There are few better signs you’ve made a hit than spending 21 weeks at number one. Although usually, people have heard of the song in question.

Country star Ella Langley has found herself in the slightly bizarre position of being behind one of the biggest chart successes in US history while a baffled corner of the internet asks the same question: who on earth is listening to it?

Her track Choosin’ Texas has now spent a staggering 21 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, making it the second-longest-running number one since the chart began in 1958.

That puts Langley just one week behind Mariah Carey’s festive juggernaut All I Want for Christmas Is You, which holds the all-time record with 22 weeks at the summit.

Should Choosin’ Texas hang onto number one for another week – something its current dominance suggests is entirely possible – Langley will equal a record held by one of the most famous songs on the planet.

And if it manages a 23rd week? She’ll take the crown for herself.

That prospect has come as something of a shock to people who have apparently managed to spend the past five months completely untouched by the biggest song in America.

‘I’ve never heard that song in my life; who the hell is that woman?’ one bewildered X user asked.

Another was equally confused, writing: ‘tf? how? i haven’t heard this song or seen this girls face ONCE until now…’

‘Who is this woman for the love of god who’s listening to this,’ demanded someone else.

One Mariah fan was considerably less worried, pointing out that Christmas – and therefore the annual defrosting of the Queen of Christmas – is rapidly approaching.

‘I dont even know the songgg are yall sure??? anyway christmas is around the corner so definitely more listens for mariahh,’ they wrote.

Despite the online disbelief, the numbers suggest that somebody is very much listening.

Choosin’ Texas has remained a powerhouse across streaming, sales and radio airplay, the three measurements used to compile the Hot 100.

It is currently number one on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart for a 21st week, giving Langley another piece of history in the process.

The achievement moves her beyond Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus’s Old Town Road, which spent 20 weeks at the top of the streaming ranking beginning in 2019.

Once again, only Mariah stands above her – although with a little more breathing room this time.

All I Want for Christmas Is You has accumulated 26 weeks at number one on Streaming Songs since first reaching the summit in 2019, returning during successive festive seasons rather than completing its run in one go.

Choosin’ Texas, meanwhile, has managed all 21 of its weeks during its current blockbuster run.

And its dominance extends well beyond those two charts.

Langley’s hit has spent 39 weeks at number one on Hot Country Songs and 34 at the top of Country Streaming Songs, while appearing on 11 Billboard rankings overall.

Its success is increasingly travelling beyond America too. Choosin’ Texas has climbed to a new peak of 33 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and sits at number two on the Global 200, which includes US streams and purchases.

So while a vocal group of internet users may insist they have never heard Choosin’ Texas, an awful lot of other people clearly have – repeatedly.

Langley now only needs them to keep listening for another week to put her name alongside Mariah’s in the record books.

And after that, the most successful number one in Hot 100 history could belong to a song some people are apparently still discovering exists.


Comment now
Comments

Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google
Add as preferred source