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Admit It: ‘Choosin’ Texas’ Is the Song of the Summer
Rolling Stone music writer Marissa R. Moss argues that Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" is the clear Song of the Summer for 2026, yet has been largely overlooked by critics and list-makers compiling their own rankings. The piece suggests this snub may stem from the track's overtly country sound, at a time when previous country-flavoured summer hits have leaned more heavily on pop influences, and when no woman has ever had a country song named Song of the Summer since Billboard began tracking in 1958.
The article cites the song's Number One run on the Hot 100 as potentially the longest by a woman with a non-holiday song in over 15 weeks, surpassing marks set by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, and notes it also leads Billboard's Summer Songs Chart ahead of Drake and Taylor Swift. It points to the track's continued virality on TikTok, its crossover appeal across country radio and club settings, and endorsements such as Drake playing it during a DJ set, as evidence of its dominance, while lamenting its absence from several prominent "Song of the Summer" lists.
In short
- Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" is called the real 2026 Song of the Summer.
- It's leading Billboard charts but snubbed by many critics' lists.
- Writer suggests its country sound may explain the lack of recognition.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
"Choosin' Texas" demonstrates all the hallmarks that ordinarily define Song of the Summer—a record-breaking Number One hot streak, leadership on the Summer Songs Chart, sustained viral popularity across platforms, and crossover success spanning country radio and mainstream venues. The systematic absence of country songs and women-led country tracks from such recognition suggests institutional bias rather than reasonable editorial disagreement. When a song achieves measurable dominance by these conventional standards, omitting it from major rankings calls into question the integrity of the selection process.
The case against
"Song of the Summer" designates not a statistical fact but a subjective assessment of what captured that season's cultural essence—a judgment that reasonably differs from chart performance and streaming metrics, which reflect marketing, algorithms, and demographic consumption patterns rather than universal cultural resonance. Editors can legitimately assess that commercial success, however substantial, does not necessarily equate to the kind of broad zeitgeist significance that defines the category. Attributing editorial choices to bias, rather than accepting different but reasonable critical assessments, itself reflects assumptions about what such rankings ought to measure.
Explained simply
Every summer, music critics and publications release lists identifying the year's best song. Rolling Stone music writer Marissa R. Moss argues that Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" is the clear Song of the Summer for 2026, yet the track has been largely overlooked by critics and list-makers. The article suggests that the song's straightforward country style may explain why it has been excluded from major lists.
"Choosin' Texas" has achieved significant commercial success. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and held that position for what may be the longest run by a woman with a non-holiday song in over 15 weeks, and it currently leads Billboard's Summer Songs Chart ahead of releases from Drake and Taylor Swift. The track has also become popular on TikTok and has crossed from country radio into club settings.
The article notes that no woman has ever had a country song recognised as Song of the Summer since Billboard began tracking in 1958. It observes that recent summer hits with country influences have typically leaned more towards pop, whereas "Choosin' Texas" is distinctly country in sound. To support its argument, the article points to the song's commercial records, viral popularity, and endorsements from major musicians as evidence of its dominance.
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