More than 30 years ago, Microsoft commissioned Brian Eno to create the now-iconic Windows 95 reboot chime. Now, the meticulously created “Microsoft Sound” is among this year’s selection of 25 “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” pieces of recorded music archived into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
Other 2025 inductions include classic albums like Tracy Chapman’s self-titled debut, Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black, Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, the Hamilton original cast recording, and Mary J. Blige’s My Life.
Celine Dion’s Titanic anthem “My Heart Will Go On,” Charley Pride’s “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin,’” Vicente Fernandez’s ranchera song “El Rey,” and Chuck Thompson’s radio broadcast of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series have also been added. See the full list below and take a look at the Library of Congress’ full registry here.
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In a 1996 interview with SFGate, Eno spoke about composing the Windows 95 startup sound: “The thing from the agency said, ‘We want a piece of music that is inspiring, universal, blah-blah, da-da-da, optimistic, futuristic, sentimental, emotional,’ this whole list of adjectives, and then at the bottom it said ‘and it must be 3 1/4 seconds long.’”
The ambient music legend explained that he composed 84 “tiny, tiny little pieces of music” before creating the final arpeggio, which actually came in around five or six seconds. Revisit it for nostalgia’s sake below.
2025 National Recording Registry:
Hawaiian Quintette – “Aloha ‘Oe” (1913)
Brother Bones & His Shadows – “Sweet Georgia Brown” (1949)
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans – “Happy Trails” (1952)
Chuck Thompson – Radio Broadcast of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series (1960)
Harry Urata Field Recordings (1960-1980)
Don Rickles – Hello Dummy! (1968)
Chicago – Chicago Transit Authority (1969)
Miles Davis – Bitches Brew (1970)
Charley Pride – “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’” (1971)
Helen Reddy – “I Am Woman” (1972)
Vicente Fernandez – “El Rey” (1973)
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Freddy Fender – “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” (1975)
Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker – I’ve Got the Music in Me (1975)
Keith Jarrett – The Koln Concert (1975)
Steve Miller Band – Fly Like an Eagle (1976)
Nimrod Workman Collection (1973-1994)
Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman (1988)
Mary J. Blige – My Life (1994)
Brian Eno – Microsoft Windows Reboot Chime (1995)
Celine Dion – “My Heart Will Go On” (1997)
Chanticleer – Our American Journey (2002)
Amy Winehouse – Back to Black (2006)
Daniel Rosenfeld – Minecraft: Volume Alpha (2011)
Original Hamilton Broadway Cast – Hamilton: An American Musical (2015)
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