To some, Michael Jackson's Thriller might not seem like a crucial subject of reference for congressional matters. But because of its cultural importance, the landmark LP has been added by the Library of Congress to the National Recording Registry. This merit means that Thriller is recognized as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" to American music history.



Thriller, released in 1982, remains the highest-selling album by a male pop artist — it has gone 27 times platinum in the United States and is the bestselling album worldwide, with more than 108 million copies sold. The 25th anniversary reissue of Thriller, cleverly titled Thriller 25, was released this year and includes seven bonus tracks as well as a DVD with three music videos and a live performance. In "classic" form, Thriller 25 sold 1.8 million copies in just 12 weeks.

Thriller isn't the only item making its way into the National Recording Registry. Also making the cut along is former President Harry S. Truman's legendary address to the Democratic National Convention in 1948; a collection of more than 1,000 radio broadcast recordings by former President Ronald Reagan between 1976-'79; the Sounds of Earth disc prepared for the Voyager in 1977 while it traveled through space; Joni Mitchell's For the Roses; the first trans-Atlantic broadcast from March 4, 1925; Tracks of My Tears, by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, considered by some as the most poetic, most enduring love songs in R&B history; and the original cast recording of "My Fair Lady," among other items.