2026 NRR Nominees: Dan Carlin and Wicked
From World War I to the Wizard of Oz
It’s that time of year again, folks. Every year, the Library of Congress selects 25 American recordings to be preserved in its National Recording Registry (NRR), which are historically, culturally, or aesthetically significant. The American public can nominate up to 50 recordings each year for preservation, provided that they are at least 10 years old.
I am pleased to announce that my previous nominee, Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”, was selected for preservation in the 2025 Registry. Other important selections included Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew, Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black, and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Now without any further ado, here are my nominees.
Blueprint for Armageddon (Parts I-VI)
Artist: Dan Carlin
Year of Release: 2013–2015
Dan Carlin is among the most popular history podcasters out there, whose long-form narrations of historical events have the power to transport listeners back in time. Over the course of his career, Carlin has covered the rise of Mongols, the Fall of Rome, and the horrors of slavery, but his epic chronicle of World War I, Blueprint For Armageddon, is his definitive work. Recorded over the course of three years in time for the 100th anniversary for the start of World War I, Carlin uses his breadth of historical knowledge to explain the context for the cataclysm, the horrors it unleashed, the humanity of the peoples involved, and the lessons involved for us today.
Wicked (musical album)
Artist(s): Stephen Schwartz, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth
Year of Release: 2003
Label: Decca Broadway
Loosely based on Gregory Maguire’s 1994 re-telling of The Wizard of Oz, Wicked surpasses the source material to tell a moving story of friendship, resistance, and the nature of good and evil. Alongside The Wiz, Wicked is a musical which re-interprets The Wizard of Oz for a new generation. The vocal talents of Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, and many others in the cast bring Stephen Schwartz’s operatic and hummable songs to life, such as “No One Mourns The Wicked”, “What Is This Feeling?”, “Popular,” “Defying Gravity,” and “For Good.” Wicked also came out only months after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, so it also serves as political commentary on the War on Terror era.
2026 NRR Nominee List
1. Pulp Fiction (soundtrack) (1994)
2. “Stan” (2000)
3. “The Ballot or the Bullet” (1964)
4. “The Whisper of AIDS” (1992)
5. “Sunshine Of Your Love” (1968)
6. “Ohio” (1970)
7. Boston (album) (1976)
8. “Freebird” (1974)
9. The United States of America (album) (1968)
10. Relentless (album) (1992)
11. “The Perils of Indifference” (1999)
12. “Chop Suey!” (2001)
13. “Black Hole Sun” (1994)
14. “Wake Up” (1992)
15. “Three Skeleton Key” (1950)
16. “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights” (1995)
17. “Eight Miles High” (1966)
18. “Shapes of Things” (1966)
19. “Pokemon Theme” (1999)
20. Floral Shoppe (album) (2011)
21. “A More Perfect Union” (2008)
22. “Voices of Marvel” (1964–1965 est.)
23. “Right Here (Human Nature Remix)” (1993)
24. “…Baby One More Time” (1998)
25. “Gangsta’s Paradise” (1995)
26. The Mollusk (album) (1997)
27. Hit Vibes (album) (2013)
28. “Hips Don’t Lie” (2006)
29. Live Through This (album) (1994)
30. “All Star” (1999)
31. Appetite For Destruction (album) (1987)
32. Bae (album) (2014)
33. “Riddle of Steel/Riders of Doom” (1982)
34. Saturday Morning: Cartoons’ Greatest Hits (album) (1995)
35. “The Santaland Diaries” (1992)
36. More Friends: Music From Final Fantasy (album) (2006)
37. Blueprint for Armageddon (I-VI) (2013–2015)
38. Wicked (musical album) (2003)
2026 NRR Nominee Justifications
- Pulp Fiction (soundtrack)
Artist: Various, including Dick Dale and Samuel L. Jackson
Release Date: September 27, 1994
Label: MCA
The soundtrack for the film Pulp Fiction is a watershed mix-tape of American pop culture. The song features hip-hop “Jungle Boogie”, classic rock and roll “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon”, country throwback, “Son of a Preacher Man,” and surfer rock, “Misirlou”/”Surf Rider.” The album also contains some of the best dialogue ever recorded, in particular, Samuel L. Jackson’s famous “Ezekiel 25:17” speech.
