Jackson's "Rhythm Nation 1814" and Kermit's rendition of "The Rainbow Connection" were among 900 audio recordings nominated to be added to the registry this year.
The composer of "The Rainbow Connection," Paul Williams, spoke with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
"It’s a line about the immense power of faith — faith in someone or something, or a big idea. Sometimes the questions are more beautiful than the answers." Paul Williams, "The Rainbow Connection" Composer, via 'The New York Times'.
Other 2021 inductees include Louis Armstrong's "When the Saints Go Marching In" from 1938 and a recording done by Thomas Edison from 1878.
The Edison recording was not listenable for decades until 2013 when a way was devised to recover the audio.
The Library of Congress' registry was initiated in 2000 as a means of preserving "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" recordings.
Among its collection of three million sound recordings, to date the Library of Congress has added only 575 to the registry.