To condense the Golden Record down to 10 songs I tried to get a blend of sung and instrumental songs, from various times and cultures. I think music is highly cultural and personal making it very difficult to curate an album like this (so maybe the extra-terrestrials wouldn’t even appreciate the golden record). I felt like classical European music was over represented so cut it down to two songs (one instrumental and one opera). I tried to pick at least one song from each inhabited continent as well. I feel like recorded poems or oral stories from around the world would have fit well on the record as a sample of what earth has to offer in addition to the music.

10 songs

1. Beethoven, Fifth Symphony, First Movement, the Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer, conductor.
2. Mozart, The Magic Flute, Queen of the Night aria, no. 14. Edda Moser, soprano. Bavarian State Opera, Munich, Wolfgang Sawallisch, conductor.
3. “Johnny B. Goode,” written and performed by Chuck Berry.
4. “Melancholy Blues,” performed by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven.
5. Senegal, percussion, recorded by Charles Duvelle.
6. Peru, wedding song, recorded by John Cohen.
7. Navajo Indians, Night Chant, recorded by Willard Rhodes.
8. Azerbaijan S.S.R., bagpipes, recorded by Radio Moscow.
9. Australia, Aborigine songs, “Morning Star” and “Devil Bird,” recorded by Sandra LeBrun Holmes.
10. Java, court gamelan, “Kinds of Flowers,” recorded by Robert Brown.