2. “Stan”
Artist: Eminem
Album: Marshall Mathers LP
Release Date: December 9, 2000
Label: Aftermath, Shady, Interscope
Eminem was one of the first white artists to breakthrough in the rap genre. “Stan” is a song about obsessive fans and demonstrates Eminem’s expert lyricism. The song also brilliantly samples Dido’s “Thank You” for contrast, which helped bring her to fame in the United States. The song was selected by The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll.
3. “The Ballot or the Bullet”
Speaker: Malcolm X
Recording Date: April 3, 1964
Recorded At: Cory Methodist Church
One of Malcolm X’s most profound speeches that he gave after breaking from the Nation of Islam. Malcolm wanted to show his willingness to work with the Civil Rights Movement, despite their disagreements, but also spoke to the continued frustrations of black people after the March on Washington. Malcolm, perceived as more radical than King at the time, urged Congress to pass the civil rights bill, with threats implicit that racial chaos would unload if it didn’t. Malcolm’s speech spoke to the anger and complexity of racial discrimination in the United States.
4. “The Whisper of AIDS”
Speaker: Mary Fisher
Recording Date: 1992
Recorded At: 1992 Republican National Convention
Mary Fisher’s call to the Republican Party to be more open about the reality of AIDS is a landmark point in the shifting views on AIDS among conservatives, and most Americans more broadly. Fisher, a straight, white woman who became HIV positive from her husband, became a symbol, alongside Ryan White, who challenged the stereotype that AIDS only afflicted the LGBT or black users of heroin. The speech has been a popular point of analysis for its rhetorical skill, such as challenging the “American family” rhetoric by saying, “we do the President’s cause no good if we praise the American family but ignore a virus that destroys it.”
5. “Sunshine of Your Love”
Artist: Cream
Album: Disraeli Gears
Release Date: January 1968
Label: Atco
“Sunshine Of Your Love” is among the finest examples of Cream’s psychedelic rock music, which drew upon the rhythm and blues for composition, but ultimately stands out it on its own due to the outstanding guitar solo in the middle.
6. “Ohio”
Artist: Crosby, Stills, Nash, And Young
Release Date: May 4, 1970
Label: Atlantic
A protest song written in response to the shootings of anti-war activists at Kent State University, “Ohio” eloquently captures the troubled times of the Vietnam War era. The song is also a showcase of the best talents of David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young.
7. Boston (album)
Artist: Boston
Release Date: August 25, 1976
Label: Epic
One of the defining progressive rock albums of the 70’s, Boston is unique in the sense that it was technological creation. The music was almost exclusively done by multi-instrumentalist, Tom Scholz, and vocalist Brad Delp, who mixed the various tracks together in his basement. The album captures old memories “More Than A Feeling” and aspirations of fame “Rock & Roll Band.” The tracks have become staples of any rock radio station.
8. “Freebird”
Artist: Lynryd Skynryd
Release Date: November 1974
Recorded: April 3, 1973 at Studio One, Doraville, Georgia
Label: MCA
Regarded as one of the most requested songs in American history, the popular “Freebird” is an outstanding example of Lynryd Skynryd’s southern rock style. Its aesthetic significance lies with its powerful guitar solo and its expression of the restless American spirit.
9. The United States of America (album)
Artist: The United States of America
Release Date: March 6, 1968
Recorded: December 7 to 23, 1967
Label: Columbia
One of the great zeitgeist pieces of the 1960’s, the album is essentially the sound of America during that tumultuous decade. The album is very experimental, using electronic synthesizers and a variety of instruments including classical ones. Much of the album is enthused in the psychedelic rock music that dominated times with its unconventional directions and poetic lyricism, as heard in “Hard Coming Love” or “The Garden Of Earthly Delights.” “Cloud Song”, in particular, takes its lyrics from a poem in A.A. Milne’s Winne The Pooh. The very leftist political air is also touched upon in “Song For The Dead Che.”
10. Relentless (album)
Artist: Bill Hicks
Release Date: 1992
Label: Rykodisc
Bill Hicks has been among the most celebrated American comedians, and in Relentless is contained many of his funniest and most intellectual jokes, in which he covers topics as diverse as pornography, smoking, illegal drugs, and the Gulf War.
11. “The Perils of Indifference”
Speaker: Elie Wiesel
Recording Date: April 12, 1999
Recorded At: Washington D.C.
