Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ Is Running Out of Hot 100 Records to Break

America is REALLY Settling into This ‘Texas’ Two-Step

(Aug. 10, 2026) – Way back on May 1, a friend whose name shall not be mentioned (hint: it’s Bob Ridge) predicted that Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ would match — and then surpass — the 19-week record for non-holiday singles at No. 1 on the Hot 100.  At the time, Langley’s single was only in its seventh week at the top, so such a prediction was extremely bold, kind of like when that Texas football team’s (hint: Dallas Cowboys’) fans proclaim that it’s their Super Bowl season after two wins to start an NFL campaign.

I scoffed at the notion but conceded that it was more likely that “Texas” would break the less prestigious but just as remarkable “yo-yo” record – that is, the record for most moves in and out of the No. 1 position.  At the time, Langley’s twangy heartbreak anthem had two-stepped in and out of the chart’s top spot four times, but with high-profile releases by Olivia Rodrigo, Drake and Ariana Grande on the horizon, multiple impending interruptions – and subsequent returns to No. 1 – seemed like a safer bet.

It appears that I was both right and wrong.  I was right about the yo-yo thing – “Texas” has now made six moves in and out of the No. 1 spot since it first reached the pinnacle on the Valentine’s Day chart (dated Feb. 14).  That’s more than any other non-holiday song in Hot 100 history (and second only to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” with too many returns to count).

But that first No. 1 ascension for “Texas” was six months ago.  Half a year later, it’s still No. 1.  In fact, since it made that sixth move into the No. 1 position on July 4 (apparently it likes holidays; it also made one of its returns during Easter and now has its sights on Labor Day), it hasn’t let up.  This week’s chart (dated Aug. 15) marks the seventh-consecutive week at the top and the 17th overall for Langley’s breakthrough smash.

And it’s showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.  In other words, the Hot 100’s ultimate yo-yo record-holder has suddenly stopped yo-yoing.

“Choosin’ Texas” is earning more weekly chart points now than it was in February and is only experiencing an erosion of about 1 to 2 percent each week.  The lead it has over this week’s No. 2 tune (Ariana Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me”) is far greater than the gap between it and the Valentine’s Day No. 2 (“Man I Need” by Olivia Dean).

Because of that and the fact that there don’t appear to be any strong releases on the horizon to threaten her reign, Langley could easily match the 19-week non-holiday record established by two other recent country marathoners: “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X and “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey.

Additionally, by late September, Langley could conceivably shatter the all-time No. 1 longevity record held by Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which only established its 22-week high mark this past January.

If its current rate of erosion holds — and barring a blockbuster release that changes the equation — Langley’s tune could conceivably bank 30 or more total weeks at No. 1 before Mariah’s “All I Want” or another holiday perennial finally dethrones it.  That would be major news — a development that few chart watchers, with maybe the exception of Bob Ridge, could have predicted seven months ago when Carey’s tune achieved the record while “Choosin’ Texas” hadn’t even made the top ten.

Mariah may ultimately reclaim the crown during some future holiday season.  But for now, Langley is striking while the branding iron is red hot — and leaving scorch marks all over the Hot 100 record books. 

Consider what “Choosin’ Texas” has already accomplished:

·  At 17 weeks, “Texas” is already the longest-running non-holiday No. 1 tune by a solo female, having surpassed hits by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.

·  It has now spent more weeks at No. 1 than all of this year’s other No. 1 songs combined.

·  The 27-week span between “Choosin’ Texas”’s first and most recent weeks at No. 1 is a record for any song during a continuous chart run.  Before Langley’s juggernaut, Harry Styles stretched his 15-week No. 1 run for “As It Was” across a 25-week span in 2022, and Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” spread its 16 No. 1 weeks across 23 chart frames in 2023.  As a footnote, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” technically stretched its three No. 1 weeks across 41 chart frames, from May 2024 to February 2025, but that span included a one-week disappearance from the Hot 100 during the annual holiday takeover — meaning it wasn’t one continuous chart run.  Langley’s first and latest No. 1 appearances 27 chart weeks apart during one uninterrupted run conveys a unique kind of endurance, and it would be even more remarkable if she even surpasses Lamar’s 41-week mark.

·  Perhaps nothing illustrates “Texas”’ staying power better than this: everyone around her changed.  She didn’t.  “Texas” is the first song in over 3 years to rule an entirely different top ten during a continuous chart run from its first to its most recent crowning.  Below is a side-by-side graphic of the two top ten lists.  The last time this happened was in January 2023 when Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” ended her run while heading a top ten filled with songs by other artists after first leading the prior November in a top ten consisting of all Taylor Swift songs.  The last time this happened where an artist’s own top ten sweep wasn’t involved was in 2022 when Styles’ “As It Was” did it.  

·  Unless “Be Her” eventually reaches the summit, Langley will become the first artist since Mariah Carey to occupy No. 1 while another of her own singles peaks at No. 2. Back in 2005, Carey’s “We Belong Together” held firm at No. 1 while its follow-up, “Shake it Off,” was stuck at No. 2.  “Be Her” reached No. 2 back in May, while “Choosin’” was holding court at the top. (This stat excludes artists who swept the chart’s upper tier as part of an album release, like Taylor, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar.)

·  Last week Langley also shared space in the top five with Morgan Wallen’s latest, “Been by Now,” as well as her duet with Wallen on “I Can’t Love You Anymore,” marking the first time that partners in a top five duet (and in non-featured lead roles) were concurrently listed in the region with their own solo hits.  That happened to be the week Langley presided over country music’s first sweep of the Hot 100’s top five. 

·  Langley is on track to be the only first-time No. 1 artist of 2026.  All the other acts that topped the chart so far this year also did so in previous years.  If both things hold — if Langley remains 2026’s only first-time chart-topper and “Choosin’ Texas” finishes as the year’s biggest Hot 100 hit — she’ll accomplish something unprecedented: the year’s lone newcomer to the No. 1 club will also have its biggest song.

Which brings us back to Bob Ridge.

Three months ago, 19 weeks sounded preposterous.  Now Langley is two weeks away from matching that mark, five from Mariah’s all-time record, and — barring some currently unseen chart wrecking ball — nowhere near finished.  Indeed, what initially looked like a quirky, interruption-prone No. 1 has somehow evolved into a legitimate threat to virtually every Hot 100 longevity record.

So, Bob, I’ll concede this much: you may have been onto something.

But if “Choosin’ Texas” actually gets to 30 weeks at No. 1, I’m drawing the line.  I’ll still refuse to listen when that Texas team’s fans start predicting who will win the next Super Bowl.

I’m not Choosin’ Texas.

DJRob

DJRob (he/him) is a freelance music blogger from the East Coast who covers R&B, hip-hop, disco, pop, rock and country genres – plus lots of music news and current stuff!  You can follow him on Bluesky at @djrobblog.bsky.social, X (formerly Twitter) at @djrobblog, on Facebook or on Meta’s Threads.

DJRob (@djrobblog) on Threads

You can also register for free by selecting the menu bars above to receive notifications of future articles.