Why "Choosin' Texas" Has Resonated

I've been thinking about Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" a lot lately. Since she and the song are all over social media, that's understandable. I've read opinions both glowing and savage, along with some takes that are simply ignorant. ("The song was clearly written by AI.")

You might be surprised to learn that the single was released in October of 2025, going on a year ago. So why now? Well, part of what drew the casual listener's attention is that "Choosin' Texas" is now the longest-running number one single by a female artist (15 weeks, surpassing Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey).

I vaguely remember sampling the song way back when, when it was written about on Saving Country Music. SCM is the place to learn about new country artists and tracks, and the owner/writer always accompanies his articles with music videos. I'm a very impatient listener when it comes to new music. Having been around a long while, I remember good country music, authentic country music; and thus my opinions of new tracks is justifiably harsh. I don't care so much whether a song is good or even if the singer is, but what galls me is how most of the artists have taken a beautiful genre and stubbed it out beneath their feet. Changed it to fit their poppish tastes.

Admittedly, I don't think I even listened to the whole song, but I heard enough to sit up and take notice. What's this? Some obscure regional artist fooling around with a traditional country song that's going to go nowhere? Very, very nice, but it won't get enough notice to change anything. The oldsters might buy it, but there aren't enough of them to make any sort of difference. 

When the single began taking off, I didn't even connect the title to the song I'd briefly listened to. I'm totally out of the new music loop, having been burned by slop ever since the year 2000, when I stopped listening completely. Then I finally listened to the track in its entirety. Turns out, it's pretty much perfect. Don't just take my word for it. Which demo has the song resonated with the most? Gen Z and Millennials. Wait--what? Those youngsters couldn't know anything about real country music!

Here's what it does right:

1. It's catchy. You'll remember the melody and most likely the chorus, and it will invade your brain. (Trust me.) 

2. It tells a story, an emotional one. It's relatable. Ella is not playing "girl boss" here. Her heart is breaking. 

3. The lyrics are just right. They don't try to do too much; they don't overthink it. They hammer the theme home using simple, direct words. (One person on X criticized the "near rhymes" and suggested better ones. He's obviously not a songwriter. He claimed, "I put him right back into her arms, I wasn't a match for that kinda spark" should be "I wasn't a match for that kinda charm". Is that phony or what? Nobody talks like that.)

4. When the chorus kicks in, it ramps up the emotion. Exactly what a chorus should do. It makes you feel what the singer is feeling; her sense of loss, of hopelessness. 

5. And yes, its sound is traditional. You bet. It's country, the way Gen Z and Millennials never experienced country before. They're discovering real country music! 

 (Yes, that's the guy from Yellowstone.)

In any business, money talks. I've watched corporate music heads glom onto what they think is the next big thing, only to destroy country music in the process. There was a cycle in the mid-seventies when country artists would release covers of popular pop songs. They didn't fool anyone. Country music isn't just about the arrangement. You can't simply stick a fiddle on a pop song and voila! Country tells a story; pop is all about a catchy hook. What real country has is heart. When I was the odd kid listening to country music, I'd hear the mocking comments about "cry in your beer" songs. Well, guess what? Everybody cries. Everybody suffers heartbreak. And yea, most everybody drinks from time to time, especially to drown that heartbreak.

By the year 2000, I couldn't take anymore. I'd already experimented with a Red Dirt country radio station out of Texas, and though it was better than corporate radio, only a couple of tracks I heard did anything for me. In my car, I was chained to the local (corporate) station, and even in the short drive to and from work, the hits of the day nauseated me. Now the tracks were once again pop, but with strings and fancy production. I'm convinced most people hated them, but it was a matter of picking the best out of a bucket of chum, so yes, these awful songs hit number one, then mercifully faded away. Hearing them not only left me empty, but irritated. 

So, since money talks, will there now be a revival of traditional country? Or is Ella's track so popular because it's so different? Is it a fluke? If every song starts sounding the same, will the novelty wear off? I'm not optimistic.

There was, not too long ago, another female country artist who tried to buck the trend. How did that work out for her? Yes, it's shameless tie-in time. If you like following Ella Langley's musical journey, you're gonna love Leah Branch's.

  (Click on the cover to take you there.)

You can even read it while you stream "Choosin' Texas" in the background.