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel, was a Holocaust survivor who famously chronicled his experiences in the concentration camps of Buchenwald and Auschwitz in Night. He is remembered for his lifelong advocacy to prevent the occurrence of such horrors once more. In his famous speech before Congress and President Clinton, he critiqued the consequences of apathy towards injustice. The speech remains a strong example of his life philosophy.
12. “Chop Suey!”
Artist: System of a Down
Album: Toxicity
Recorded: February 2001 — March 2001
Released: August 13, 2001
Label: American
This song is the epitome of System of a Down’s unique musical style, from Serj Tankian’s strong vocals to Daron Malakian’s charging guitar. The song shifts from fast and confrontational in the first half, to being lyrical and moving in the second, with references to the dying words of Jesus Christ.
13. “Black Hole Sun”
Artist: Soundgarden
Album: Superunknown
Recorded: July–September 1993
Release Date: May 13, 1994
Label: A&M
Soundgarden’s most popular single remains a staple of the grunge genre, with surreal, apocalyptic lyrics written by Chris Cornell, and an acclaimed guitar solo by Kim Thayil. No doubt it is a reflective piece of rock music in the 1990s.
14. “Wake Up”
Artist: Rage Against The Machine
Album: Rage Against The Machine
Release Date: November 3, 1992
Label: Epic
The rock band Rage Against The Machine is well known for their revolutionary, left-wing politics. Their talents, from Tom Morello’s lead guitar to Zach de la Roca’s vocals, are best displayed in their single “Wake Up”, which served as a protest against the hypocrisies and injustices of American society, particularly J. Edgar Hoover’s COINTELPRO. The song even references Martin Luther King’s famous rhetorical phrase, “How long, not long/ Cause what you reap is what you sow.”
15. “Three Skeleton Key”
Speaker: Vincent Price
Program: Escape
Release Date: March 17, 1950
The radio serials such as Escape, Suspense, and Lights Out, were an important part of storytelling in America through acting. By far one of the best segments of these serials was “Three Skeleton Key”, a short story by French author George G. Toudouze about three men trapped in a lighthouse surrounded by rats. This particular episode featured Vincent Prince in the leading role, one of America’s finest vocal talents, who would later go on to do the segment again in 1956 and 1958 for Suspense.
16. “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights”
Speaker: Hillary Clinton
Date Recorded: September 5, 1995
Recorded At: United Nations Fourth World Conference, Beijing, China
Then First Lady Hillary Clinton’s influential speech which put pressure on international powers to make women’s rights a human rights issue, a idea which would later be reflected in her “Hillary Doctrine” as Secretary of State. Clinton’s speech courageously spoke out against the violations of women’s rights in China, against the advice of U.S. officials to soften her rhetoric. The speech has since been an important point in the history of feminism, which inspired leaders around the globe, and the phrase “women’s rights are human rights” has become a common one.
17. “Eight Miles High”
Artist: The Byrds
Album: The Fifth Dimension
Release Date: March 14, 1966
Label: Columbia
While the Byrds did many covers, “Eight Miles High” remains one of their finest original compositions. The sing also had a role in shaping the psychedelic rock of the 1960’s, which was informed by John Coltrane’s Impressions as well as Ravi Shankar’s sitar genius. “Eight Miles High” was banned on U.S. radio stations for possible drug connotations in its lyrics.
18. “Shapes of Things”
Artist: The Yardbirds
Release Date: February 25, 1966
Label: Columbia
What makes the Yardbirds such an influential rock group, is that they provided music with the three of the best guitarists in pop music, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton. The song “Shapes Of Things” captures the anti-war and environmental fervor of the times, with Beck’s particular use of the guitar being influential in the formation of heavy metal.
19. “Pokémon Theme”
Artist: Jason Paige
Album: Pokémon T.B.A. Master
Released: June 29, 1999
Label: Koch Records
Even though Pokémon is of Japanese origin, it has had a strong influence on American pop culture, growing into a cultural phenomenon during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. The “Pokémon Theme”, produced for the English dub of the Pokémon anime, is probably one of the most well-known and popular theme songs. At the height of Pokemania, the song was even sung in music classes for elementary schoolers, and the phrase “Gotta Catch Em All” has been cemented as synonymous with the franchise.
