Chart Commentary — August 22, 2026

LEGAL IN “TEXAS”

Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” notches an 18th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, moving to within a week of potentially tying for the longest command among non-holiday songs in the survey’s history. The smash first led the list in February and has already set multiple chart records.

Here’s an updated look at the longest-leading hits, ranked by most weeks at No. 1, over the Hot 100’s archives, which date to August 1958:

• 22 weeks, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Mariah Carey, 2019-26
• 19, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey, 2024
• 19, “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, 2019
• 18, “Choosin’ Texas,” Ella Langley, 2026
• 16, “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, 2023
• 16, “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, 2017
• 16, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, 1995-96

THE COUNTRY 4

Below “Choosin’ Texas” at No. 1 on the Hot 100, Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You” rebounds 5-2 after it spent its first two weeks on the chart at No. 1 in June; Morgan Wallen’s “Been by Now” holds at No. 3, two weeks after it debuted at No. 2; and Stella Lefty’s “Boston” rolls 6-4 after reaching No. 3.

Country adds another dominant week, two weeks after the genre monopolized the entire top five on the Hot 100 for the first time. Of the 11 weeks all-time with country songs at either Nos. 1-3, 1-4 or 1-5, all have occurred since August 2023, powered, in part, by country’s growth in streaming, among other factors.

Notably, pop and R&B/hip-hop have more commonly held sway throughout the Hot 100’s top five. For eight straight weeks last October-December, pop songs controlled the tier, a run that began when Swift took the top five (and 12) in the debut chart week for her album The Life of a Showgirl. The streak also included hits by HUNTR/X, Alex Warren, Olivia Dean and Mariah Carey.

Similarly, R&B/hip-hop last ruled the region on the Hot 100 dated Dec. 7, 2024, all thanks to debuts from Kendrick Lamar’s album GNX.

Jarrett Nolan

I was born a poor Black child into a family that put the “fun” in dysfunction. But through that fun, there was A LOT of music. At a very young age, my parents introduced me to everything ranging from Doo Wop to the British Invasion to Motown to Philly Soul to Psychedlic Rock to Funk.

Since I’m a Jersey boy born-n-bred, I landed a job at WHTZ (Z100) as a producer. I gave the DJs info about artists to read on-air – most of mine were chart-related, naturally.

I did double duty at WSBG, a small market radio station in the Poconos, as a DJ because I have a face for radio.

Through a random twist of fate, I wound up at BMG Distribution in Times Square. Shortly after, I ended up at Arista (shouldn’t have done that!). My career in the music industry ended with a stint at being a personal assistant to alterna-rap act PM Dawn.

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