It’s late July, the time of year when the days are long, the parents are restless, and everyone is consumed with a seasonal debate: What exactly is the Song of the Summer? Though this amorphous title isn’t usually anointed until around Labor Day, the chatter starts almost as soon as the season heats up. In today’s social media-centric, algorithm-driven market, however, it’s harder than ever to reach consensus. Still, one thing seems pretty clear to me — Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” is hands down the song of Summer 2026.
So, why aren’t we admitting it yet?
If the song stays Number One on the Hot 100 this week, “Choosin’ Texas” will surpass Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” as the only non-holiday song by a woman to hold the top spot for more than 15 weeks. According to the Billboard Summer Songs Chart, it’s already the clear winner, with Drake and Taylor Swift trailing behind. Langley’s defining hit is still viral on TikTok, and it’s on both country radio and the dance floor — even Drake, one of Langley’s competitors for this year’s title, played it himself during a DJ set, while others have been offering up their own remixed takes.
But even if you leave all of the pervasive data behind — after all, Song of the Summer runs as much on vibes as anything else — “Choosin’ Texas” still should lay claim to the spot. With its relaxed dancehall melody, catchy guitar lick, and Langley’s buttery twang, it just feels good. And that’s what a true summer song should be. A singable, danceable, and drink-to-able jam that makes you forget about your troubles, roll the windows down (global warming be damned!), and pour a cold one any time it comes on the radio or your playlist. At the end of the day, it’s about nostalgia. That a Song of the Summer can capture a sort of bygone, bittersweet feeling of ephemeral youth is just as important as being a nightclub staple.
Yet many online Song of the Summer lists don’t even include “Choosin’ Texas.” It’s not a contender here, nor is it one here. Or here. While “Choosin’ Texas” is in the running in plenty of other conversations, it seems like a song this omnipresent should have been crowned the warm-weather champ by now. In 2024, The Guardian was already anointing “Espresso” with the title in June. It’s hard not to wonder if the inherent countryness of “Choosin’ Texas” leaves some list-makers and critics hesitant to hop onboard.
After all, there’s arguably never been a Song of the Summer contender that sounds this country. While Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night,” and the Wallen/Post Malone collab “I Had Some Help” have all taken the title in recent years, they contain just as many pop signifiers as they do anything distinctly country. And no woman has ever had a country song dubbed “Song of the Summer” in the existence of Billboard’s tracking, which dates back until 1958. Not Taylor Swift, not Shania Twain.
“Choosin’ Texas” is all of these things: as country as can be, and sung by a woman. And, above all, it feels like a summer song. It’s breezy, catchy, feel-good with a throwback melody that satisfies that nostalgic itch. But the bias against country music — despite its rising popularity — still reigns. The cultural kiss-off of “I listen to everything but country” has yet to die, and remains a surefire way to demonstrate not just a musical taste but a position of class (“Anything but Country” is the title of a whole chapter of Nadine Hubbs’ book Rednecks, Queers & Country Music, which analyzes this in detail).
Langley has also not signified her own personal politics, which is one of the only reliable ways a country artist can surpass the stereotypical coastal assumptions about their music. But the chorus of “Choosin’ Texas”? That seems like something that everyone can agree on.
Online, offline, young and old, in the car and at the club, the song, written by Langley, Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, and Joybeth Taylor, has been unbeatable since its release last October. So, I’ve seen and heard enough: “Choosin’ Texas” is the Song of the Summer, a country song with steel guitar and mandolin that mentions not one but two Southern states, sung by a female artist from Alabama. In a divided world, maybe choosin’ to admit it can actually do us all a lot of good.