20. Floral Shoppe (album)
Artist: Macintosh Plus (Vektroid/Ramona Xavier)
Label: Beer on the Rug
Year of Release: 2011
While Floral Shoppe is an iconic album of vaporwave genre, an Internet genre that plays on nostalgia for the 1980s and 1990s. The album invokes early computers, the birth of the Internet, and a satirical approach towards the excesses of consumer capitalism. The album art itself was an innovator in the vaporwave “aesthetic”, utilizing bright pink colors, Classical Greek sculptures, the Japanese language, and pre-9/11 Manhattan. The music itself has an overriding theme of romantic longing and unrequited passion.
21. “A More Perfect Union”
Speaker: Barack Obama
Year Recorded: March 18, 2008
President Barack Obama is well-known for the many speeches had given over the course of his presidency, such as his 2004 speech at the DNC and his eulogy at Clementa Pickney’s funeral. Though perhaps his most important is a speech he gave in response to the controversial statements made by Obama’s former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. In this speech, Obama condemns the remarks of his pastor, but contextualizes these remarks by explaining the long history of racism which still affects African-Americans in the United States. He speaks with nuance of Wright, saying that his character represents the very contradictions of the African-American community itself. He ultimately asked Americans to use this opportunity to solve the racial divisions in the country and move towards “a more perfect union.” The speech is widely credited with helping Obama win the presidency in 2008.
22. “Voices of Marvel”
Speakers: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Wally Wood, Don Heck, Flo Steinberg, Sam Rosen, Art Simek, etc.
Date of Release: 1964–1965 (est)
In the 1960s, the Silver Age of Marvel comics had produced popular characters such as the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, The Avengers, Doctor Strange, and the X-Men. During this time, from 1964 until 1969, Marvel readers could join a fan club known as the Merry Marvel Marching Society (M.M.M.S.). Those who joined this club received various items such as T-shirts, certificates, and most memorably, a record labeled “The Voices of Marvel.” On this record, we can hear the rare voices of those who worked on Marvel, such as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Artie Simek, Flo Steinberg, Don Heck, and Wally Wood, as they humorously introduce themselves to the fans. The secretive Steve Ditko, of course, jumps out window before his voice can be recorded. This track remains a valuable record of America’s pop culture history.
23. “Right Here (Human Nature Remix)”
Artist: SWV
Album: It’s About Time
Label: RCA
Date Recorded: 1993
Date Released: July 10, 1993
SWV’s 1993 remix of their earlier R&B hit “Right Here”, famously utilized a sample from Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature.” Jackson’s vocals provided a lovely backdrop for the harmonious vocals of SWV. It proved to be far more popular than the original, with Billboard eventually naming it as the 17th greatest girl group song of all time. It is a great example of sampling and female vocal talent in 90’s R&B. The song also features the voice of a young Pharrell Williams.
24. “…Baby One More Time”
Artist: Britney Spears
Album: …Baby One More Time
Label: Jive
Date Released: September 28, 1998
“…Baby One More Time” was the debut single of Britney Spears, who went to become one of the most famous pop stars of the 1990s and early 2000s. The song remains one of the most popular and influential debuts of all time, highlighting Spears’ vocal talent and sex appeal, in what is a quintessential teen pop hit.
25. “Gangsta’s Paradise”
Artist: Coolio, feat. LV
Album: Gangsta’s Paradise
Year of Release: 1995
Label: Warner Bros, Tommy Boy, MCA
Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” is one of the most iconic and moving and hip-pop songs of the 1990s. Sampling Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise,” the song cleverly reverses the meaning of the original, describing a vicious cycle where black youths are left abandoned by a racist system to fight for themselves, often dying young with dreams left unfulfilled. The song is a resonant a cry for help, to quote the song: “Tell me why are we so blind to see/That the ones we hurt are you and me?”
26. The Mollusk (album)
Artist: Ween
Year of Release: 1997
Label: Elektra
Taking inspiration from sea shanties (“The Blarney Stone”) and psychedelic rock (“The Mollusk”), Ween’s sixth studio album, The Mollusk, unlike their previous albums, Gene and Dean Ween, did not only record this album by themselves, but also with drummer Claude Coleman. The Mollusk has a unique variety of hits, from the surreal “Mutilated Lips” to the comedic “Waving My Dick In The Wind” to the poetic “Cold Blows The Wind” to the catchy “Ocean Man.” To quote Neva Chonin’s review for Rolling Stone: “Stuffed with an inventive assemblage of analog keyboards, found sounds and brogue-encrusted folk songs, The Mollusk is a satirical (and curiously subtle) pastiche of the current musical landscape.” The album was also directly responsible for influencing Stephen Hillenberg’s cartoon Spongebob Squarepants.
