Library of Congress Adds "It's a Small World" to National Recording Registry

Few Disney songs are as divisive as the theme from “it’s a small world.”

It’s a world of laughter for some but a world of tears for others when this memorable melody gets stuck in your head. Whether or not you’ve even been on this attraction in Disneyland or Disney World, chances are good that you know the song well. And now, it will continue to get stuck in your head for years to come as it’s being memorialized in a BIG way!

“It’s a Small World” is one of the songs being selected for The National Recording Registry this year! Every year since 2000, The Library of Congress has selected 25 songs to be preserved for generations to come as “sounds of history.”

During an interview with NPR, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden explained, “The National Recording Registry reflects the diverse music and voices that have shaped our nation’s history and culture through recorded sound.”

“It’s a Small World” was released by The Disneyland Boys Choir in 1964 as part of the “it’s a small world” attraction at the New York World’s Fair that same year. Later, of course, the attraction was moved to Disneyland and similar attractions opened in other Disney parks. Now, the theme song will be remembered forever as part of The National Recording Registry.

The repetitive yet somehow magical tune is joining “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey, and the entirety of Wu-Tang Clan’s 1993 album, “Enter the Wu-Tang” as a 2022 entry to the Registry.

Congratulations to “It’s a Small World” on being preserved in The National Recording Registry! For more Disney news, be sure to stay tuned to AllEars.