John Denver's ode to West Virginia just got an extra-special anniversary gift. On April 12, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was announced as one of 2023's Library of Congress inductees - exactly 52 years after the country standard's storied April 12, 1971 release.
Each year, the National Recording Registry selects only a handful of songs and albums to immortalize in the Library of Congress. Selections must be at least ten years old, and must be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in order to be considered for induction. "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is one of only 25 recordings added to the Registry this year.
"Take Me Home..." was released as a single on John Denver's fourth album, Poems, Prayers & Promises, and the song proved to be a career-making hit. Written by Denver and future Starland Vocal Band members Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert in 1970, "Take Me Home..." was designated as one of West Virginia's official state songs in 2014. But, according to The Library of Congress, the song was dreamed up somewhere on the east coast:
"Though the song clearly celebrates West Virginia, its inspiration actually occurred on the winding highways of the east coast - rural Maryland, with a little nostalgic influence from the New England states," reads the official blurb for the induction. "It was there, on one of those byways, that two of the song's co-writers, Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert (later to become two-thirds of the Starland Vocal Band), struck upon the feelings and imagery for the song that would become 'Take Me Home....'."
This year's National Recording Registry selections span from 1908 to 2012, bringing the total number of tracks in the esteemed collection to 625. Also among this year's crop of songs is Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," John Lennon's "Imagine," Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," Irene Cara's "Flashdance... What a Feeling" and Mariah Carey's holiday classic "All I Want for Christmas Is You" - her first-ever Registry selection.
Among 2023's album selections is Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's Déjà Vu, as well as Madonna's second album Like a Virgin. Grammy winner Queen Latifah makes history as the first female rapper to join the Registry with her album All Hail the Queen. And, notably, the theme song of Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. has also been given the nod from the Library of Congress, marking the first-ever induction for a video game.
The Library of Congress chooses each year's inductees from a pool of nominees selected by the public. The goal of the program is to keep a living history of recorded sound that honors America's cultural richness.
"The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation's diverse culture," Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. "The national library is proud to help ensure these recordings are preserved for generations to come."
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