON AIRPLANE’S SURREALISTIC PILLOW
Surrealistic Pillow by Jefferson Airplane
Featuring original interviews with Grace Slick, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, and Ben Fong-Torres.
The Sounds of America radio series celebrates audio recordings that have been chosen for the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Today’s installment: Jefferson Airplane’s album Surrealistic Pillow.
Released in early 1967, this album is the first to feature singer Grace Slick. Slick joined after her first band, the Great Society, had just dissolved. Jefferson Airplane was looking for another singer after one of their founding members, Signe Anderson, left the group to start a family. Slick brought two songs with her from her Great Society days. They would become two of the band’s biggest hits: “Somebody to Love,” and “White Rabbit.”
The album’s title Surrealistic Pillow was inspired by another San Francisco music icon: Jerry Garcia. The album’s liner notes list Garcia as “spiritual advisor.” But it’s rumored he also helped with arrangements and played guitar on a few of the tracks. When Garcia remarked that the music sounded “as surrealistic as a pillow is soft,” the title of the album was born.
We hear from the original members of Jefferson Airplane.
The Sounds of America is produced by Jennie Cataldo for Accompany Studios.
Originally aired April 23, 2024
KOKO TAYLOR’S “WANG DANG DOODLE”
“Wang Dang Doodle” by Koko Taylor
Featuring original interviews with Koko Taylor (archival interviews courtesy of Ben Manilla), Dan Aykroyd, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Iglauer and Shemekia Copeland.
The Sounds of America radio series celebrates audio recordings that have been chosen for the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Today’s installment: Koko Taylor’s “Wang Dang Doodle.”
It made for an unlikely hit in 1966. The authentic Chicago blues sound of “Wang Dang Doodle” packed a punch and put a hole through the popular and poppier tunes at the time.
Koko Taylor was born Cora Walton in Tennessee in 1935. For this song, she teamed up with blues composer, bassist, and producer Willie Dixon. She was backed by a team that included Buddy Guy and a cast of characters featuring “Automatic Slim” and “Razor Totin’ Jim.”
Taylor went on to become one of the great voices of Chicago Blues. But what exactly is a “Wang Dang Doodle?”
The Sounds of America is produced by Jennie Cataldo for Accompany Studios.
Originally aired May 10, 2023.
KOJI KONDO’S “SUPER MARIO BROS. THEME”
Super Mario Bros. Theme by Koji Kondo
Winifred Phillips is a video game music composer. She describes this history-making entry into the National Recording Registry as, “one of the, if not the most memorable game music melodies ever created.”
The audio that’s selected for the Registry is based on their historical, cultural or aesthetic importance to American society. The registry includes all kinds of audio: from music and radio broadcasts, to speeches, audiobooks, and comedy performances.
Today, we profile music that was composed for a video game. The original Super Mario Brothers was released by Nintendo in 1985 on the Nintendo Entertainment System.
To help tell the story behind the Super Mario Brothers video game theme music, we speak to its composer Koji Kondo, Super Mario actor Charles Martinet, video game music composer Winifred Phillips, and author Jeff Ryan.
Want to add a recording you think should be added to the National Recording Registry? Your nomination must meet three conditions; there needs to be an existing physical copy of the recording, it must be at least ten years old, and it has to have had some significant impact on American culture. Just send the library an email recregistry@loc.gov
The Sounds of America is produced by Jennie Cataldo for Accompany Studios.
Originally aired May 3, 2023.
EURYTHMICS’ “SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS)”
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics
Every year, 25 audio recordings are added to the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Each has been chosen because of its historical, cultural, or aesthetic importance to our nation’s audio heritage.
The registry contains recordings of all types, from music and radio broadcasts to dramatic performances and speeches. This does not mean they necessarily originated in America or that they were created by Americans. But all have had some significant impact on American culture or history. Our series, “The Sounds of America” takes a closer look at some of these selections.
This edition profiles the British pop duo Eurythmics, best known for their 1983 hit “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).”
Eurythmics members Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart take us inside the story of the song, the part played by a U.S. disc jockey, being dirt poor, and the role of a cow.
The Sounds of America is produced by Jennie Cataldo for Accompany Studios.
Originally aired April 26, 2023.
