Weezer + SRV Added to Library of Congress' National Registry

The Library of Congress' National Recording Registry has added 25 new recordings, including a 1994 alt-rock smash and a 1983 blues-rock gem.

The former? Weezer's quintuple-platinum debut album (commonly known as The Blue Album). The latter? Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's smoldering debut album, Texas Flood.

Every year, the Library of Congress selects just 25 recordings to add to its National Recording Registry, signifying "cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation's recorded sound heritage." Other 2026 additions include Taylor Swift's 1989, Beyonce's "Single Ladies" and the Charlie Daniels Band's "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."

READ MORE: 10 Best Weezer Songs

What Did the Library of Congress Say About 'Texas Flood'?

Vaughan emerged as one of the decade's foremost guitar heroes and helped revitalize the blues with the release of Texas Flood. The album catapulted him beyond the Austin, Texas blues scene from which he originated and thrust him into the national spotlight.

READ MORE: 7 Acts That Kept Blues-Rock Alive in the '80s

The Library of Congress' National Registry said the following: "The album’s slower tunes, like 'Texas Flood' and 'Lenny,' showcase the guitarist’s inimitable, beefy tone which relied partially on the use of very heavy strings and, partially, on precise amp and guitar settings known only to Vaughan. Other songs pay tribute to [Jimi] Hendrix ('Testify'), Buddy Guy ('Mary Had a Little Lamb'), and Howlin’ Wolf ('Tell Me'). The power, precise articulation and ensemble playing of the album’s speediest tune, 'Rude Mood,' must be heard to be believed."

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, "Pride and Joy"

What Did the Library of Congress Say About Weezer?

Weezer's self-titled debut arrived at the height of the alt-rock revolution in 1994. Its power-pop hooks and wry sense of humor offered an alternative to the dour grunge sound dominating the charts.

"Produced by Ric Ocasek (of the Cars), the album broke through the angst-filled sounds of alternative rock and presented a new nerdy geek-rock charm," the Library of Congress said of the album. "Featuring such iconic hits as 'Buddy Holly,' 'Say It Ain't So' and 'Undone — The Sweater Song,' the album is an enduring, essential classic of the alternative rock age."

Weezer, "Say It Ain't So"

What Else Did the Library of Congress Add to the National Recording Registry in 2026?

Here is the full list of 2026 additions to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry:

Spike Jones and His City Slickers — “Cocktails for Two” (1944)
Pérez Prado and His Orchestra — “Mambo No. 5″ (1950)
Ruth Brown — “Teardrops From My Eyes” (1950)
Kaye Ballard — “Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)” (1954)
Paul Anka — “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” (1959)
Oliver Nelson — The Blues and the Abstract Truth (1961)
Ray Charles — Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962)
The Byrds — “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” (1965)
The Winstons — “Amen, Brother” (1969)
José Feliciano — “Feliz Navidad” (1970)
“The Fight of the Century: Ali vs. Frazier” (March 8, 1971)
Gladys Knight and the Pips — “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973)
Chicago Original Cast Album (1975)
The Charlie Daniels Band — “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” (1979)
The Go-Go’s — Beauty and the Beat (1981)
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble — Texas Flood (1983)
Chaka Khan — “I Feel for You” (1984)
Jamie Principle — “Your Love” (1986) / Jamie Principle and Frankie Knuckles (1987)
Reba McEntire — Rumor Has It (1990)
Rosanne Cash — The Wheel (1993)
Bobby Prince — Doom Soundtrack (1993)
Vince Gill — “Go Rest High on That Mountain” (1994)
Weezer — Weezer (The Blue Album) (1994)
Beyoncé — “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008)
Taylor Swift — 1989 (2014)

What Else Is in the Library of Congress' National Registry?

The Library of Congress has added more than 600 recordings to the National Recording Registry since it started in 2002. Its inaugural year featured recordings from Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley and even dated back to Thomas Edison's "Around the World on the Phonograph."

Recent years have seen the additions of more modern rock recordings. In 2025, Steve Miller Band's Fly Like an Eagle, Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Tracy Chapman's self-titled album and Amy Winehouse's Back to Black all made the cut, as did the Windows '95 start-up chime, composed by Brian Eno.

Green Day's Dookie was added in 2024. The Police's Synchronicity entered in 2023, as did Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven." Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" were both added in 2022.

You can see the complete National Recording Registry listing at the Library of Congress' website.

Revisit the best hard rock albums of 1994 below.