Ella Langley’s powerhouse track “Choosin’ Texas” has officially claimed the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart for 2026.
The Bottom Line
- Historic Country Sweep: For the first time in Billboard history, country tracks claimed the top three spots on the season-ending Songs of the Summer chart.
- Massive Metrics: “Choosin’ Texas” pulled in a staggering 407 million official U.S. streams and sold 124,000 downloads during the tracking period.
- Rare Precedent: Released in October 2025, “Choosin’ Texas” is the first season-ending Songs of the Summer No. 1 to have entered the chart in a prior year in three decades.
Breaking Down the Numbers Behind the Summer’s Biggest Hit
The 20-position Songs of the Summer chart tracks the most popular tracks based on cumulative performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 from Memorial Day through Labor Day. For 2026, the tracking window encompassed charts dated June 6 through Sept. 12. According to Luminate data provided via Billboard, “Choosin’ Texas” dominated the competition by drawing 407 million official U.S. streams and selling 124,000 downloads.
Here is the kicker: the track was initially released all the way back in October 2025. This makes it the first season-ending Songs of the Summer No. 1 to have entered the Hot 100 in a prior calendar year in 30 years. The last song to pull off a similar feat was Los Del Rio’s global phenomenon “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” which won the 1996 summer race after debuting in September 1995.
Country Music’s Unprecedented Chart Domination
In both 2023 and 2024, tracks in the genre wrapped the summer at Nos. 1 and 2. Last year, Morgan Wallen claimed Nos. 2, 3, and 4 with songs from his album I’m the Problem.
“Choosin’ Texas” spent 21 weeks and counting atop the overall Hot 100, including 11 weeks starting July 4. During the height of its summer reign in August, country titles that hit Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart claimed the Hot 100’s entire top five simultaneously for the first time in chart history.
| Rank | Artist | Song Title | Notable Milestone / Metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | Ella Langley | “Choosin’ Texas” | 407 million streams; 21 weeks atop Hot 100 |
| No. 2 | Taylor Swift | “I Knew It, I Knew You” | Highest ever season-ending rank for Swift |
| No. 3 | Ella Langley | “Be Her” | Peaked at No. 2 on Hot 100 |
| No. 4 | Ariana Grande | “Hate That I Made You Love Me” | Highest Songs of the Summer finish since 2014 |
| No. 5 | Drake | “Janice STFU” | Led Hot 100 for two weeks total |
Pop Heavyweights and Streaming Titans Complete the Top Ten
Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You”—which debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in June—landed at No. 2 on the summer wrap-up, marking Swift’s highest-ever season-ending rank and surpassing her previous best with “Bad Blood” featuring Kendrick Lamar in 2015.
Ariana Grande captured the No. 4 spot with “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” securing her highest Songs of the Summer finish since 2014. Meanwhile, Drake rounded out the top five at No. 5 with “Janice STFU,” which stood alongside Langley’s hit as the only other track to lead the weekly Hot 100 tally during the summer tracking window.
On the radio front, Olivia Dean’s “So Easy (To Fall in Love)” proved to be the biggest airplay juggernaut of the season, pulling in 1 billion in cumulative airplay audience and finishing at No. 8. The rest of the top ten featured Stella Lefty’s “Boston” at No. 6, the Langley and Morgan Wallen collaboration “I Can’t Love You Anymore” at No. 7, Dean’s “Man I Need” at No. 9, and Tame Impala and JENNIE’s “Dracula” at No. 10.
What This Means for the Future of Seasonal Charts
Drop a comment below and let us know: did “Choosin’ Texas” dominate your personal summer playlist, or were you listening to something else entirely?