CARL SAGAN’S PALE BLUE DOT
Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan
In this edition of The Sounds of America, we speak about a recording from astrophysicist and author Carl Sagan. He was committed to making science more accessible through his speaking engagements, his media projects (such as the television series “Cosmos”), and his popular science books.
In 1994, Sagan published a book called “Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space.” It was inspired by a photograph of Earth taken from so far away in space that the planet looks like a pale blue dot. Sagan voiced the audiobook of Pale Blue Dot himself. And this recording has been selected for the 2023 National Recording Registry.
We hear from Sagan’s collaborator and wife Ann Druyan, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, artist Jon Lomberg, and rapper Lazarus.
Want to add a recording you think should be added to the National Recording Registry? Your nomination must meet three conditions; there needs to be an existing physical copy of the recording, it has to be at least ten years old, and it has to have had some significant impact on American culture. Just send the library an email.
The Sounds of America is produced by Jennie Cataldo for Accompany Studios.
Originally aired April 19, 2023.
RICKY MARTIN’S “LIVIN’ LA VIDA LOCA”
“Livin’ La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
The Sounds of America profiles recordings selected for the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
Our next installment? A smash hit from the late ’90s: “Livin’ La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin. This track is one of 25 chosen this year by the Library of Congress.
Martin had seen some previous success with his solo records in Spanish-speaking markets. But it was his 1999 Spanglish recordings that made him a star in the United States.
“Livin’ La Vida Loca” did more than take Ricky Martin to the top of the charts in the U.S. and around the world. It paved the way for an avalanche of Latin pop artists who followed in his footsteps.
Featuring interviews with Draco Rosa, Desmond Child, Maria Elena Nava, and Ed Morales. Produced for 1A by Jennie Cataldo.
Originally aired May 4, 2022.
TERRY RILEY’S IN C
In C by Terry Riley
Terry Riley’s “In C” is one of the 25 tracks picked this year to be preserved for all time as part of the National Recording Registry. The Registry houses recordings with historical or cultural importance to America’s history.
Alongside artists like Steve Reich, Philip Glass and LaMonte Young, Riley’s experimental recordings helped pioneer a new movement in contemporary music called minimalism. His ‘In C’ has also influenced the mainstream.
John Cale and Pete Townshend all cite Riley as an influence. Terry Riley’s best-known composition is a conceptual piece written in 1964.
It has been recorded dozens of times and is still performed today.
Featuring interviews with Terry Riley, Stuart Dempster, Vicky Chow, David Behrman, and Robert Carl. Produced for 1A by Jennie Cataldo.
Originally aired April 27, 2022.
A TRIBE CALLED QUEST’S THE LOW END THEORY
The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest
Now, the seminal second album from A Tribe Called Quest’s “The Low End Theory” gets its turn. Released in 1991, it expanded on the group’s distinct sound and left a lasting mark on hip hop.
Throughout the album, emcees Q-Tip and Phife Dawg trade rhymes, comment on social issues, and celebrate Blackness. Their childhood friendship is on full display and the album successfully pushed musical, cultural, and technological boundaries.
Featuring interviews with Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Bob Power, Kathy Iandoli, and Porscha Burke. Produced for 1A by Jennie Cataldo.
Originally aired April 20, 2022.
PREVIOUS EPISODES
The ‘Sounds of America’ returns, with a new selection destined for America’s audio “hall of fame.”
Every year, the Library of Congress inducts 25 pieces of sound into the National Recording Registry. Each selection showcases America’s sound-rich heritage, and is chosen in part based on nominations from the public. The archive contains iconic clips of music, news, theater and sports.
The 14th Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden, joins us to explain how this year’s pieces were chosen. We sample some of the selections, and visit the Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, Virginia, to discover the work that goes into preserving these audio treasures.
The Four Tops helped to define Motown in the 1960’s and for decades to follow.
The Detroit legends were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and they continue to tour today.
This year, their 1966 hit single “Reach Out I’ll Be There” joined the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress, along with 25 other pieces of sound celebrating America’s audio history.
Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir is one of the founding members of the Four Tops and still performs with the group today. For this edition of our Sounds of America series, we talk about Motown and the impact Detroit has had on American music.