Link copied
Ella Langley returned to The Dandelion Tour in Knoxville on September 24th for her first headline show since ‘Choosin’ Texas’ officially became the longest running No. 1 in Billboard Hot 100 history.
‘Choosin’ Texas’ has now spent 23 weeks at the top of the chart, moving past Mariah Carey’s 22-week stint and joint 19-week runs previously achieved by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus’ ‘Old Town Road’ and Shaboozey’s ‘A Bar Song Tipsy’.
Nineteen weeks at No. 1 once seemed impossible. But what's striking is that when the Hot 100 record has been broken in the last decade, it's been by country songs. Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus's 'Old Town Road' set the previous benchmark in 2019, before Shaboozey's 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' matched it six years later. Now Langley has gone four weeks further than either of them - with another country song.
Langley herself still seems baffled by the whole thing. “I’m genuinely trying to find the words to explain what’s going on in my brain today,” she said, reacting to the news, “It’s changing my life. It’s changing the lives of the writers of this song. It’s changing the lives of my family.” She eventually summed it up pretty simply: “Today doesn’t feel like a real thing. It feels fake.” And that’s why not only is the song loved, but Ella as well.
Then, two days later, she was back doing the thing that got her here in the first place. Langley headlined in Knoxville on Thursday night alongside Kameron Marlowe and Laci Kaye Booth, and there’s a lovely bit of full circle history attached to the venue. She had played the same arena on 23rd February 2024 as an opener for Riley Green’s Ain’t My Last Rodeo Tour, back before her debut album had been released and before ‘you look like you love me’ had given her a first Hot 100 hit.
Just two and a half years later, she came back with her own name at the top of the bill and the longest-running No. 1 in Hot 100 history behind her. No wonder she’s lost for words.
Knoxville was also a pretty perfect place for ‘Choosin’ Texas’ to get its first full headline outing since the record was broken. The Knoxville show was held at the Food City Center which sits on the University of Tennessee campus. And you’ve guessed it… this weekend is game-day, but not just any game day. It’s Tennessee vs. Texas. No explanation needed on the almost serendipitous parallels between the song and the game!
It wasn’t technically Langley’s first show since making history either. On 22nd September, the same day the record was confirmed, she was at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium for the Nashville Songwriter Awards, where ‘Choosin’ Texas’ was named Song of the Year.
“I think it really is a testament to believing in your people,” she told the crowd, explaining how important it had been to find writers who not only worked well with her, but believed in her story too.
Langley hasn’t just crossed over onto the all-genre chart, she’s stayed at the very top longer than any song before her.