27. Hit Vibes (album)
Artist: Saint Pepsi (Robert DeRobertis)
Year Released: 2013
Label: KEATS//COLLECTIVE
Saint Pepsi’s Hit Vibes is a popular and early example of the “future funk” genre. “Future funk” is a spin-off of the “vaporwave” genre which takes 80s songs (most of them Japanese city pop), and remixes them by either slowing them down or chopping and screwing. Future funk builds on vaporwave by adding a disco or funk tempo to the remix. Like vaporwave, future funk also plays on nostalgia for the 80s and 90s. A master in this genre is Robert DeRobertis, known on Hit Vibes as Saint Pepsi. The standout track of the album “Cherry Pepsi”, which highlights DeRobertis’ genius in crafting dance hits that are representative of the genre.
28. “Hips Don’t Lie”
Artist(s): Shakira, feat. Wyclef Jean
Year Released: 2006
Label: Epic
Shakira is a musical talent who has taken the world by storm and has become a symbol of Latin pop music. Her song, “Hips Don’t Lie”, a mix of Latin pop and reggaeton, is a great exhibit of her vocals, as well as the lyricism of Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean. The song became Shakira’s first number one hit on the Billboard 100 and remains one of the most popular dance songs of the 21st century.
29. Live Through This (album)
Artist: Hole
Year Released: 1994
Label: DGC Records
Live Through This is a great example of Hole’s unique blend of grunge and punk rock music. Courtney Love and Erlandson’s lyrics have explicitly feminist themes which had its roots in the “riot grrrl” music of the 1990s. “Doll Parts” and “Jennifer’s Body” explore objectification, “Asking For It” condemns rape culture, while “Miss World” and “Plump” reexamine high beauty standards for women.
30. “All Star”
Artist: Smash Mouth
Year Released: 1999
Label: Interscope
“All Star” is Smash Mouth’s most popular and enduring hit, a defining rock song for many Millennials who grew up hearing it, as well many in Gen Z who are familiar with its ubiquitous usage in memes. The lyrics of “All Star” also carry a new resonance amidst the climate crisis, with their warning of a world on fire. “All Star” has also appeared in numerous films, most famously 2001’s Shrek.
31. Appetite For Destruction (album)
Artist: Guns N’ Roses
Year of Release: 1987
Label: Geffen
Appetite For Destruction was the debut album for Guns N’ Roses, which received mixed reviews upon release, but quickly became a classic in hard rock. Nothing quite like Guns N’ Roses was out at time, as Colette Claire wrote in Consequence of Sound, “Slash’s guitar playing was fluid and full of feeling; Axl Rose’s unique voice and amazing range was unlike any other singer at the time; Duff McKagan’s punk-inspired bass playing gave the music a raw sense of urgency; Izzy Stradlin’s rhythm guitar cleverly weaved in and out of Slash’s leads; and Steven Adler’s workmanlike drums let the other members shine.” The album’s best tracks from the album include “Welcome To The Jungle”, “Paradise City”, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, and “Mr. Brownstone.”
32. Bae (album)
Artist: Yung Bae (Dallas Cotton)
Year of Release: 2014
Bae is the debut album of American future funk artist Yung Bae (Dallas Cotton). Yung Bae had dropped out from Oregon State University and was still living with his parents when he released his debut. Like Saint Pepsi’s Hit Vibes, Bae went on to define the sounds of the future funk and became many people’s introduction to the genre. Future funk is a genre spinoff of vaporwave. While vaporwave sampled old 80’s pop songs and slowed them down, future funk speeds them up and sets the samples to a disco or funk rhythm. Bae does this while also leaning heavily into Japanese retro pop culture, such as his sample of Junko Yagami’s “Bay City” for “Bae City Rollaz.” As a result, his album also contributed to a worldwide revival in popularity in Japanese city pop music. Other standout tracks include “Satisfy”, “I Want Your Love”, and “Fly With Me.
33. “Riddle of Steel/Riders of Doom”
Artist: Basil Poledouris
Year of Release: 1982
Label: MCA Records
Basil Poledouris’ soundtrack for John Milus’ 1982 film adaptation of Conan the Barbarian helped to elevate the fantasy film to the heights of operatic drama. Drawing inspiration from Richard Wagner, Gustav Holst, and Sergei Prokofiev, Poledouris crafted a majestic soundtrack worthy of any classical composer. The sweeping battle theme “Riddle of Steel/Riders of Doom” is the most sweeping and exciting of the many pieces Poledouris made for the film, aided to great effect by the magnificent choir. The theme has also been referenced in pop culture, from Legend of Zelda commercials to the novel Ready Player One.
