The Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammys, has announced the 25 songs and albums it will be inducting into its Hall of Fame this year, and it’s a list of some of the most important and beloved pieces of music of all time.
The exclusive group contains names that span decades, genres, and every other line that great music doesn’t seem to care about. Artists such as The Beach Boys, Elvis, Nirvana, and R.E.M. will all see their wares inducted, and the Academy was sure to go out of its way (so it seems) to include stars that the world lost this past year that deserve this honor almost more than anyone else, as both David Bowie and Prince are members of this club. A handful of the inductees this time around have proven their ability to remain relevant throughout the decades, as they have both been introduced to new audiences recently. N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton was the subject of a film by the same name last year which went on to be nominated for an Oscar, and Leslie Gore's "You Don't Own Me" was interpolated by the song's producer Quincy Jones himself into a new single of the same name for up-and-coming singer Grace, which topped charts around the world.
The Recording Academy inducts songs and albums every year that it deems especially important to the music world, and every recording in the Hall of Fame is one that has made its mark on history. Including these 25 new titles, there are now 1,038 songs and albums in the Hall of Fame, and that’s a number that is sure to continue to grow as the years pass and more and more music is deemed historically important.
Here are the 25 songs and albums being inducted this year:
Songs
Arlo Guthrie - "The City of New Orleans"
The Beach Boys - "I Get Around"
Billie Holiday - Lady Sings the Blues
Blind Willie McTell - "Statesboro Blues"
Bonnie Raitt - "I Can't Make You Love Me"
Cab Calloway And His Orchestra - "(Hep-Hep!) The Jumpin' Jive"
David Bowie - "Changes"
Deep Purple - "Smoke of the Water"
Dion - "The Wanderer"
Elvis Presley - "Jailhouse Rock"
The Everly Brothers - "Wake Up Little Susie"
Jackson 5 - "ABC"
Lalo Schifrin - "Mission-Impossible"
Lesley Gore - "You Don't Own Me"
Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra - "When the Saints Go Marching In"
Mills Brothers - "You Always Hurt the One You Love"
Mississippi John Hurt - "Stack O'Lee Blues"
Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
R.E.M. - "Losing My Religion"
Rod Stewart - "Maggie May"
Sly & The Family Stone - "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"
Sonny & Cher - "I Got You Babe"
Albums
Merle Haggard - Okie From Muskogee
N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton
Prince - Sign 'O' the Times
