​First track from a video game entered into the US Library of Congress

The first ever track from a video game has been entered into the US Library of Congress along with 24 more pieces of music and historic artefacts.

The original 1985 Super Mario Bros theme tune was declared one of the “defining sounds of the nation’s history and culture”, and has been placed into the US national recording registry in Washington D.C.

It marks the first time a video game theme tune has ever entered the historic research library, which collects a number of culturally or historically important recordings throughout the years.

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“A video game theme song, probably the most recognizable in history, is also a first for the #NatRecRegistry,” the Library of Congress announced on Twitter yesterday.

“The Super Mario Bros. theme by Koji Kondo helped establish the game's legendary status & proved that the Nintendo sound chip was capable of vast musical complexity.”

Each year, 25 new artefacts are entered into the US Library of Congress. Others in contention for cultural recognition this year include Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’, and the entirety of Madonna’s 1984 record ‘Like a Virgin’.

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Queen Latifah also made history this year as the first female rapper entered into the registry with her 1989 record ‘All Hail the Queen’.

Other artefacts inducted into the Library of Congress span almost 100 years, and include albums, tracks, and voice recordings from recent history including radio reports from Dorothy Thompson in the lead up to World War II in 1939.

Of those entering the registry, Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)’ John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ and Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ also made the cut.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter