A Traditional Country Song is Now The Longest-Running #1 (and addressing it’s criticisms)

Random Notes 24 Comments


It’s officially official. Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” is now the longest-running #1 single in the all-genre Billboard 100 history—a history that goes back all the way to 1958. This week, the song spent its 23rd week at #1, breaking the record that was held by Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” originally released in 1994, and bolstered by seasonal spins around the Holidays each year.

It’s really hard to put into words just how historic this achievement is, primarily because it was done by a country artist instead of a pop one, that it was done without the aid of a remix or a featured performer, and that it was done by a country woman to boot. But the biggest wow factor is that overall, “Choosin’ Texas” is a traditional-leaning country song, completely organically written and recorded, with prominent steel guitar, and lyrics about heartbreak and two-step dancing.

Historically, where does this rate in the grand scheme of country music achievements? It certainly ranks above Chris Stapleton’s big breakout in 2015 with his song “Tennessee Whiskey,” which despite its success and longevity, could only muster #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. It certainly eclipses other long-running #1’s like Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” and Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” both of which borrowed heavily from other songs, and catered to cross genre appeal.

Morgan Wallen has enjoyed some big success recently, but his longest-running Hot 100 “Last Night” only lasted 16 weeks. And it’s important to underscore that “Choosin’ Texas” is not done. It could pad itself with more weeks at #1 heading into the fall. In fact, it’s almost certain to add a few more before falling out of the #1 spot.

You really have to go back to the “Class of ’89” (Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Clint Black, and Travis Tritt), and Garth’s big breakout beyond country with his album No Fences, and the song “Friends in Low Places” to find a comparable cultural moment for country, especially anything coming close to traditional country. Zooming out further, perhaps you could even compare the Ella Langley moment to the breakout of Hank Williams with “Lovesick Blues” in 1949 that put him and country music on the map for many.

Ella Langley is still a young performer, and a lot still needs to be determined where her career might end up. It’s way too early to declare her an all-time great in country music like Garth or Hank. But it’s impossible to characterize her as a one hit wonder. If it wasn’t for “Choosin’ Texas,” Ella’s singles “Be Her” and “I Can’t Love You Anymore” with Morgan Wallen would have also been Billboard 100 #1’s. Langley’s album Dandelion also continues to be one of the top records in all of music, coming in at #2 this week, and #1 last week—6 months after its release.

The numbers and momentum behind “Choosin’ Texas” are incredible, and inarguable. But on cue, some (if not many) are saying this achievement is hollow for Langley, that it has nothing to do with the the song itself but the way music is consumed these days, or that it must be the product of some big market manipulation. But a lot of these gripes frankly have to do with narrow viewpoints, Stan armies looking to stir beefs, and are unsubstantiated by any actual evidence that the rise of “Choosin’ Texas” was anything but organic.

Is “Choosin’ Texas” the greatest song of all time? Of course not. It’s not even the greatest country song of all time, or in the conversation. Does it include some pop elements mixed in with the traditional country ones? Of course it does. Has it benefited from elements like the streaming era and other factors that have allowed it to rise above other historical #1s? Sure it has. And “Choosin’ Texas” still has some way to go to beat out songs like “I Will Always Love You” and “All I Want For Christmas Is You” in overall consumption.

But frankly, it’s a little surprising how much this achievement and “Choosin’ Texas” overall is written off, especially by many in the country music community itself who love to characterize it as a meaningless pop song. Here are some of the biggest complaints about the song, and the counter-arguments.

“Choosin’ Texas” Really Isn’t a Traditional Country Song. It’s Pop

This is just flat out untrue. Pop songs in 2026 are completely programmed via samples and drum machines, sung through Autotune filters, and often with hip-hop inflections in the delivery. Go listen to the latest songs from Doja Cat or Olivia Rodrigo. That’s pop in 2026. One of the reasons “Choosin’ Texas” has been so resonant is because it’s so organic, and wholly unique in the popular music landscape. In a moment when everything feels fake, “Choosin’ Texas” is something real.

Sure, “Choosin’ Texas” does draw from some ’80s “Urban Cowboy” influences that 40 years ago, might have been considered a version of country pop. But that was 40 years ago, not today. Pop music in 2026 doesn’t have steel guitar in it. Pop country from the early 2000s didn’t even include steel guitar.

What led to the explosion of ‘Choosin’ Texas”? A lot of it likely is tied back to the “Yellowstone Effect,” a.k.a. the countryfication of American culture coming out of the pandemic. The wild popularity of the Paramount TV show created an incredible appetite for this kind of “Choosin’ Texas” authenticity. The song also obviously has real and lasting granular appeal with listeners. Plenty of manufactured singles get to #1. None has sustained that level as long as Langley’s.

