Move over, Mariah. Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” just spent its 23rd week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — the most weeks any song has ever spent on top of America’s biggest singles chart.
Billboard confirmed the record on Tuesday, Sept. 22, for the chart dated Sept. 26. That pushes the country heartbreak song past Mariah Carey’s holiday classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which held the old mark with 22 weeks.
Here’s how a slow-burning country song beat pop’s biggest records, the other chart history it has made, and what could finally knock it off the top.
“Choosin’ Texas” Makes Hot 100 History
The record is official. According to Billboard, “Choosin’ Texas” now has 23 total weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, the longest command in the chart’s history.
Last week, the song tied Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at 22 weeks. This week it took the crown alone.
Those weeks weren’t all in a row. The song first hit No. 1 in February and has bounced back to the top several times. Its current streak began with the chart dated July 4, and it has held No. 1 every week since.
Here’s how the all-time leaderboard now looks for most weeks at No. 1:
- 23 weeks: Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas”
- 22 weeks: Mariah Carey, “All I Want for Christmas Is You”
- 19 weeks: Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, “Old Town Road”
- 19 weeks: Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
- 16 weeks: Morgan Wallen, “Last Night” (among others)
“Old Town Road” and “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” shared the record for non-holiday songs until “Choosin’ Texas” tied them in August with its 19th week, according to Billboard. It passed them the following week.
How “Choosin’ Texas” Got Here
The song’s run started quietly. Langley released “Choosin’ Texas” on Oct. 17, 2025, as the lead single from her second album, Dandelion.
It debuted on the Hot 100 dated Nov. 1, 2025, at No. 39 — Langley’s fifth career entry on the chart. It became her first top 10 in January and first reached No. 1 in February, Billboard reported.
Langley wrote the song with Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert and Joybeth Taylor. She co-produced it with Lambert and Ben West.
The story is simple and very country. The narrator realizes the man she loves is leaving her — and Tennessee — for a woman from Texas. The song name-checks George Strait’s “Amarillo by Morning” as one of the early warning signs.
Langley has kept the real-life inspiration a mystery. She has said she’ll never tell who the song is about.
The Other Records Ella Langley Just Broke
The Hot 100 crown is the headline, but it’s far from the only record. Billboard has tracked a long list of milestones tied to “Choosin’ Texas” and Dandelion. Among them:
- Hot Country Songs: The song logs a 41st week at No. 1 on Billboard’s main country songs chart this week. Back in June, it passed Gabby Barrett’s “I Hope” as the longest-leading hit on that chart by a woman with no other credited artists since it became country’s main songs ranking in 1958.
- A first for women in country: In February it topped the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay at the same time — the first song by a woman to do that, according to MusicRow.
- Digital Song Sales: An 18th week at No. 1, tying BTS’ “Dynamite” and “Butter” for the longest reign in that chart’s history, per Billboard.
- Streaming: NPR reports the song has now spent 23 weeks atop Billboard’s main streaming chart.
- Album power: Dandelion topped 100,000 equivalent album units in four different weeks, the first country album by a woman to do that since the Billboard 200 began measuring units in 2014, according to Billboard.
- Awards sweep: At the 2026 ACM Awards, Langley won all seven of her nominations, including single and song of the year for “Choosin’ Texas,” Billboard noted.
She even blocked herself. Her follow-up single “Be Her” climbed to No. 2 on the Hot 100 — held back from the top only by “Choosin’ Texas,” Consequence noted.
Why “Choosin’ Texas” Won’t Leave No. 1
So how does a midtempo breakup song outlast every pop smash of the streaming era? NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson laid out five reasons. Here’s the short version, plus insights from the Associated Press.
1. It’s a genuinely good song
NPR called it lonesome, twangy, catchy and timeless — the kind of song that could have been a hit in almost any decade. AP described it as a “simmering, midtempo, country-and-then-some heartbreak song.”
USC musicologist Nate Sloan told AP that Langley’s voice is “like syrup.” Rhodes College professor Charles L. Hughes said it blends late-1970s and early-’80s country-soul influences with a modern sound.
2. Country fans moved to streaming
Country music used to live on the radio. Now its audience streams, too. NPR pointed out that the other longest-running No. 1s of recent years — “Old Town Road,” “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and “Last Night” — are all country or country-adjacent.
According to Luminate data cited by AP, “Choosin’ Texas” had racked up 911 million on-demand U.S. streams and 1.26 billion worldwide as of mid-August. Langley started 2023 with under 1 million monthly Spotify listeners. She now has more than 32 million, AP reported.
Spotify editor Claire Heinichen told AP the song moved from the “Hot Country” playlist into “Today’s Top Hits” and mood playlists, because “it really can work everywhere.”
3. Pop is having a down year
NPR noted that last week the top four songs on the Hot 100 were all country or country-adjacent. Big new albums from several pop stars didn’t dominate the charts the way fans expected.
AP added that regular chart-toppers like Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen and Bad Bunny haven’t released new albums this year. That may have cleared the path.
4. There’s too much music
With hundreds of new albums every week, listeners and radio programmers lean on fewer, proven hits, NPR said. Once a song reaches No. 1 on both radio and streaming, its success can feed on itself.
5. Sales still matter
Downloads help settle close races for No. 1. NPR said the song added about 6,000 more sold copies this week. Headline Planet reported the song ranked No. 1 in sales, No. 1 in streams and No. 2 in radio this week.
What’s Next for “Choosin’ Texas”?
A 24th week looks possible. Headline Planet said the song has “a clear path” to another week on top, since there’s no obvious competition in the current tracking period.
After that, the biggest threat is Taylor Swift. She announced a new single, “Patient Zero,” due Friday, Sept. 25. Headline Planet and NPR both expect it could debut at No. 1 soon after.
But NPR’s Thompson thinks a Swift debut may only be a brief interruption. He suggested the song’s run may not truly end until December — when holiday songs, including Carey’s, come back to the chart.
That sets up a fun question for the charts: could “Choosin’ Texas” and “All I Want for Christmas Is You” trade the top spot for years? NPR joked about exactly that.
Langley’s reaction
Langley has been soaking it in. In comments reported by Billboard after the news, she said “today doesn’t feel like a real thing.” She is on tour now, with stops in Knoxville, Columbus and Moline this week and Red Rocks in October, per Consequence.
The Takeaway
“Choosin’ Texas” is now the longest-running No. 1 song in Billboard Hot 100 history, with 23 weeks on top. It beat Mariah Carey’s 22-week holiday record and the 19-week runs of “Old Town Road” and “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”
The recipe is a strong song, a country audience that now streams, a quiet year for pop, and steady sales. Whether Taylor Swift’s “Patient Zero” breaks the streak or just pauses it, Langley’s place in chart history is already secure.
For more music records, TV picks and box office news, keep it locked to USA One News. Looking for something to watch while you listen? Check out our list of fall 2026 TV shows worth watching, plus our breakdown of how Nielsen’s streaming Top 10 works.