34. Saturday Morning: Cartoons’ Greatest Hits (album)
Artists: Various, including The Butthole Surfers, Sponge, Ramones, Liz Phair with Material Issue, etc.
Year of Release: 1995
Label: MCA
The 1995 tribute album Saturday Morning: Cartoons’ Greatest Hits, serves not only as a time capsule for the theme songs of popular Saturday morning cartoons, but also for the sounds and style of the 1990s. Some of the most popular rock bands of the time, such as Ramones, Sponge, Tripping Daisy, and Sublime, were tasked with covering Saturday morning cartoon themes from the 1960s to the 1970s. Instantly recognizable songs such as “Go Speed Racer Go!”, “Spider-Man”, “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?” are given transformative rock n’ roll updates. While these covers are faithful to originals, the bands are also able to add their own unique twists to them which elevate songs beyond their original compositions.
35. The Santaland Diaries
Artist: David Sedaris
Year of Release: 1992
Label: National Public Radio (NPR)
Humorist David Sedaris came to national prominence when his essay about working as a Christmas elf at Macy’s was played on National Public Radio in 1992. It is now a yearly tradition and it’s easy to see why. Sedaris aptly finds the humor in a flirtatious gay elf, obnoxious customers, and bizarre wishes for Santa. In this short piece, Sedaris finds the mundane reality of the most “magical” time of the year.
36. More Friends: Music From Final Fantasy (album)
Artist: Nobuo Uematsu, Arnie Roth, RIKKI, Emiko Shiratori, etc.
Year of Release: 2006
Label: Square Enix
The music of the Final Fantasy series is among the most acclaimed in all of video games. For most of the Final Fantasy games, the sole composer was the masterful Nobuo Uematsu. Uemtasu’s music inspired multiple orchestral concerts in Japan, but the first concerts in North America, Dear Friends, toured from 2004 to 2005. Those concerts, however, were not recorded. It wasn’t until May 16, 2005, with the performance of the More Friends concert in Los Angeles, California, that a Final Fantasy concert in America was recorded. The concert collects an eclectic collection of Final Fantasy’s best: the piano piece “To Zanarkand”, the jazzy “Swing de Chocobo”, the metal “Maybe I’m A Lion”, the vocal ballad “Suteki da Ne”, the opera “Maria and Draco”, and choral “One Winged Angel.” The most famous piece at the concert, “Aerith’s Theme”, was voted in 2012 to Classic FM’s Hall of Fame as the 16th greatest piece of classical music ever made. Elizabeth Davis of Classic FM said that the opus is rooted in Romantic music and credits Uematsu with introducing “a whole generation to the magic of orchestral music.”
37. Blueprint for Armageddon (I-VI)
Artist: Dan Carlin
Year of Release: 2013–2015
Dan Carlin is among the most popular history podcasters out there, whose long-form narrations of historical events have the power to transport listeners back in time. Over the course of his career, Carlin has covered the rise of Mongols, the Fall of Rome, and the horrors of slavery, but his epic chronicle of World War I, Blueprint For Armageddon, is his definitive work. Recorded over the course of three years in time for the 100th anniversary for the start of World War I, Carlin uses his breadth of historical knowledge to explain the context for the cataclysm, the horrors it unleashed, the humanity of the peoples involved, and the lessons that we still need to learn today.
38. Wicked (musical album)
Artist(s): Stephen Schwartz, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth
Year of Release: 2003
Label: Decca Broadway
Loosely based on Gregory Maguire’s 1994 re-telling of The Wizard of Oz, Wicked surpasses the source material to tell a moving story of friendship, resistance, and the nature of good and evil. Alongside The Wiz, Wicked is a musical which re-interprets The Wizard of Oz for a new generation. The vocal talents of Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, and many others in the cast bring Stephen Schwartz’s operatic and hummable songs to life, such as “No One Mourns The Wicked”, “What Is This Feeling?”, “Popular,” “Defying Gravity,” and “For Good.” Wicked also came out only months after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, so it also serves as political commentary on the War on Terror era.