“Choosin’ Texas” isn’t the longest-running #1 in Billboard Hot 100 history in spite of being a traditional country song. It’s because it’s a traditional country song. It is the perfect example of appeal meeting the moment in a fortuitous twist of fate. Timing is often everything in music, and it was for this song. Langley herself has said they never expected this from the track. They were just hoping for a #1 for a week or two in country. Now she’s responsible for one of the most popular songs in the history of American culture.

There is nothing more damaging to the cool factor of an artist or a piece of music to independent and grassroots-oriented music fans than popularity. When Chris Stapleton was fronting the bluegrass band The Steeldrivers, it was considered scandalous he wasn’t more popular. As soon as he became popular through “Tennessee Whiskey,” he was cast off by many as a pop star. Ella Langley is suffering the same fate, just like many before her have, as will many after. But the fundamentals of “Choosin’ Texas” don’t change. People can tell you it’s pop all day. But it’s not.

“I’ve Never Heard The Song”

It’s certainly true that the way music is consumed these days, and the way culture is so bifurcated and Balkanized in America, it’s very possible that someone might go about their daily business and never hear “Choosin’ Texas.” That doesn’t mean it’s not popular and resonant, and that many millions of people aren’t hearing it, enjoying it, streaming it, singing it at karaoke bars across the country, and ordering it up on TouchTunes. The data proves that they are.

Really, this has just as much to do with some consumers being out-of-touch as much as it has to do with the relative popularity of “Choosin’ Texas.” A lot of this sentiment is coming from older consumers as well. That doesn’t mean that the fundamentals of American culture haven’t shifted where there’s few moments where we’re all enjoying the same things. But “Choosin’ Texas” has definitely permeated the cutlure, and broken through the zeitgeist.

Back in the early ’80s, there were only three television networks, only a handful of radio formats, and no internet. So everyone partook in the same cultural conversation, unlike today. But none of this is Ella Langley’s fault, or lessens the impact of “Choosin’ Texas.” In fact, the way the song has become so relatively ubiquitous is uncanny due to how fractured American culture currently is. That doesn’t mean music consumption habits in 2026 didn’t somehow feed into this record. But that doesn’t mean the record is hallow, or phony. Langley earned it.

For some really good perspective on this criticism, Texas Monthly published a great feature where the writer interviewed his 10 year old daughter about the song.

“When I was at camp, they played Ella Langley, and when they turned on ‘Choosin’ Texas,’ everyone started singing it, and it was really fun,” the daughter said. “It was nice, because even though nobody knew everybody, it felt like everybody was a family or something, because we all enjoyed the same thing.”


Ella Langley and “Choosin’ Texas” were “Manufactured,” “Astroturfed,” etc.

With an artists like Stella Lefty and her song “Boston,” it’s fair to question just how “organic” its rise was, and many have. There are serious bits of evidence to substantiate people’s suspicions. But with Ella and “Choosin’ Texas,” this just isn’t the case. It’s really improbable what it’s done, and for the most part, unintentionally. Sure, there is a big major label behind it, and as soon as it started crossing over to pop, they promoted the song there. But the rise has still been mostly slow, steady, intuitive, and evolving over time.

Some have even surmised that the rise of “Choosin’ Texas” is some sort of political op meant to move the American population in a more right-wing direction through the mechanism of country music. The problem with this theory is that Ella Langley herself has refused to be politically pigeon holed, despite the efforts of some. Also, the rise of “Choosin’ Texas” has paralleled a sharp decline in the popularity of President Trump and Republicans in general, undercutting this theory.

There are plenty of artists and songs that it’s fair to question how they got where they did. Think of the controversies surrounding Geese and others bands. With Ella Langley, there’s not really any of that fire, and there’s not really any smoke. “Choosin’ Texas” got here via its own volition.

– – – – – – – –

You don’t have to love “Choosin’ Texas” or even to like it. You can remained confounded why it’s this song that has broken out into the greater culture. You can be worried that all of this might make country music “trendy,” and thus, significantly more uncool in the coming years. But if you’re an advocate for actual country music, and music sung by humans and played by humans, you should be happy “Choosin’ Texas” has done what it’s done. It will open doors for other country artist. It’s proven that country women can be economically viable in the popular music space, and with country songs. And the song is good, even if it’s not great.

This is a massive moment that will go down in history. Enjoy it while it lasts, because you were around to see it and experience it. And a similar moment might never come around ever again.

– – – – – – – – – – –

If you found this article valuable, consider leaving Saving Country Music A TIP.

© 2025 Saving Country Music

, , , ,