You can find the official soundtrack of the United States at the National Recording Registry, an archive maintained by the Library of Congress. Created in 2000 for preservation efforts, the registry now holds 675 recordings considered “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” In 2025, 25 new recordings were added, including music from Minecraft, the start-up sound of Microsoft Windows, and songs from Hamilton (above), the musical that reimagines the country’s founding through hip-hop. The new selections now sit alongside older ones already in the archive, such as a waltz recorded by Thomas Edison in 1889 and songs by artists like Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin. The registry isn’t limited to music; environmental and historic sounds, such as those of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, also have a place. “These are the sounds of America—our wide-ranging history and culture,” said Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress at the time the selections were announced. “The National Recording Registry is our evolving nation’s playlist.”